How to Take Great Photos: Tips for Home Self-Portraits!

I Want to Take Photo Materials at Home!

For weddings, you will need many photos of yourselves.

Welcome board, profile book, profile movie, and more.

Therefore, besides hiring a professional photographer for pre-wedding photos, some couples also plan to do their own self-take photos.

Self-take photography can be done outdoors or indoors (at home), but...

This time, the theme is self-take photography indoors (at home) ♡

How Can I Take Beautiful Photos at Home?

In this article, we will introduce five key points for those who are taking serious self-photos at home for the first time.

Just by being aware of these points, the quality difference is significant ♡

Point 1 for Self-Take Photos at Home: Use a Good Camera

Nowadays, smartphones have sufficiently high quality, but...

If you want to get closer to professional quality, using good equipment is the shortcut!

Photos taken with a DSLR have a completely different depth and atmosphere compared to smartphone photos.

Since the background will be at home, it's essential to choose equipment carefully to dispel any budgetary or amateur feel.

Especially if the photos will be used for the wedding.

That said, an expensive DSLR costing tens of thousands of yen is not something you can easily buy.

I recommend utilizing a rental service!

With a service called 'Rentry', you can rent for 3 nights and 4 days at a time, giving you plenty of time to become accustomed to handling the camera ◎

You can rent an expensive DSLR starting from around 5,000 yen, so check it out ♡

GoPro is also available, allowing you to choose based on the photos you want to take!

➡ Check Camera Rentals at Low Prices on ‘rentry’

Point 2 for Self-Take Photos at Home: Keep the Background as Simple as Possible

Some people may feel they have to focus on the background decorations for the shoot!

However, it's recommended to keep the background as simple as possible for self-take photography.

A plain white wall is best.

When using the material for profile books or profile movies, you will add text and illustrations later, right?

If there are decorations, it will actually make editing more difficult.

Additionally, there are services that can automatically cut out people from photos, and having a plain white wall helps create a cleaner outline of the person.

➡ A Free Site that Instantly Cuts Out People’s Photos Without Illustrator ‘remove.bg’ is Amazing

The period between the pre-wedding shoot and the actual wedding can be several months.

Decorations that seemed stylish at the time of shooting may not appeal to you later.

(Decorations do have trends, right?! You can generally tell which ones are outdated.)

You can make it stylish later with text and illustrations, so keeping it simple during the shoot is the right choice ◎

@keiko_marry

Point 3 for Self-Take Photos at Home: Be Conscious of the Camera Height & Angle

One critical thing to keep in mind during self-shooting is the camera height and angle!

If the camera is positioned too high, looking downward will make your heads appear larger and can make you look less stylish. If you take a full-body shot, both of you might look short-legged.

Conversely, if the camera is too low and you are looking up, your legs will look longer, but your face may appear elongated.

When doing self-take photos:

【Set the camera height to about half your height】

【Keep the camera angle horizontal】

Ensure to watch for these points while shooting. A tripod is helpful!

Point 4 for Self-Take Photos at Home: Be Mindful of Lighting

Professional photographers are skilled at handling light, right? The resulting photos can be vastly different depending on the lighting conditions.

For self-shooting at home, keep these points in mind:

☑ On a sunny day

☑ In a room with natural light

☑ Turn off fluorescent lights

☑ Close sheer curtains

Shooting in this way is best.

Ceiling fluorescent lights can create shadows, so natural light is the better choice.

Overall, the photos may be darker, but adjusting exposure or brightening them during editing can make them look beautiful.

You can also purchase a reflector ◎ They can be bought for around 1,000 yen!

➡ Check Reflector Products on Rakuten

Point 5 for Self-Take Photos at Home: Don’t Compromise

Finally, this is more of a mental aspect, but...

Above all, do not compromise!

When getting photos taken by a professional photographer, they will engage with you and keep the mood lively so you won't get bored during the shoot.

But when shooting by yourselves, you might feel shy and not quite get into the mood, or you might get bored halfway through.

Especially for men who do not particularly enjoy taking photos, it’s common to think, "Isn't that enough?" after just a few shots.

But!

When a professional photographer does a pre-shoot, they'll likely take dozens of shots of the same cut.

Instead of not finding a photo that you like and having to retake, it’s much easier to shoot a lot at once.

Incorporating breaks and setting rules like “Let’s take 20 shots per cut!” can help you finish strong!

Creating a list of poses you want and a collection of pose images in advance can help you work efficiently.

Don’t forget to include not just couple shots but also solo shots, close-ups, and back shots ♡

Are You Mentally Prepared for Self-Take Photos at Home?

We've introduced points to consider when doing a pre-shoot at home by yourselves.

The great thing about self-take photos is that you can shoot as much as you like at your own pace without spending money.

Be particular about equipment and shooting environment to avoid appearing budget-conscious, and take high-quality photos that you’re satisfied with♩

Refer to marry's articles for ideas on poses as well!

➡→ Check the List of Pose Types Here**

@__oaoa___