There was a period of about three years where I didn’t have any pictures of myself. I thought I didn’t want any documentation of the weight fluctuation I was going through or the terrible box hair dye color I chose to try and achieve the Kate Middleton glossy chestnut mane (a true cautionary tale).
But when I was going through my old Facebook albums, I realized there was a HUGE chunk of my late teens/early 20s that basically didn’t exist! (If you didn’t post about it, did it even happen?) I don’t even remember what I looked like! It was actually heart breaking.
But on that day, I decided I was going to have more than enough photo evidence of every stage of my life.
I was going to become a (big breath!) photographer, more or less. I didn’t, and still don’t, own a fancy camera so I do everything right on my phone. I am the poster child for the ‘Shot on iPhone’ campaign.
Rather than constantly bothering my family or hiring a photographer ($$$), I needed to find a way to become self-sufficient. Enter Amazon. I bought a tripod for my phone, a bluetooth clicker, and a ring light. All in all, it cost me less than $100.
The first few I did on my own will never see the light of the internet. But as I continued taking picture after picture, I could tell a real improvement! I usually take a picture a day, or at least most days. Whether they make it to the point of public consumption is a different story but nevertheless, my camera roll has got some pretty crazy stuff on it.
“But I don’t want to look stupid…” That was a thought that kept me from doing a lot of weird things to get a good photo. Once I realized that it really didn’t matter what other people thought, I was free to venture away from the white bedsheet background or studio-esque style pictures. I went ~outside~. Now, I don’t really care who sees. In fact, I’m aiming to be on the Influencers in the Wild Instagram page.
It might seem vain but it’s a practice that truly makes me happy! It allows me to flex my creative muscles and constantly has me looking at everything through a lens (pun very much intended) of how to take a better photo. I’m not saying I’m Anne Leibovitz (although I highly recommend her MasterClass) but I do believe that the best pictures are the ones we create. You can be your own creative director, model, producer, and publisher! That’s the beauty of social media in 2020. And guess what, there’s no one stopping you.
So if you’ve ever wanted to have more, or even better, pictures of yourself, today is a great time to start!
Here’s what you need:
- Cell Phone tripod (link here)
- Bluetooth clicker (included with tripod)
- Ring light (link here)
- Your Phone!
There’s no trick to getting the right picture. Play around with what works best for you, whether that’s finding your best side or trying out new colors/lighting. Just have fun with it! And most of all, just do it!