I enjoy taking self portraits. I like documenting my life but I hate people taking my picture. Ironic I know…

There are many reasons I dislike being in front of the camera. The main reason is just because I am 100% uncomfortable when someone is taking my photograph. I spend most of my time taking photos of other people but when the lens is turned on me I am struck with anxiety. So, I found out a long time ago if you like your picture taken but don’t like people to do it – you have to do it yourself.

Here are 11 quick tips to help with Self Portraits (in no particular order)

1. Have Fun

2. Loosen Up

3. Experiment With Light

4. Get out of Your Element

5. Set Marks for Where to Stand or Sit

6. Focus on an Object at Your Mark

7. Use Auto Focus and Then Switch to Manual Focus to Lock In The Focus

8. Use a Tripod

9. Use The 10 Second Auto Timer (or Remote)

10. Exercise Patience & Take Your Time

11. Have Fun – It’s Just Photography

My Self Portrait Photography can be seen here: Flickr / Portfolio

Do you have any tips for self portraits? Do you want to show off your work? Leave a comment with a link to a gallery or specific photos.

]]> http://grtaylor2.com/2010/03/09/11-tips-for-self-portraits/feed/ 6 http://grtaylor2.com/2010/03/02/march-photo-blog-editorial-calendar/ http://grtaylor2.com/2010/03/02/march-photo-blog-editorial-calendar/#comments Wed, 03 Mar 2010 03:18:40 +0000 GRTaylor2 http://grtaylor2.com/?p=596

In my effort to make this the best photography blog on the web I wanted to share some upcoming topics with everyone. Each month I sit down and develop an editorial calendar and starting in March I will publish what’s on tap for this site at the beginning of the month.

NEW Series – Photographer Interview Series: Each month I email five questions to various photographers. These photographers will be of all different skill level and acclaim – ranging from the published professional photographer to the amateur hobbyist. My questions will differ from person to person but all questions will be photography based. I am happy to announce that this week we will kick the series off with one of my all time favorite photographers – J. Grant Brittain. Grant is one of the most acclaimed skateboard photographers in the world. If you have ever picked up a skateboard magazine chances are Grant’s work has been in the forefront. (He discusses one of my favorite photos – it’s very cool.)

FOCUS Video Series: FOCUS is a web series where photographers are interviewed and given the opportunity to discuss some of their signature photographs. In March’s webisode of FOCUS a photo of Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers from 12/31/09 will be highlighted. This series to open to anyone who would like to be featured regarding a significant piece of work. If you would like to featured on FOCUS please send an email to: grt2@grtaylor2.com (Webisode #1) (Webisode #2)

Concert Photography 101: What it takes to take great concert photos. We discuss camera settings, equipment, lighting, gaining access and everything else related to concert photography. Here is a review of the first three installments (click here)

What else is happening? March is a busy month of music for me. I am scheduled to shoot Mike Watt, Flogging Molly, Hank III and Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers. I will post photos and reviews of each concert. Also, pay attention for a Call For Submissions for music photographs for a very special non-profit project I am working on (I can’t say anything else about it yet since the details are being finalized.)

Lastly, I appreciate everyone reading. February was a record month for www.grtaylor2.com and I want to thank everyone who commented, tweeted, re-tweeted posts and recommended this blog to anyone. If there are specific topics you want to discuss please leave a comment and I will address the topic soon there after. Keep shooting photos everyone…

As previously posted I am committed to a Photo 365 project (link to past video post.) Many people have been posting their photos daily, so I thought it’s time I posted how my project is going.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Photo 365 Obeservations

- I am really uncomfortable in front of the camera and I am trying to make myself relax
- Most photos are taken at the same time every day – early morning. I think it’s funny I am not wearing a wider variety of clothes
- I have a good side. One of my eyes reacts strangely to light and is photographed as being lazy
- I need to shave and get haircuts more often

Other Photo 365 Notes

- Daily self portraits are not as easy as I thought it would be. There are times when I just don’t feel like taking my photograph
- I had marks in a closet for my tripod but I have since abandoned the tripod method. I needed the tripod for a landscape photo shoot and it’s easier just holding the camera in front of me
- I was planning on sharing this project at the end of the year but I changed my mind and decided to post the photos monthly

Photo 365 Resources

Photo 365
Photo 365 Tutorial

How is your Photo 365 going? Have you experienced any unforeseen difficulties? Please take a moment and share with a link to your project – (This is a good time to show off your work!)

In my last post I touched on my use of Social Media as a tool to get my work out to the public. The next day I read a great blog post by Valeria Maltoni discussing how she participates in Social Media. (Complete article can be found on Valeria’s blog by clicking here) She wrote:

“You cannot be expected to know what my settings are on each network. If I don’t give you a reference point, you will likely use your own settings as context. It’s not fair to you, nor it is to me.”

I wanted to step back a moment and outline the five Social Media Networks that I use and let everyone know what to expect from me. Outline My Rules of Engagement in Social Media.

FACEBOOK: I have two facebook pages. I use one for photography and the other is personal. My Facebook Photography page is an outlet for me to interact with people who have questions or want to know a little more about me. Also like my blog, I try to highlight other artists, photographers and musicians. It’s a quick easy way for me to push out messages or to post a quick link to a photograph I just shot. My personal Facebook page is a place where I do whatever I want to do and the people I know have come to expect that of me.

TWITTER: My username on twitter is @grtaylor2 and it is the place where my messaging is the most inconsistent. I will push out shortlinks to my photos, my blogposts, my friends blogposts or my tweets will be conversational in nature. Sometimes, I will tweet something that I find amusing and sometimes I will tweet about someone who is making me crazy. The main themes for my tweets are: photography, music, marketing topics, current events and issues relevant to my city – Tempe, AZ. I try hard to add value with most of my tweets to my followers but I admit sometimes I do tweet the inane. If you follow me on Twitter please let me know if my tweets ever get too inane and I become “That Guy”.

(TWITTER Update 3/19: I like the #followfriday thing. Over the time I have used twitter I have started to follow many people who were recommended through the #followfriday phenomenon. My #ff policy is to push out only one follow friday tweet per week.  All recommendations will be from one vertical or with like interests. This way I feel like I am adding value to the conversation and to the folks who follow me.)

YOUTUBE: The videos I post on my blog are hosted on YouTube – I use this network mostly as a media library. If you subscribe to my You Tube Channel you should expect music videos, my FOCUS web series and maybe some travel stuff. I tend to not get very personal on YouTube. And of course I do love watching funny videos on YouTube- so if you know of any great one please send me a link. (Here is a link to my favorite)

FLICKR: I post my non contracted photography to Flickr. My photography typically falls in the categories of: Concert Photography, Landscape Photography and Portrait Photography (there is some architectural photography mixed in but that’s not the norm for me.) I brand almost all of my photos and I post them under the creative commons license. If you want to use any of my work for non commercial purposes please feel free to – just properly attribute the photo. I try to foster collaboration as much as possible and for that reason I make all of my EXIF properties public. Please comment with questions etc.

That pretty much covers My Personal Rules of Engagement For Social Media. I want to interact with everyone as much as possible but I wanted to let you know what your getting into. Please know that I will not be offended if at any time you decide to unsubscribe to my blog or stop following me on Twitter. (NOTE: I am an eternal optimist so please don’t expect a lot of Doom & Gloom from me.)

In a nutshell, my use of Social Media focuses on: making connections, helping others make connections, learning and staying informed. How are you using Social Media or maybe more importantly why are you using Social Media? Leave a comment, leave a question – let’s discuss…