How to take great pictures
You don’t have to have a state of the art camera to take good pictures. You can use a disposable camera or even your phone. The important thing is to use proper lighting and to center the subject matter (you) correctly.
Your Backdrop
First, make sure that you have a clutter-free background. For example, you don’t want to pose right in front of a sink full of dishes; or a wall that is not attractive. Make sure that the “backdrop” (area behind you) is presentable. If you can’t find anything appropriate to pose in front of, just hang a white sheet over a door, and smooth out the wrinkles. Try taking a picture with and without flash. All cameras and lighting situations are different. Just experiment. Don’t make this too hard. It’s an important step and you owe it to yourself to do this successfully. Take your time and do your best.
Getting the Most out of Your Camera
Now, if you have a camera that has different features, go ahead and take advantage of them, particularly the red-eye reduction button. Let me stress again, you don’t need a million dollar camera for this. Take several photo shoots, and compare the results; it’s that straightforward.
Positioning
As mentioned above, you want the “you” in the photo to be centered. Try to make sure your entire head is in the view finder (yes, you really should have someone take your picture for you). Nonetheless, I actually did take a pretty good picture of myself by looking in the mirror. Then I turned the camera on myself and clicked. It took several tries, but it worked. Why am I telling you this? Because it would be better for you to have an average looking picture that you took yourself, at 3 in the morning when no one was up, then to take no picture at all. Please don’t skip this step.
“Practice (and preparation) makes perfect”
Take the rest of the day to get the best portrait pictures you possibly can. Enlist someone to be your photographer. If your camera has a timer feature and no one is on hand to help, put your camera on a tripod and take your own photo. Style your hair. Smile. Look natural and don’t be stiff. Imagine yourself making millions of dollars online. Smile for your adoring fans. Do some self-talk (“I’m rich, I’m wonderful”) to get that confidence going. Then click, compare, and repeat.
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