Last year, I figured out if I wanted to continue to put out a lot of content, I needed to learn how to do it by myself. And now that I’m stuck in my house without access to a photographer, I’m so glad I did! I feel like I’ve gotten pretty good at taking photos of myself, by myself (although I am always thankful for my amazing friends for taking photos of me when I ask). I’ve been chugging out a ton of photos lately for blogs and my Instagram and I’m proud of myself that they’ve all been taken and edited by me and only me. And since I’m sure a lot of content creators may be struggling to take photos without a photographer, I wanted to make this blog post to show that you (yes YOU) can totally do this on your own. You just need the right equipment.
1. Camera: (DSLR or an iPhone)
Honestly, this is all you 100% need to take a photo by yourself. I got my Canon T5 Rebel DSLR camera back in 2015. I bought a new 24mm-105mm lens last year because my old one wasn’t focusing correctly anymore. Investing in this DSLR is probably the best thing I have ever bought for myself, but the truth is, you don’t need to buy a fancy camera to get the shot you want. I’m a believer that you have the opportunity to be more creative and take higher quality photos with a professional camera, but smart phones have really improved their cameras lately. So if you don’t have a camera, just use your phone.
2. Self-Timer:
So because my camera is old and doesn’t have bluetooth, I use the self-timer feature to take photos by myself. It does involve a lot of running back and forth by what I normally do is:
- Position my camera and check my settings are correct
- Change the mode from ‘continue shooting’ to ‘self-timer-continuous’ (this is 10 seconds long)
- Up the amount of photos it takes in a burst to 8
- Press the capture button halfway down to focus (sometimes it’s hard to get the camera to focus on you and not the background…I’lll usually place a chair or something where I want to stand, and then I’ll move it out of frame when the timer is counting down)
- Click the button all the way and run into the shot (timer will start)
- Pose 8 different ways to try to mix up the photos I’m getting
This method works if you’re using a smartphone too. Just set up the 3 or 10 second timer. But if you have a Canon camera that connects to Bluetooth, downloading the Canon app will make this 10x easier for you because you won’t have to run back and forth to click the button. I’m not an expert on the Canon app, so here’s an article that explains it.
3. Tripod:
Purchasing a tripod was one of the best things I’ve done for my content creation. It has made taking photos a million times easier for me because I can stand my camera up where ever and easily adjust the height and angle. You can definitely prop your camera or phone up on any sturdy service, but in my experience, buying a 6ft tripod makes taking photos so much easier.
4. Lighting Kit:
I bought this light kit last winter because it was getting dark too early for me to take photos. I prefer natural light when taking photos, but this light kit has made it so I can shoot indoors and when the sun goes down. I’ve seen a lot of people have this round lighting kit and I think I should have splurged on it. But oh well.
5. Apps and Programs to Edit:
Over the years I’ve used a bunch of different programs.
- Adobe Lightroom: I use both the phone app and program on my computer. Went I studied abroad in London I learned the basics on how edit photos. I also have downloaded some presets from bloggers and photographers that make editing my photos. I pay around $10 a month
- VSCO: (sksksks) Sorry my inner VSCO girl popped out. Before I learned how to use Lightroom I used VSCO to do some basic editing. It’s free and it works pretty good.
- Tezza App: I’ve been using the Tezza app to give my photos a more vintage feel. You can also add text to your photos too. Basic photo editing is around $20 a year or $40 a year for photo and video editing.
- Picsart: This app allows you to add fun graphics, stickers, filters and so much more to your photos. So many creatives I follow on Instagram use this app to
- Unfold: I use this app mainly for my Instagram stories but I really like the JN1 and FF1 settings to add film borders around my photos.
Bonus items:
There are a few things I’ve considering ‘bonus items’. Things like a backdrop, SD card to iPhone converter and an external hard-drive have made shooting and uploading my photos easier, but they’re not totally necessary if you’re just starting out.
So those are the five things I use to take my photos of myself, by myself. You may think that all of this equipment is a lot of money, but to me it is totally worth the investment. I’ve take thousands of photos this way and the process, while a lot at times, is worth it to be able to have this creative outlet-especially while in quarantine.
Hope you found this helpful! Thanks for reading! xx