I’ve been shooting self portrait on and off since I started my blog back in 2011. More off than on. I remember purchasing my first tripod, taking a trip to a quiet alley and desperately clicking my remote before someone saw what I was doing. I remember having that nervous feeling a lot of you probably have thinking about photographing yourself in public. Although these photos never saw the light of day, they got better, I learnt where I was going wrong and I was proud of pushing myself outside my comfort zone.
Over the years I’ve roped in my boyfriend, friends and arranged coffee with other bloggers to shoot content together which obviously turned out better than my first tripod experience, so I hung it up for a while. Whilst I do recommend meeting up with other bloggers to catch up and shoot (It’s a quiet way to meet others in the field and creating friendships) I’ve always felt as if I was pestering the ones I love for a “quick shot” I’m sure a lot of you can relate to that!
EQUIPMENT
LOCATION
I’ve clocked up some serious miles driving around for the perfect location which I never seem to just stumble upon. It’s worth doing your research and deciding where you’d like to shoot and the vibe you want with your images before you set out with your gear. Magazines and even Pinterest are a great source for imagery. Take photos of locations when you’re out and save these for when you need them. You never know when you might need that pure white wall!
A question I’m asked a lot is “Don’t you get embarrassed that people are watching?” The honest answer is Yes. I do sometimes. Especially if I’m standing on a chair in a white suit, at the beach at 6am.. However this is my job and I’m being paid to take these images so does it really matter in the grand scheme of things? Will I ever see these people again? It’s also worth thinking about what time you want to go and take your images. I’ve shot at the Louvre in Paris at 7am as soon as its opened which means its empty – all the tourists are tucked up in bed, versus getting your camera and tripod out to take your images at 1pm when its rammed. Timing is key.
I think that is everything in terms of how I actually shoot my images self portrait, however if there is anything I’ve left out do leave a comment below or send me a DM on Instagram! www.instagram.com/hannahcrosskey