Photography can be easy, and feel confident in taking photos is not always straight-forward.
Iโm not a pro, but I’m the one who takes pictures for my Instagram, and every time I need a new shot for my new design.
Why? Because I love having complete control over the aesthetic of my brand.
And yes, with just an iPhone.
So how do you feel confident in taking photos? All you need is the willingness to try something that might feel a little uncomfortable at first. Photography is like a craft, just like knitting. So it takes time to learn the skills.
If youโre more used to showing your life over yourself, posting pictures with you is a hurdle to jump. I want to encourage you to get out in front of the camera, show your face, be bold, and be you.
And, if you want to take photos by yourself, I highly recommend getting a tripod and remote (or bribe your friend or partner to do the job)!
These are my tips to feel confident taking photos of yourself and getting shots you canโt wait to share in your feed.
1. Find the best lighting
And this goes for all photos regardless of how theyโre captured! You want to take photos in natural light but not in direct sunlight. The best place to take a photo is with your face facing a window where natural light is coming through, but the sun isnโt beaming right onto your face. The best time to take photos is when the light is softer, so think mid-morning or whenever itโs overcast!
2. No zooming
If you want a closer-up photo, move your phone prop setup closer to you! Zooming manually on a phone camera, especially, takes away from the quality of the photo and might even make it more difficult for your phoneโs camera to focus on you when you get into position.
3. Portrait mode
You know those super profesh looking pictures that have the subject in focus and the background all blurred? Almost all phone cameras can achieve that look nowadays with whatโs called portrait mode! Itโs great for a close-up to really make your bright face and personality pop off the screen.
4. Inspiration
Take inspiration from some photos of the type of looks youโre going for and get the location, props, outfits, and whatever else youโll need all ready to go before getting started. Your photos should all have some similarities amongst them, and a great way to do that is by using presets, which are edits crafted to create uniformity that you can apply to your photos.
And remember: inspiration is not copying.
5. Have fun
Experiment with what works well for you because thereโs no pressure or stress from other people and no rush to get the perfect shot in two or three takes. Truly, some of the best pictures are completely unexpected, un-posed, accidentally candid ones.
You donโt need to be a pro or have a nice camera to get nice photos of you, you need to step out. Get creative and resourceful.