I have never been a fan of taking pictures of myself. I know this comes naturally to some, but not to me.

But lately I’ve noticed that when I feature photo of myself on social media, I get at least twice as much interaction as when another person or object is the lead in the photo. I didn’t want to believe this at first. I take professional profile pictures for a living. Don’t people want to see the photos I took of others?

We are bombarded by images all the time, and as a social media photographer I understand that recognition ignites interest. Taking pictures of other people is very rewarding for me and beneficial for my clients. But, I end up with thousands of photos every month with none of them featuring me.

As a recovering camera shy person I was okay with this ratio. But in the interest of my business, I recently set out to take more photos of myself to use on my website and social media. I am my brand after all.

I invested in a remote control and did a month long self-portrait challenge. I got the idea from the girls over at A Beautiful Mess. Although the first week was slightly torturous, I ended up growing to like the creative process and getting over the weird feeling of being seen by the camera. This ongoing process of getting over my own fear aids me in helping others.

3 Tips for Better Selfies

PROPS

Flowers, my camera, a tennis racquet, my iPhone – I pretty much used everything I could think of to deflect some of the attention away from me. This actually works wonders for relaxing in front of the camera. Even just holding a cup of coffee gives you something to do with your hands while taking some casual shots.

ANGLES

Playing around with different angles also took my attention off the awkwardness of being in front of the camera. Letting go of the straight on selfie helped me to create way more fun and interest in my photos.

MOVEMENT

When I started playing with movement in front of the camera a lot of the photos did not turn well. For this one, it’s not necessarily about the photo looking great during the movement, but rather the relaxed and carefree expression afterwards. Enjoying the process of photography can ensure that you get at least a few fantastic shots.

It’s really all about getting comfortable in front of the camera. When we let go of self-consciousness we’re all pretty photogenic. If you need great shots of yourself but hate being in front of the camera, check out my new Camera Shy Package.