Selfie Headshots tips sheet
Camera setup
Setup your camera/iPhone on a tripod or even resting on a something with the lens at about Your eye line or slightly above. Set distance so it is framing a bit above your head and down to your chest (give or take). Set it on self timer for around 10 seconds so you have time to get in position properly.
If your using an iPhone set it to portrait mode if you have it otherwise just normal camera mode, if you have an SLR or mirrorless camera use the widest possible aperture setting your lens has (the smaller the number the larger the aperture so you might land around F4.5 on a cheaper kit lens or down to 1.4 on a pro lens (in this case maybe use F2.8). The aim is to keep the face and eyes in focus and also reasonably bright so if you can adjust brightness in camera do it before shooting otherwise it can be done in editing later on.
Makeup/Hair
Keep makeup and hair natural but do make some effort. You want to look somewhere near the best version of yourself. Once you have a good look happening you can mix it up a bit, try a hair flip, have one side behind your ear (for long hair obviously) and this will help accentuate your facial structure. For guys try messing/changing hair part up a bit and or shaving your face mid way through the shoot.
Clothing
Try to wear a colour that enhances your eye colour (test in front if the mirror if you want to but for this to work it will be best under the light you are going to use) and also choose a neckline that is flattering and ideally not too high or too low, also try some shots keeping shoulders and arms covered as much as possible possible so you can draw attention to your eyes. It’s best to AVOID patterns and super bright colours, simple is timeless and a bit less distracting. Whatever you end up wearing will add something to your overall branding so whatever suits your industry or your casting needs may dictate what you end up choosing gut I would recommend trying a professional look, something more smart casual like a t shirt with jacket or blazer and something young and fun/edgy.
Lighting
Use Window light starting straight on and or working through to about 45 degrees angle so you get a little bit of a lighting ratio on the face. You can use a piece of white cardboard or even wrap it in tin foil to make your own reflector and set it up so you are bouncing some extra light onto your face. The safest bet will be to hold it at waist level angled slightly down, if your outside stand just inside a shady area with the sun in front of your face (not behind you), this will give you a better direction of light. Mainly you want to avoid any harsh shadows on the face and keep things pretty evenly lit.
I have assumed that most people won’t have lighting equipment on hand but if you do send me an email and let me know what you have so I can help with some advice on a good setup.
Background
I would recommend finding a white sheet or large piece of white cardboard and rig it it up behind you. You will likely need to improvise a bit here but maybe try using a clothing rack or clothes line to hang it from or if you have some light stands with an extendable pole that is ideal but either way the closer you stand to it the brighter and cleaner it will appear. Other colour options would be black or grey but something quite neutral will work best for this.
Posing
Stand up straight with your shoulders back and pretty square on to the camera, from here you can drop your weight in to 1 leg (whichever is most comfortable so maybe think about how you might stand at a party). Now push your chin forward a little bit towards the camera, you might need to then rotate your forehead down a bit to get this working properly, then you can turn your chin towards your shoulder left or right (just a tiny bit at a time) to open up your jawline to the lens. Try this in the mirror beforehand so you can figure out your sweet spot.
Expression
Aim to project a confident but warm expression with a tiny bit of smile so it’s not to stern or angry. Don’t be scared to try some things here, have some fun and try to fully engage and look through (not at) the lens and also try softening (bringing up) your lower eyelids so your not doing a hard stare into the camera. If you want to go for a good open mouth smile try chuckling a little bit while keeping your chin pushed forward and forehead down position (as above in posing).
Selecting a shot and editing
Try to bring up 8-10 shots at a time on the biggest screen possible and make a shortlist from what looks best then pick your best shot from the shortlist. From here you can edit it a little bit if you want to. If have a program to do it professionally thats all good or you can edit it in instagram and save a few different versions. Mainly you want to remove blemishes if you can and keep the eyes nice and bright, if you get the above tips happening you hopefully will not need to do too much. If you need some help I am happy to assist just send me a message.
Remember to have some fun with it all and the only rule is YOU HAVE TO TAKE IT YOURSELF to be in the running to win a voucher for when after lockdown :
