Flashback to 2020 (I know you don’t want to but bear with me) I was a senior in college graduating and I wasn’t able to get my Senior portraits done or even leave the house because of quarantine. So, what did I do? I took self-portraits in my backyard and they came out amazing! Now I model for myself all the time!

If you’re just getting into photography one of my biggest pieces of advice is that you are your best model. You can pose yourself however you see fit, free up your schedule for a shoot, and you can choose what you want to wear for the pictures! Whether you’re a seasoned photographer looking to get into self-portraits or a newbie who also wants to give it a shot I’m here to give you some advice!

Step 1: You’ll need a camera. It can be a real camera like my handy dandy Canon Rebel T6 or it can even be an iPhone. 

Step 2: You’ll want to set the camera up on a tripod. (Different Smartphones have Tripod stands that you can buy off Amazon and use for these purposes.)

Step 3: Angle your camera toward your backdrop and adjust. This might be one of the longer steps. You’ll have to continuously adjust your camera, step in front of your backdrop or wall and take test shots until you’re in focus (Look clear on the camera screen), lit properly (have enough light to be seen clearly), and don’t have too much or too little headspace(Don’t have your head cut off from the photo or too much space above your head). You might be wondering, how can you take pictures while standing in front of the camera away from the button. Simply use the self-timer on your camera or phone and set it for about ten seconds. this gives you time to press the button that takes the photo, step into the right spot, and pose. 

Step 4: Perfect your pic. Once you have a test photo that you like mark the spot you were standing in so you know not to move too much from that area. Now you can set the timer on your camera and continue to strike different poses, and even change outfits for your mini photoshoot! 

And now you have self-portraits that you can say you styled, modeled, and took yourself. If you’re more of a visual learner or want to see how I did my self-portrait pictured below check out my behind-the-scenes video here.