Self-portraits by @larajadephotography | “I got into photography at fourteen because I was inspired by self-portraiture! Even though I shoot fashion photography now, I sometimes come back to the genre and discover what it is like to be in front of the camera again! I often find it’s a breath of fresh air being able to create without the stress of client opinions or working to a brief.
I shot these images with a Canon EOS R & EF 50mm f/1.2L USM lens. The camera was placed on a tripod and I used the Canon Camera Connect App to connect the camera to my smartphone. In the app, I can easily see my viewfinder & set a focus. I experimented with setting a 10 second timer & holding the phone in my hand to trigger the shot. Swipe through to see both final images!
A few of my favorite tips for self portraits are:
📸 Use a mirror behind your camera! Think of it as an extra pair of eyes. Seeing your own reflection helps you understand how you are posing & if any styling changes need to happen!
📸 Use a smartphone app or remote, such as the Canon Camera Connect App! This way you have the ultimate control over focus (the biggest issue when photographing yourself!). The eye/face tracking feature on the Canon EOS R5 is also super handy for this!
📸 Have patience. In order to get one shot I often take hundreds of photographs – the success of the shot is all in the edit! Don’t feel overwhelmed if you don’t get it in the first try. Start with simple concepts & natural light and then build to more creative concepts.
📸 Work with visual references! I can’t stress this enough! The BEST way to get prepared for a shoot is to have visual references in the form of a mood-board. Print this out and have it next to you to help spark styling & posing ideas!”
Ciao, Nihon.