Another round of self portrait photos. I can’t stress enough how important it is to take self portraits every few months if not every month. Sure, you probably picked up a camera, so you didn’t have to be in front of it but getting in front of it offers a wide range of benefits that can only help you and your photography goals, especially if your subjects tend to be people.
First, it acts as a quiz of what you know as a photographer because this is one of the rare cases where you pretty control everything and also a case where the photographer is in 100% sync with the subject. This means you can do everything perfect as you perceive it and as you understand photography. Do you think your subjects should be dressed a certain way? Do you care about certain details? Do you not care about other details? This is your opportunity to work under what you would consider to be perfect conditions and control all aspects of it.
Second, you really get a better idea of what the limits of your photography knowledge are. You can go through every pose you know, every outfit and background you have, and try every angle you can think of. If any of these areas seem lacking or weak you will get a clear idea of where you need to improve next.
Third, it forces you to problem solve, which is an important skill in photography. You need to figure out how you are going to do the selfie with what you have. You need to figure out how to evaluate your photos when the subject is you. You need to figure out how to pose yourself without anyone else’s direction.
These aren’t the only benefits, but due to text limits and the fact that I don’t want to write this book at the moment; I will stop here. However, there is a lot to be gained by applying your photography to yourself and it will only improve the photography work you do with others and in other places.