My birthday was during quarantine, which made it harder to find a way to celebrate. I make everyone look and feel amazing as a wedding photographer, so I decided to do that for myself. With a few simple tools I captured these self portraits on my phone.
How to take self portrait
The set up is simple and you can make it more complex as you go. Start here :
- simple backdrop (I use a Savage Seamless Paper from B+H)
- window for natural light
- tripod (I use this Joby Gorillapod)
- iphone / camera set on timer
My goal was to feel beautiful on my birthday and pretend I actually went somewhere to celebrate (we are currently on week 5 of quarantine). Therefore, I pulled out my rarely worn black straw (I live in the mountains not on the beach), a favorite black JCrew bathing suit top and Hackwith Design House high waisted bottoms. As a result I didn’t put makeup on for the hat covered my face.
How to pose for a self portrait
Because you are photographing yourself, make it easier to see what you are doing. I like to flip the camera on my phone so I can study the light and angles as I go. Here are a few tips :
- Use angles – move your hands and bend your arms
- Turn your face towards the light
- Position your camera slightly above your face pointing down
As a result, you can see what is working. Every time you take a self portrait you get a better sense of how to put other people at ease. As a photographer, I like to be photographed regularly for that reason.
Since I have three kids, we all put on bathing suits and turned up the heat for our pretend spring break. Here is what it looked like behind the scenes.
Pin this image and leave a comment or tag me on Instagram @ mary.dougherty if you try your own!
