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How to Take a Good Photograph of Yourself

There's not always a professional photographer around when you need one. Whether you want a presentable picture for your work identification card or you're experimenting with a new lighting technique, turning the camera on yourself is the quickest way to get results. Though you can snap basic self-portraits by holding the camera about three feet away from you and firing the shutter, the results are often cliche, poorly framed and amateurish.

Things You'll Need

Backdrop material (optional)
Tripods
Digital camera (with self-timer or remote)
Lamps
Newspaper

Instructions

- 1
  Prepare the backdrop of your workspace. Hang solid colored sheets, construction paper or other props on the wall behind you to add a professional touch to your self portrait.
- 2
  Open the tripod so all three legs extend to the the same length and set it firmly on the ground of your workspace. Screw your camera onto the mounting bolt on the top of the tripod. Use the tripod's adjustment levers to point the camera toward your backdrop.
- 3
  Light your workspace as desired with household lamps or any other external light source. On-camera flash can also be used.
- 4
  Determine how far away from the camera you'll stand and hang a page of newspaper at this distance. Switch your camera lens from auto focus to manual focus mode. Look through the camera's viewfinder or at the LCD preview screen and focus on the newspaper until the page appears sharp.
- 5
  Engage your camera's self-timer mode, or have your shutter remote handy. Move the newspaper out of the shot and stand in its place.
- 6
  Pose or look at the camera before the self-timer trips the shutter. If you are using a shutter remote, trip the shutter at your convenience.
- 7
  Check the results on your camera's LCD preview screen. Adjust camera position, lighting or focus and re-shoot if necessary.

Photography