four steps to creative self-portraits

have you ever wanted to take a self-portrait without using a mirror or having your messy room in the background? have you been inspired by pinterest to have an amazing photo shoot but there aren't any willing models and you aren't old enough to drive? 

well, this post is for you.

today i am going to share with you some tips that have really helped me take creative selfies, which is usually how i get my creative juices flowing.
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WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
a camera (point & shoot or slr. it doesn't matter)
a tripod (or a stack of books)
your lovely, beautiful, amazing self
access to the great outdoors

STEP ONE: become a scout

the first step to taking original self-portraits is to go somewhere away from your bathroom mirror. walk around your house/neighborhood/park/city and look for something interesting. pose in front of a colorful wall, sit on a table or on the ground, stand next to a fence, ect... just look around, you never now what's out there!

STEP TWO: become snap-happy

having a photo shoot with yourself isn't nearly as easy as having a photo shoot with another person. you aren't going to be able to click the shutter button over and over like you would if you were behind the camera (unless you have one of those fancy remotes...). so when you're taking self-portraits, make sure to turn your camera's self-timer on and give yourself enough time to run to your spot and fix your hair. you are definitely going to take a ton of pictures, but not all of them will turn out. i normally take around 400 pictures on a normal session and around 200 of them will turn out, but when i'm taking self-portraits, i'll take around the same number of pictures depending on my mood and how much light i have, and only around 10 will turn out.

STEP THREE: embrace the imperfect 

in the photo above, i was trying to get one of those cool jump shots that everyone loves, but i jumped too soon, so i ended up getting myself in that weird position. the reason i kept this photo and why i am sharing it with you is because i thought it was more true to me than any of the others. it is a candid shot of me being my awkward self after jumping before i was supposed to, and i liked that about it.

STEP FOUR: have fun!

the final and most important step is to just have fun! don't stress out about yourself, what you're wearing, or your hair. as you can see, the outfit i'm wearing in these photos is never going to make it on the runway, but i was inspired and didn't want to waste that inspiration on worrying about my clothes. i just grabbed my camera and went outside. i had fun while doing it, too. it was a lot less stressful than trying to get my sister to do it, and i had more freedom to do whatever i wanted to do with the photos.

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now it's your turn. grab your camera, a tripod, a bottle of water and head outside! have fun and get those creative juices flowing!

xoxo,

gracie