Tips To Click Conceptual Self Portraits

Self Portrait - A portrait which an artist created by them self.

Flower And Fun

Self-portraits have been created from the earliest of times, but it was only since the early Renaissance in the mid-15th Century that artists actively started practicing self-portraiture. Famous self-portraitists include Vincent van gogh, Frida Kahlo and Andy Warhol.

Truth Hurts

Black and White Self Portraits

A few tips for beginners:

1. Stay true to yourself. Self-expression is the whole concept behind self-portraiture. So, if you’re a shy person and prefer not photographing your face, don’t. But also, don’t be scared to push yourself a bit. I, for example, don’t like having my face in portraits so my self-portraits were usually faceless. Earlier this year, I challenged myself to take an actual portrait, and I’m happy that I did.

2. Reflect on what you’re feeling, going through and what you want to portray in this particular time in your life. Get inspiration and establish what you want to create before you start shooting and don’t be scared to improvise. Sometimes letting go and moving through the shoot (like a dancer to good music) is when the magic happens.

3. You’ll have to decide whether you want to use natural or artificial light – both has its own list of pros and cons. I like shooting with natural light, not only because I really suck at creating my own light, but because it “feels” more natural to me. The difficulties that come with shooting in natural light is that the sun keeps moving. You can only shoot at certain times of the day and you have to move quickly if you don’t want to miss the shot.

4. Practice in the mirror. This might sound and feel stupid, but it’s more efficient than missing shot after shot. Here’s a trick that I learned from my sister who is extremely particular about having her photo taken: Position a mirror behind the camera in such a way that you can see yourself and voila!

5. Use a tripod and a shutter release cable or remote. As mentioned in the intro, these are essential photo gear for taking self-portraits. Without them, getting the shot can be quite frustrating.

6. Getting the focus right might be challenging but I’m one of those who really like those out-of-focus images other people despise (each to their own, right?). Some people prefer using auto focus and others prefer manual. But, at the end of the day there are tonnes of ways to get your image in focus.

7. Rest. After shooting, don’t go right to editing and retouching. Wait a day or two and look at your work with fresh eyes. This might seem like a trivial tip but it really helps. I hope these tips inspire you to try something new and explore the art of self-portraiture.

A Small Tutorial On How I Clicked These Pictures

This Page Has The Best Ideas To Click Self Portraits.