One of the things that I love about being both a photographer and blogger is being able to shoot my own content. I have a few people that I do work with, but I honestly have a lot of fun learning about myself, what I like and what I want to see when I’m working in front of and behind the camera. Sometimes I plan out my shoots with other people, but other times, if I like my outfit for that day, I can stop somewhere once I’m done working for the day, break out my tripod, and get a quick snap in. Content creation is supposed to be fun, and I really do enjoy it, so I wanted to share a few tips for other bloggers who may have to do self-portraits on their own from time to time. I promise it’s not as hard as you think if you keep these 5 tips in mind.
Get a tripod and remote
Girl. Stop playing around trying to balance your camera on a shelf or your car and running back and forth with the self-timer and just get a tripod and remote! You will save yourself SO much time and frustration if you just invest in these 2 things, and it doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg. When I first started shooting myself I did the book balancing thing until I had to shoot a campaign 2 years ago and I was hot AF and strapped for time. I ordered a remote and tripod literally after I was done because I was so frustrated with myself, lol. You are limited with some of the angles you can shoot because you can’t move around the same way as you would working with a photographer, BUT depending on the type of content that you share, you can still create a lot on your own.
Position the tripod so that your camera shoots you straight on or from below
So you have your tripod + remote and are now ready to shoot your content. My suggestion is to situate your tripod so that your camera shoots you either straight on or slightly from below. When I shoot with bloggers, these are the 2 angles that I shoot from (NEVER from up top and down unless I’m doing a detailed shot over their shoulder or something creative like that). These 2 angles won’t distort your body, and if you shoot up you will make your legs look longer and leaner.
Move around
We all have our “hand on the hip” pose, but you can create some fun, lively images if you move around a little. Don’t be afraid to spin, walk, bend forward/back, play with your hair, etc. as you snap each frame. Basically, learn how to direct yourself so that you can create photos that aren’t flat or look like you’re taking your 6th grade photo. This doesn’t mean you have to do weird, wacky poses (unless the context of the photo calls for that); simple, natural movement is more than enough to get yourself a few quality frames.
Hold something in your hands
Not a fan of the hand on the hip pose? Put something in your hand. Flowers, books, drinks or food are some of the easiest props that you can use, and they can help make your photos feel more “lifestylish” depending on the post that they will be included in (and it’s an easy way to hide your remote, lol). You can also use a bike, snap yourself cleaning or pouring things, etc. You want to use props in a way that make sense, so don’t be afraid to experiment.
Practice poses beforehand (3-4)
When I first started shooting with one of my clients, the first thing she told me was that she had 3, 4 poses max. This was about 2 years ago and she has grown exponentially in her posing! We’ve even been able to incorporate walking/movement poses into our sessions. She’s a style blogger, so we still get in those traditional outfit shots just to be safe, but our sessions are so much more productive now that she’s more comfortable in front of the camera. If you’re shooting yourself, use these moments to practice those tried and true poses that you love for yourself so that when you are able to work with a photographer, you can maximize your shoots and have a lot more variety in your pictures. And your poses don’t have to be dramatic either; just knowing how to move fluidly in front of a camera between each snap will help you get photos that are a lot more natural.
Not everyone can afford to hire a photographer for their blog (nor do our family members or friends want to help us all the time), but that doesn’t mean that you have to sacrifice the quality of your content. Is it the the easiest thing in the world to do? No, but so many bloggers do it (and have fun while doing it), so drop your ego, grab your tripod + remote and go out and create!
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Do you know how to shoot your own blog photos?
