Sunday, April 3, 2011

How to Take a Good Selfie

I have been asked this question a lot "How do you manage to take such good self-portraits?".... I don't claim to have some superior expertise here, but I can share a few tips.
  1. Stand if front of a mirror, but don't shoot the reflection. Use the mirror to see what is on your camera's screen.
  2. Get the most natural light you can get, or get a few more lamps: I know most of us don't have photographer's lighting gear sitting in our closets, so yes, get some light.
  3. If natural light is poor, play with your flash strength and different camera settings: given you have a camera that allows that. If you are using your iPhone or Android, get a photo-editing application like Camera+, Photoshop Mobile, etc.
  4. Don't give up. Keep shooting until you get it right. Sometimes your first shot will be the best. Sometimes you will have to take 40 photos and only one will be decent. Don't give up.
  5. Most important: think of things that make you happy. Amazingly enough, our internal life cannot be hidden on photographs. If  you are genuinely happy and having fun - that's what others will see in your picture.
  6. Smiles are contagious. Smile in your picture. Our brains are wired to respond automatically. It is called mood contagion, after all.
  7. Now, go do it!

Derby!

Untitled by Dalmatica
Untitled, a photo by Dalmatica on Flickr.

Last adventure in photography - slow lens, flaky flash, but roller derby was still a lot of fun. These ladies kicked ass with a huge win!