#1 Get the Proper Equipment

First things first you’ll need a camera. A lot of people start off by taking pictures on their phone BUT it definitely doesn’t compare to a professional camera. The pictures are so clear and nice when you take pictures with a professional camera. I personally like Canon but when I take pictures myself I use my Sony alpha 5000.

Second: You need a tripod. I got one from amazon (~$20) and it comes with an attachment for your phone if you’d like. It comes with the screw to screw the bottom of the camera with. The one I have isn’t super sturdy like the really expensive ones but its good for what I need. If you have a heavier camera like a Canon then you might want to invest in a different tripod.

The only downside to the one that I have is that its a little short so it catches the shadows on my face really weird. I’d recommend getting a tripod that is AT LEAST 6 feet tall or more.

Remotes?

I use the sony alpha 5000 and it has a three second timer so I just use that. I can also press a button on my phone to take pics on my sony (cool right?). Lastly, there are remotes that you can use to just press a button and then take the picture from the camera.

Use a camera that has the flippable LCD so you can see what you are actually doing.

#2 Location

If you’re choosing to shoot indoor (like in your house) choose an area with a nice background because pictures tell a story. Personally I like to use a plain wall so there’s not too much going on besides my main focal point (usually me).

Outdoors: I like to choose somewhere that’s not too busy so not that many people are staring. I found winter park (park ave) to be a good location because so many people take pictures there that they are already used to it so people aren’t staring as much. Also, Mount Dora is a really nice area to take pictures. I took the pictures from my last post in Mount Dora.

#3 Using the Timer…

Timer: with the three seconds you have like two seconds to pose so think of what post you want to do really fast so you can get in frame in time.

#4 Lighting

Lighting: check the lighting in the picture after you take it so you can get a good sense of whether the picture will come out nice or not. Then adjust the angle and position of the camera accordingly. This is super important cause you don’t want to waste your time taking 5 bagillion pictures in bad lighting.

A picture is only as good as the lighting you take it in.

Don’t take pictures in direct sunlight as it causes a glare. My favorite pictures are taken while the sun is out, in a shady area with the flash on. Here’s an example of a picture taken like this:

You can also take them with the flash off in indirect sunlight.

#5 Lenses and blurriness?

Lenses and focusing and blurriness: It might be hard to get pictures from far away when you take it by yourself cause its hard to focus the camera while also standing an appropriate distance to capture the whole outfit. If you have better lenses you might not have an issue with this. I have the standard lens that comes with the camera and I notice that it’s super hard to get it to focus and then jump in the shot if I’m super far away from the camera. Try to stand close enough to capture the outfit + a little bit of background (you’ll see it in the LCD).

If you have a better lens you may be able to take the picture from a farther distance. But again, with the standard lens I have to stand pretty close to the camera or else the picture comes out blurry. Kind of annoying cause it makes it hard to get the whole outfit but it is what it is.

Lastly….

Be courageous. You just gotta brave the awkwardness to be honest. A lot of people stare but just realize that curiosity is human nature.

If you have any questions or any of your own tips please share in the comments!

Disclaimer: Not sponsored. The amazon list is an affiliate link.