Introduction
Self-portrait photography is one of my favorite types of photography. I love creating a scene and being the star of that scene. Call me self-centered, but it is the truth – ha ha!
Self-portrait photography is not only a great way to express creativity but also there are beautiful, healing aspects of this type of photography. I love viewing myself from a new perspective and finding beauty in the world around me. I particularly love taking self-portraits in natural scenery and will focus my self-portrait photography tips on taking photos outdoors.
This post covers tips on how to take better self-portraits based on my lessons learned over the years of taking pictures of myself. I primarily use a mirrorless micro four thirds camera system (Panasonic Lumix GH6), but these tips can be applied regardless of the camera you plan to use.
Create a Scene:
Technical Tips:
Disclaimer: I am not a professional photographer by any means. This is a hobby for me but I thought I could share tips to help you take better self portraits based on knowledge I have through shooting.
Create a Scene
Select a Location
One of the first steps to taking self-portraits in natural scenery is to determine where you will be shooting. Generally, I select a hiking trail on publicly owned land.
Types of Publicly Owned Land:
- State Parks
- City Parks
- Bureau of Land Management Land
- National Forest
- National Parks
- State Forests
Natural Features I Consider:
- Water (River, Lakes, Streams, Ocean)
- Mountains
- Hills
- Interesting Colors (Red rocks in Arizona, Fall Colors)
- Vegetation (Trees, Shrubbery, Cacti)
- Sand Dunes
Sometimes there is a particular “shot” from a specific area that I’ve seen online and want to emulate. Most of the time, however, this is not the case and I select a location based on the distance from my house and the natural features offered at the location.
Pick Wardrobe, Hair, & Makeup
Once you know where you want to take your self-portrait, the next thing to do is figure out your wardrobe, hair, and makeup for the shot.
Things I Consider for Wardrobe:
- Contrast of my outfit to the natural scenery: Do I want to stand out or blend into the photo? How is the movement of my outfit?
- Layers or single piece
- Length of skirt/dress/kimono
- Any accessories? Earrings, necklaces, flowers, items to hold in my hands
Since I tend to hike at least a mile or so to my shooting location, I do not prepare my hair for the shot and go for a more “wild, untamed” look with my curls.
On that same thought, most of my self-portrait photos are not headshots so I do not wear makeup.
If I were to take headshots, I would likely choose a location that would not require a hike and have my hair and makeup done appropriately for the shot.
Consider Light and Weather
Once you determine the day you are going to take your self-portrait, consider both the time of day you plan on shooting and the weather expected on that day.
Light
If you want a specific type of light for your shot, make sure you know what time sunrise and sunset are that day and be at your location at least an hour before you plan on shooting. This will allow you to have enough time to find the exact shooting location, change, and set up before the light begins.
Click each item below to learn more!
Golden Hour
Most people like the “golden hour” light that comes right after sunrise and right before sunset. This “hour” can vary greatly depending on the latitude of your shooting location and season. For instance, when I lived in Arizona, the golden “hour” was merely a couple of minutes, no matter the season. In Alaska, where I live now, this time lasts for nearly an hour during winter and summer!
Blue Hour
This is also considered “Civil Twilight” and occurs right before sunrise and right after sunset. Generally, for very electric, vibrant colors, you will want partly cloudy conditions. How the light hits the clouds is what causes the intense colors. Otherwise, I find that my blue hour shots are softer, still lovely, but not the vibrant, pinks and purples. Again, the length of time for Civil Twilight will depend on the latitude of the shooting location and season.
Direct Sunlight
Direct sunlight results will vary greatly depending on the time of day. Typically, the “harshest” light will occur at high noon (whenever the sun is directly above you, high in the sky), and this all depends on latitude and season.
Obstructions: If you are shooting in a mountainous area or canyon, consider how the mountains will obstruct light and alter when you have direct light to work with.
Obstructions
If you are shooting in a mountainous area or canyon, consider how the mountains will obstruct light and alter when you have direct light to work with.
Weather
Weather can also change the feel of a photo and perhaps impact the wardrobe you choose for the shot.
Cloud coverage can impact the vibrancy of blue hour colors at sunrise and sunset, but also offer diffused light situations, which can be advantageous in shooting portraits.
Storm clouds or gray clouds can bring a moody feel to the photo and can add to the character of the shot and play well into creating a scene.
Although I do not enjoy shooting in rain or snow, it is possible to use some sort of cover over your camera body or phone to help prevent the precipitation from getting onto your equipment. This YouTube video I found helpful for figuring out ways to safely cover my camera body.
One time I shot in active snowfall and used a ziplock baggie around my camera body and called it good for the quick photoshoot – haha.
