Invest in a quality camera to take professional-looking photographs.
Photo shoots are one way to express yourself or to showcase your modeling and photography skills. They can also be useful in helping you get ahead in the modeling or acting industry or entertaining to post on a social networking site to share with friends and family members. You can complete all the steps of a photo shoot by yourself if you have the proper equipment and if you employ some creativity.
Instructions
1. Find an ideal location to do your photo shoot. Outdoor settings can create beautiful backdrops. Use the beach for a summer look or the mountains, forests or near streams for a natural look. If you choose an indoor setting, use a solid-colored background for professional photos, while colorful backgrounds make for a light-hearted one. A sheet can double as an inexpensive backdrop.
2. Prepare yourself for the photo shoot. Determine the look you are going for, and plan accordingly. For example, if you are doing a beach photo shoot, wear a swimsuit and sunglasses, use natural makeup and give your hair a beachy look with waves. If you are taking a professional photo, wear neutral-colored clothing, and keep makeup at a minimum; hair should be neatly brushed. For a more creative photo, wear bright colored clothing, bright eyeshadow and a crazy up-do. Men can dress in colorful shirts and spike their hair or wear hats. Alternately, create romantic photos with a light-colored shirt, soft makeup and loose curls.
3. Set up a tripod to hold your camera. Aim it at the background of your choice, and take a few pictures to ensure you like the lighting and background. Adjust the lighting according to the photo. For dark backgrounds and clothing, turn all light sources off, and do your photo shoot at night. Use the flash on your camera as your only light source. For bright, fun photos, use a lot of light. For outdoor photos, you can experiment with lighting. For example, wooded areas tend to photograph best when the sun is high up in the sky and the light is trickling through the branches and leaves. A sunset adds a nice effect to beach photographs.
4. Change the settings on your camera. Locate the timer, and set it so there is a delay when you take a picture. This gives you time to position yourself before the photo is taken.
5. Add props to the photo shoot that suit your theme. For example, if you are doing an informal photo shoot, add bright colored objects to the set. Romantic photos can include flowers.
6. Take a lot of photos using different angles. Find the angle that shows you at your best. A camera aiming down at people and slightly at an angle is flattering for overweight and bigger builds. This angle can also make tall people appear shorter. Cameras aiming up at people make smaller frames and underweight people appear larger. This angle can also make shorter people look taller.
7. Take pictures of your reflection in a bathroom mirror for head shots. Angle your body to the mirror, and snap the picture while you are holding the camera out with your hand. Head shots work best if you choose to accentuate your best feature. For example, if you have beautiful eyes, position yourself below the camera, and angle it down to make your eyes appear larger. To accentuate lips, the camera should be face-level. If you have a full face, angle the camera to the side. If you have a double chin, make it disappear by aiming the camera down at your face.
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