4 Tips for Taking Self-Portraits

Although the term "selfie" is a modern-day term, self portraits are, in fact, not a new thing. Artist throughout the ages drew, painted and sculpted self-portraits. In the Early Renaissance period, self-portraiture became very popular and great artists often depicted themselves as the main subject in their work, or as important characters in their work. Self-portraiture was used in order for the artist to eternalize his or her self. Sometimes it was used in order to advertise the artist's talent. Another reason self-portraits were made is because the most patient subject is the artist himself.

Self-portraiture is a very good way to experiment with new photography techniques, try new lighting setups and improve your photography. Another bonus is that when posing for a self-portrait, you will learn a lot about posing subjects, which will come in handy when photographing others.

Although self-portraiture may sound hard to some, with most modern day cameras, it is actually quite easy and I highly recommend trying it. Here are a four tips to help you get started with taking self-portraits:

Focus

Before taking your self portrait you have to ensure your camera is focusing on the right thing. Usually, you'll want to focus on your eyes in a self portrait. Set your camera up on a tripod or on a solid surface and focus on the area where you intend to pose. In order to do this you can stand a broom or other object where you intend to sit and focus on that. Then you can change your camera's focus to manual, in order for the camera to maintain the proper focus. Then sit where the broom was and make sure your eyes are at the distance the broom was from the camera. At first I recommend using an aperture of F5.6-8 in order to be more forgiving if the focus isn't fully accurate. When you get better at this technique, you can use wider apertures as well.

Use a Remote Control Trigger or Timer

Use a remote control to trigger the shutter release or use a timer. I usually use the timer and set it at 20 seconds, so I've got some time to pose before the picture is taken. Since it's hard to know if the photo will turn out well, I set my timer to take multiple photos (usually 9) and set the intervals between each photo the camera takes at 3 seconds. This lets me experiment with different poses without having to trigger the shutter release again each time.

Pose

Now that the technical aspects are out of the way, it's time to focus on posing. I found that photographers can learn a lot by spending time at the other end of the camera. I've gained a lot of knowledge on how to pose my subjects, by trying various poses myself for a self-portrait and seeing what works and what doesn't work. A basic pose which I often use as a starting point is sitting on a stool at 45 degrees to the camera. You can then adjust the angle as necessary in order to get optimal results. Take advantage of the setup and try various poses and see what works best for you. Don't be afraid to experiment and most of all, make sure you have fun!

Lighting

Studio lighting can be very nice for self-portraits, but you can take great self-portraits outdoors or using window lighting or even a good lamp. Be conscious of the direction of light and quality of light you are using. Self-portraiture can give you an opportunity to experiment with lighting as well, and find which lighting style suits you. You'll also learn a lot about lighting by doing this.

There is a lot more that can be discussed when talking about self-portraiture, yet these 4 basic tips should be enough for you try taking your first self-portrait. Go ahead and try it!

Meanwhile, keep up the good light!

Yehonathan