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If you’re looking for tips on how to take your own photos you’ve come to the right place! If you’re a blogger or influencer on Instagram you’ve probably tried taking your own photos before. Or maybe you’re curious as to how bloggers take photos. Unless you’re a professional photographer, taking your own photos is a lot harder than it looks but you can achieve it. In this post we’ll cover off on 5 tips on how to take your own photos that will leave everyone on Instagram asking what your secret is!

1. Have Patience

Taking your own photos for Instagram requires a lot of patience. Expect that it will take you a number of photoshoots before you feel like you’ve really got the hang of it. But don’t let that stop you from trying!

Before I started taking my own photos I dreamed of all sorts of photoshoots I could create. I actually started off modeling so had a lot of practise in front of the camera. This definitely helped me with posing, but don’t fret if you’re just starting to take your own photos. With some patience you will be able to achieve the same results.

2. Use a remote to take your own photos

Remotes are cheap and easy to find these days. And they are small you can easily hide them in a pocket, or tucked away in the palm of your hand while you’re posing. 

You could also use the self timer function however note that it’s harder to set the focus with this option.

I use a Sony camera and have a wireless remote, or I use the Sony Imaging app on my phone. This is great because I can see what the photo looks like while I’m in front of the camera.

You can also use your smartphone with a self timer or remote. Most smartphone camera’s these days are smart enough to detect your face and refocus when you step into frame.

3. A tripod is your best friend

If you don’t have a tripod you’ll want to get one asap.

Have a tripod will make your photo taking that much easier! You can set it up where you want, it won’t complain about the weather or how long you’ve been taking photos for (like your insta-boyfriend or significant other might). And it will ensure your camera (or phone) stays stable and in focus.

4. Have a moodboard or inspirational photos to reference

If you’re not sure what photos you want to take, make sure you make up a moodboard or a list of inspirational photos for your photoshoot. This can also work with posing ideas because you’ll have somewhere to start and inspiration can take off. 

I use Pinterest to find inspiration and then I put all my inspiration into a creative brief in Bublup. If you haven’t heard of Bublup it’s like a cross between Pinterest and Google Docs but you can add in videos from Youtube and Instagram as well. If you’d like to see an example of one of my creative briefs then you can go here.

5. Think about the lighting

What sort of lighting do you want on your photoshoot? If you look back at your moodboard and photo inspiration, that will give you some clues. Are the photos shot in natural light? Is it soft lighting? Or more dark and moody lighting? What sort of lighting do you have available to you? 

If you’re just new to self portrait photography then I recommend to start with natural lighting so you can get more comfortable with taking photos of yourself. As you gain more confidence and experience, then you can start experimenting with different lighting scenarios. A lot of those instagrammable photos you see on Instagram are taken in natural light, particularly if they’re on location traveling. 

Experiment and Have Fun with your Photos

The most important thing when taking your own photos for Instagram is to experiment and have fun. This is where the magic happens. Play around with different props and poses and see what happens. 

Some of my biggest learnings have come from experimenting. You’ll not only learn what will work, but what won’t and that will only make you better at taking your own photos on your next photoshoot. The thing is, these days most photography is digital so you can take hundreds of photos and not have to pay to develop all of them. You only have to pick a few to post on your Instagram. And everyone will be asking how you did it!

If you want to gain insights into my exact blueprint I use when planning every photoshoot then you can find my 7 Step Photoshoot Planning Blueprint below. 

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If you found these tips helpful or want to save them for later be sure to add this Pin to your Photography Tips board.