Did you notice that I am in every picture? That's because these are all self portraits. Ok...so maybe I have a problem. I guess I'm not the typical "I don't want to be in front of the camera so I'll hide behind the camera" kind of photographer. I started putting a copy of self portraits that I take in a folder on my computer because my friend, Paula, asked me to write a "How to Take Self Portraits" post....but then life got busy and I kept forgetting. Not that it's not busy now (It's tax season and I work for a CPA, I'm in grad school, baseball season is starting, oh...and I'm also a full time mom and wife! Yeah...life might be a little crazy at the moment.)
It's just that I finished taking my online test for this week, the boys are out in the creek playing, Mike fell asleep on the couch (he just got back from a 3 day business trip to Houston), and I sat down to start working on my research paper. It sounded way more fun to write on my blog than research accounting management techniques...so here ya go!
Some of y'all might find it odd that I have 82 pictures in the "Self Portraits" folder on my computer. I take so many pictures of our life...and I don't want to forget that I was there too! I actually told Mike that if something ever happens to me, he can use this folder for an automatic sideshow for my funeral. I'm not sure he found that as funny as I did.
So now to the "how to" portion of my post. How do you take a self portrait that actually makes you feel flattered rather than disgusted? It's actually very simple.
- Zoom out as wide as your lens will allow.
- Hold the camera higher than your head and aim it down towards your face.
- Use the lens like a mirror and look for your reflection in the center of the glass.
- Squeeze the trigger!
See! I told you it was simple! I think the main thing to remember when you're taking a self portrait is to shoot looking up at the camera. When you shoot where you're looking straight at the camera or looking down at the camera, you are much more likely to get a double chin effect or see up your nostrils! See the example below.
Also, remember to check your surroundings before you take the picture. When you're looking through the camera to take a picture you notice what's going on in the background. Not so when you're taking a self portrait (as evidenced in the picture above!! lol)
3 comments:
That last picture is hilarious!
I like the hint about looking at the camera. I have one where I didn't and it looks kinda funny. I'll send it to you.
Did you know the picture of me on my blog is a self-portrait taken using your technique? Thanks for your advice.
Wait a minute. There's a self-portrait right next to my comment.
Thanks so much for the instructions. Nobody else can ever take a picture of me now...I can take GREAT pictures of myself that look so flattering!!!!
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