Creating Self Portrait Magic 101
I’m saying it now, and if you stick around, you’ll hear me say it again. You don’t have to have fancy equipment or scenic backdrops to create stunning self portraits. I’ve been taking self portraits since before my phone had a front camera. And I still haven’t purchased a tripod for my iPhone. (Although, I’m ready to, so if you’ve got one you recommend, leave me a comment!)
“You don’t have to have fancy equipment or scenic backdrops to create stunning self portraits."
Creating self portrait magic doesn’t require thousands of dollars. Believe it or not, you don’t have to be a photoshop expert. And you don’t need to live in New York or California. You don’t even need to drive into the city or out to a field of sunflowers (though if you can, by all means!)
To create self portrait magic, you really only need 3 things.
1. Yourself
Haha, okay, obviously yourseelf. But what else? I suggest you start with a prop (hat, sunglasses, scarf, flowers, paintbrush, mirror) or fun makeup look. This can help inspire you as you shoot. It’s also important to consider movement. Many people suggest shooting video and then capturing stills. This method personally isn’t my favorite, but the point is — movement is GREAT in pictures. Not only does moving while shooting add movement and depth to your photo, it makes for more interesting poses. Consider the two photos below.
See how much nicer the shapes and movement in the second photo are? The lighting worked out in my favor as well as I stretched toward the sun rather than staring straight at my camera.
2. A Decent Camera
Yes, I love my Canon 5D Mark III, but it’s honestly collecting dust in my closet right now. I primarily shoot with my iPhone 11, purely due to convenience. You don’t have to have a DSLR or even an iPhone 11 to shoot great self portraits. I suggest any camera that provides you with high quality shots that don’t lose clarity after editing/ adding a filter. Make sure it’s charged & you’ve got plenty of storage, because I want you to CLICK. AWAY. Take 100s of shots. And keep moving as you do. No two shots should be the same. Once you’ve got a hundred or more shots to choose from, narrow them down to your favorites and take ‘em into your preferred editing software.
3. Editing Software/ App
How you edit your photos is completely up to you! Allow yourself to play around and find your style. Currently, I’m loving a little bit of nostalgic grain and bright, almost saturated colors.
From Photoshop and Lightroom to Facetune, there are tons of apps and editing softwares available. On my iPhone, I mostly use VSCO, which provides you with over two hundred presets as well as editing tools like HSL and Split Tone, Skew and Crop, and your basic contrast/ brightness, etc.
If you’re taking these for social and want a coherent feed, I suggest picking a preset you like and sticking to it. Personally, I like to mix it up and toy around with each shoot differently. I almost always increase the brightness a bit and lower the contrast. These are my preferences. Find what works for your skin tone, your lighting, your style!
If you’d like to know more about which apps I use or see a tutorial on how I edit, let me know in the comments!