How do you take selfies and other outfit photos?

Chris987

This is a two part question based on my very limited experience taking selfies and photography in general. I see some really good photos here on YLF.....

1) how do you take selfies to show your outfit? How do you set up your mirror, lighting etc? Where do you hold the phone, what angle etc?

2) for photos that are not selfies, how do you do those? Do any of you use a tripod with an iPhone or camera? Or do you have someone else take them?

9 years ago

Dressing

15 replies

Latest reply was from Atypical60Cathe

approprio

(website)

Veteran

I'm not very skilled at photography in general but for the selfies I post here I use a camera with a screen that flips so that I can see what the lens sees when I stand in the shot. This is mounted on a tripod. I set the timer to ten seconds and take around ten shots. Usually one or two of them are good enough.

With regards to getting the light right, I experimented with different spots. During the summer I have access to a balcony which gets direct sunlight in the afternoon. In winter, I photograph indoors in a spot which gets enough daylight for a decent shot.

Just practice. That's how I learned.

9 years ago

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I've done it different ways. At the beginning I asked my daughter to take my photos!

Later I got a tripod and set that up in our bedroom. The light isn't the best but better than elsewhere and the background is the plainest we have in our house. I set it for 3 pictures and one is usually good enough.

For selfies in a mirror I just hold the camera out in front and make sure it is blocking me as little as possible. It's not ideal but works okay.

Lately I haven't been able to get any photos at all because we don't have a full length mirror at home and daughter has our regular camera for a course! I hope to resume photos at the end of June.

They are helpful for getting a grip on our own style.

9 years ago

Bonnie

Veteran

I do the same as approprio except that I take one shot at a time and usually take 3-5 shots to get one that I like. I find the lighting is very important and different times of day work better. I don't like to use the flash so set the camera on landscape.

9 years ago

JAileen

Veteran

I have a giant mirror but poor lighting, so my pictures are not very good. I just use my phone, because when I use my iPad it seems to cover up too much. This is pretty ironic because my husband's hobby is photography and he has a large arsenal of photo equipment. But I generally take pictures during the day when he's at work.

9 years ago

Ledonna N.

Veteran

My selfies are usually done at work in the bathroom good lighting for my camera phone. I think I'm getting better slowly but surely. I have to take them at home with both up light and sunlight.

9 years ago

Elizabeth P

Veteran

This is my set up. I do use the flash, as the ceiling light puts a weird yellow glow over half the pic... so I can't colour correct it. And for some reason, I don't get shadows on the wall. Can't quite figure that out, must be the angle. I do colour correct the pics after I take them, to try to represent the colour as best I can.

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9 years ago

Meredith

Veteran

Selfies are hard! I'm impressed by those (Janet comes to mind) who can do a mirror selfie with decent lighting and a good view of the outfit. I would post more photos if I could master this technique.

Lately I've taken advantage of outdoor lighting by propping my phone up on top of my trash can and hoping my neighbors don't see me! The photos still aren't perfect, but realistically I will never take the time to pull out my real camera to do it right.

ETA: The camera height is pretty important, so if you decide to use a tripod or otherwise prop you camera, play around until you find the best option.

9 years ago

Diana

Veteran

Mirror: I use the mirror in my front hall and my iPhone. The lighting is poor (if I open the door behind me to let in natural light, it tends to throw me into shadow) but it's quick and easy. I try to stand a bit further back (the closer you are the more distortions/foreshortening you will get) and zoom in slightly. On an iPhone you can double tap a spot to focus/expose there, which helps with the lighting issues. I crop after the fact. I usually hold the phone over my face - hey you all know what it looks like already and that way the outfit is not obscured.

Regular camera: I use a small point and shoot and no tripod. I take them in the bedroom as I get decent light there at least on sunny days (natural light, no big sunbeams or shadows in the morning). I set the camera on the air conditioner in the bedroom window (around waist level) and stand across the room. This is pretty far (maybe 12 feet?) but again the further you are the less distortions. You compromise resolution, but on the high quality setting my photo resolution generally still looks ok after cropping. I use the 10 second, 3 shot timer setting on my camera and check the photos after each round to see if anything needs adjusting. It varies but I can get a decent one in 1-3 tries usually. The background is relatively plain and light colored, which is best for color/light balance. I never use the flash as I hate what it does to colors.

I crop and adjust exposure and color balance using iPhoto or even just the iPhone photo app.

And as others have said, you need to experiment with some test shots around the house to see where you get decent light etc.

9 years ago

Anonymous

Hi Chris. I don't use a phone. I use a digital camera and have it on a tripod (I got a really cheap one off Amazon). I take all my photos in our bedroom next to a long wall of mirrored wardrobe doors which help reflect light. I always use a scattered flash setting and I always have the bedroom light on even in daytime to take my pics. After I've uploaded onto the computer I always crop each picture and tweak the light, colour and contrast a bit to enhance each one if they have turned out a bit dark or the colour aren't looking quite true.

9 years ago

Chris987

Veteran

Thanks so much for all the helpful hints. I will make some time to try them out...

9 years ago

Brooklyn

Veteran

I don't use a tripod. I just prop my phone up on the table between some rolls of kitchen wrap. He he! But I recently got a remote switch for my iPhone camera (hand held, battery operated, around $2 from eBay). That makes it a lot easier because I don't have to keep running back and forth between my phone and my spot to take the picture (I used to use a timer). I crop the photos and use the iPhone features to enhance brightness and colour.

9 years ago

dashielle (Ann)

(website)

Veteran

Tripod + iPhone + remote shutter release here. Blank background/wall gives better definition, but if I had somewhere close to home and light in the mornings, I'd do them outside.

9 years ago

Sara L.

Veteran

My husband snaps 2 or 3 photos before I walk out the door in the mornings. I don't have time to check them and DH doesn't have the patience to do retakes anyway. If I'm trying on several items I'll set up a tripod and use the delay feature on the camera.

9 years ago

Chris987

Veteran

Thanks everyone, I will review all these suggestions carefully. I think I also need to rethink my photo shoot location....

9 years ago

Atypical60Cathe

Member

I make no apologies for my lack of photographic ability. I've let it be known to readers of my blog and they are fine with it. 99 percent of my pics are taken with my phone.

My purpose of blogging was not for photography talent. It was to send a message to women over a certain age. You can see my less-than-stellar pics here in my post: https://atypical60.com/2016/03.....potential/

9 years ago

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