A little later than planned, but today I have another photography contribution for you: Tips for self-portraits , everything to do with the camera, settings and your posing! Uff, what a chunk - let's get started right away!
Why self portraits?
Why would you want to shoot self-portraits at all? Do you need a new profile picture for social media? Do you want to practice using the camera? When is a self-portrait a self-portrait?
(If I have to write the word self-portrait again, then I scream easily ... at some point that sounds strange, doesn't it?)
At the beginning I found self-portraits (again) much more difficult than if I simply photograph other people - portraits of yourself (haha see what I did there?) Are actually a great exercise to later photograph others!
When is it a self-portrait?
Self-portraits include all photos that you have taken of yourself. The face does not necessarily have to be recognizable; only body parts or reflections can be seen.
I also think that a self-portrait counts when I determine the composition of the picture, think up the pose, adjust the camera settings and then press someone in the hand to press the shutter release button. Maybe others count that as a portrait, but the person who clicks hasn't done much.
I need self-portraits quite often: for the blog, social media and especially on YouTube as a so-called thumbnail for a new video.
The technology
So what do you need for a good self-portrait? And now I'm specifically talking about a self-portrait with a DSLR, a single lens reflex camera, and not with a cell phone. According to my own definition, that would be a selfie!
Tripod & Co
Sure, when you take photos with a DSLR, "put the camera on your hand and stretch your arm out" is a bit tedious (always good for fitness, but well ...). In addition, you always wobble here and there, so you should definitely have a tripod or a flat surface on hand.
Self-Timer & Focus
Most of the time you stand a little further away from the camera and then can't get to the shutter release. You can also set a timer in the DSLR, but that would be too tricky for me personally, just because I don't know whether the focus is still right.
So you can get a self-timer, it comes in all possible forms and variants. For example with:
- electric wire
- Wireless
- Infrared
- mobile phone
Yep, most DSLRs already have apps that you can install on your phone. There you can see the picture directly, set the focus and trigger it or let it trigger with a delay. I bought an infrared self-timer from Amazon for $ 3 ... what can I say, it was about 6 years ago and the battery still lasts.
Mirror
If you don't have a folding display or a front display, or if you can't / don't want to use your mobile phone as a shutter release, then it is helpful to put a mirror behind the camera. Or you set up an iPad and turn on the camera there and then see yourself. You have to be careful that you look into the camera when the shutter is actually released and not into the mirror or the iPad (unless you want it, of course haha).
Cover
I think the f / 2.8 is perfect for portraits and self-portraits. It's small enough that the background is halfway blurry, but big enough that you're more likely to hit the focus and be in focus.
The light source
Where is the best place to do self-portraits?
Window
Natural light is always good and, of course, the best thing is to have large windows that let in indirect light. Indirect light means that the sun does not shine super fat in your face, but that you are completely evenly illuminated. If you hold your hand in the light by the window, your small wrinkles and lines should be evenly illuminated and not have deep shadows.
Shadow
If the light does shine directly into the window, then look for a place where your face is more in shadow. The light from the window should come from the side or at a 45 ° angle from the front, depending on how dramatic you want it to be.
Against The Sun
For special drama and blatantly overexposed self-portraits, you could also stand directly in the sun so that everything shines from behind. This is an effect that is sometimes desired and can look very dramatic.
Soft Boxes
For my videos and accordingly also for the thumbnails, I use two softboxes. CHRISTINE explained the USE OF SOFTBOXES really well in her blog POST ! I always use the clamshell variant - the camera is in front of me on the dresser and the softboxes are slightly turned to the right and left of it. The light is even, bright and looks great. It's also not so important to me that the background is blurry.
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