Six tips for taking selfies for your business

17 July 2024

As a business owner you know you need to be seen in your business, but what If you can’t afford a professional branding shoot, can you get away with selfies taken on your phone camera?  Although not as good as those taken by a professional photographer, you can still capture some great shots with a little bit of thought and effort. Here are my six main tips for improving the quality of your selfies.

1. Rule number one …Make sure the lens on your camera phone is clean. We all shove our phones into our bags or pockets, sit them down on dirty surfaces, no wonder they can become a bit grubby. Give the lens a gentle wipe with a microfibre cloth, or a brush with a soft make-up brush and you’ll be amazed at the difference to your shots.
2. Invest in a phone tripod.  These are relatively cheap to buy and will free up your hands when taking a selfie. You can set up the shot and then select the timer mode on your phone, settle into position before the shutter clicks. Or use a remote shutter clicker, connected to your phone via Bluetooth. Again, these are relatively inexpensive to buy and save you having to be a contortionist to take a pic.
3. Find the right light. All professional photographers will tell you the main difference between a bad picture and a good picture is light.  Soft natural light is the kindest light to use when taking selfies.  Avoid direct sunlight both indoors and out.  Harsh sunlight will create too much contrast with shadows on the face and strong highlights. Best spot is next to a window with light hitting the face at an angle. If you wear glasses, experiment with different angles to avoid capturing reflections in your glasses.
4. Think about your pose – remember to sit up or stand straight, shoulders back, don’t slouch. Angle your body at 45 degrees to the camera, rather than straight on. Create a shape with your body, do something interesting with your hands. If you are sat down, leaning slightly forward can be more flattering. Have a look on Pinterest for ideas for poses and inspiration – just search branding photography poses.
5. Use props to tell a story. Having something in your hands can make you feel less awkward, and the shot look more natural. You could be holding a mug of coffee or a book or writing in a notebook.
6. Look at the phone lens and not the screen. If you are trying to get a straight to camera pose you want to be looking at your audience, so make sure you look towards the lens and not at yourself on the screen, this will also lift your chin, which is more flattering … and don’t forget to smile!

If all that is too much hassle and time consuming, then why not invest in a professional branding photographer, who will look after the light, assist with poses and props, show the best version of you, and within one three hour shoot will be able to provide you with a batch of quality, on brand, images for you to have at your fingertips for all your marketing needs.  Drop me a message to find out more, a professional branding shoot may be more affordable than you think.