Frame the Shot
Once you get to your outdoor shooting location, it is time to pick the best spot for the shot. When you are thinking about framing the shot, consider the direction the light is coming from and any significant features you want to showcase.
This part of the process is why I recommend getting to a location you are shooting at well before you intend to snap the shot. I prefer shooting around sunrise, so I like to hike around and search for a nice scene at least an hour before I intend to shoot.
If you want to watch a video of a behind-the-scenes self-portrait photoshoot I did, check out my YouTube video below:
Technical Tips:
Remember, I am no expert here but I share tips based on how I take self-portraits with my mirrorless camera. YouTube is a great resource to learn more about what I discuss below.
Shutter Speed
The first setting I adjust when taking a self-portrait in nature is the shutter speed. If my clothes have a lot of movement to them or there is a breeze and my hair will be blowing in the wind, I want to be sure the camera captures a crisp image and freezes that movement without being blurry.
I tend to start my shutter speed at 1/500 (or 1/500th of a second) and increase to 1/800 or 1/1000 depending on the wind. If there is no wind, I am standing completely still, and there is minimal movement in my clothes, I bring the shutter speed down to 1/200.
The difference in shutter speed is the amount of light that will hit the lens as the camera takes the shot. So a shutter speed of 1/200 will let in more light than 1/1000.
Aperture/F-Stop
Next, I determine how much of the image I want to be in focus to dictate the aperture I use for the photo.
If I want there to be a balance between the scenery and myself, meaning both are adequately in focus, I stick with an f-stop of 8. If I want the background to be blurred and the focus to be more on me, I bring the f-stop down to as low as it can go, depending on the lens I use. Generally, this will be 2.8 or 1.4.
The larger the f-stop, the smaller the aperture hole in the camera lens. This also relates to the amount of light that hits the lens. So an f-stop of 8 will let in less light than an f-stop of 2.8.
ISO
Unpopular move here, but I like to adjust my ISO last after I set my shutter speed and aperture.
It is best practice to use the lowest possible ISO while still getting a well-lit image since a higher ISO can lead to grain in the photo. I tend to use as high of an ISO as necessary to get the colors and light I want for the photo, knowing that any grain in the image can be worked through during editing.
Focus
My favorite way to focus images is to use Auto Focus on my camera by generally selecting an area of the image that I want to be in focus, then switching my camera to Manual Focus.
I found that when I would shoot with Auto Focus and walk to the spot of my self-portrait, the Auto Focus would track my body and sometimes move from the exact spot I wanted in focus.
By switching to Manual Focus after selecting the general area I want in focus, I’ve had more success with the camera staying in focus at the location I want to appear sharp in the image.
Capturing the Image
I’ve gone through many trials and tribulations with figuring out how to actually capture the self-portrait images.
See below for my thoughts on each:
Camera Timer
Most cameras, if not every camera, come with a self-timer. In the early stages of my self-portrait photography journey, I would use the camera’s 10-second timer and run back and forth between pressing the shutter and posing in the photos.
This method is by far my least favorite, especially when I am far away from the camera in the framed shot.
Remote
I eventually upgraded from solely using the in-camera timer to using a remote that would set off the timer. This allowed me to set myself into position and pose accordingly in between every 10-second countdown.
Although this was an upgrade from running back and forth to the camera, this had its negatives.
- I could not always hear when the camera took the photo so I did not know exactly how much time I had to hold a pose and would move prematurely.
- It was not always easy to hide the remote in the shot. Sometimes I could hide it behind something, but other times I had to indiscriminately hide it with my body.
- The range the remote would work was inconsistent and could be obstructed by other objects.
Continuous Shooting
My FAVORITE way to take self-portraits is to use the built-in continuous shooting function in my camera.
The function is used to create time-lapse, so if your camera has that capability then you are able to use this function.
Instead of having to run back and forth to a camera or to listen to the shutter close to know my picture was taken, I can set the frequency of shooting and take as many photos in a row as I want and the camera will continue to shoot.
Choosing this method does mean you will have tens or hundreds of unusable or blooper shots as you get into frame and pose, but it is by far my favorite way to take self-portraits, especially when out in natural scenery.
Inspiring Self-Portrait Photographers
There are some amazing self-portrait photographers out there and I’ve linked the ones who inspired me to start taking photos of myself:
Although I am not on social media anymore and hardly see their work, they inspired me to pick up a camera and create beautiful art.
Final Remarks
Self-portrait photography has become a wonderful creative hobby and it brings me a lot of joy to create beautiful images in beautiful places. I hope you find my tips helpful to take better self-portraits as you continue your journey into photography and self-expression.
Curious about starting a new hobby but not wanting to leave your house? Check out my post on 10 indoor hobby ideas!
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