Welcome to Part 1 of How To Take Amazing Photos of Yourself…For Free!

If you are in business or sales, a blogger, an entrepreneur, an author or just trying to build your social media following, it’s essential that you have professional photos of yourself.

I used to always think that “have amazing photos taken” meant paying a gazillion dollars to a good photographer. But I have learned over time that you can take amazing photos of yourself, very easily, FOR FREE! 

Full disclaimer: I have never hired or paid a penny to a photographer. My 13-year old daughter has taken every photo of me you will see in this series. So, if you have a child, spouse or neighbor who is capable of operating a phone or tablet, they can most definitely aim and click a camera!

In part 1 of my 4-part series, I’m going to share with you the importance of branding and color schemes – and why you want your clothing in your photos to match your branding.

The very first question you want to ask yourself is “What is my hair color?” Huh? Why in the world would that matter? 

Well, because your hair is in every single photo of yourself – and it’s the predominant color that will stand out in every single photo.

Use your hair color as a starting place to help guide your color palette. 

Here are a few very good examples:

Let’s Start With Joanna Gaines

She has black hair and olive skin. Have you ever noticed that every single photo of her, and even her interior designs, are created around her hair color? Or maybe you just knew that everything she creates is pleasing to the eye and very beautiful, but you didn’t know how or why?

Take a look at this photo of Joanna below. Her skin tone matches the shelves in the background, her hair matches the black accents and her blouse matches the sink and table top. This wasn’t pulled together by accident! She and her marketing team have a very specific color scheme ironed out for her brand and they stick with it in everything that she does.

You will never find a photo of Joanna that doesn’t incorporate her color scheme of blacks, navy, brown/earth tones and white.

The good news: You can TOTALLY have polished, professional photos just like Joanna Gaines. You just need to put a little thought into your color scheme and branding first.

Fun Fact: Photos of people get 30% more engagement (likes and comments) on social media than photos of anything else. That’s huge! So post photos of yourself often!

Blondes

Take a look at my hair color in the photos below. What do you see? As the band Coldplay would sing…”and it was called yellow”. I changed my color scheme about a year ago to incorporate the color yellow because my hair color is so prominent in every photo.

Ever since I made the change, I have received way more compliments on my photos, branding and overall professionalism of my marketing.

I suggest that blondes incorporate yellow or gold into their color scheme. Here are a few more good examples of how blondes have used yellow to help match their hair color:

Redheads

Redheads aren’t actually red. They are an earth-tone orange. So earth tones work fabulously well on redheads:

Darker Skin Tones

People with darker skin tones can incorporate all sorts of beautiful colors into their color palette.

Earth tones and pink/blush both look great. Check out these examples:

Pink/Blush

Pink/blush is a very popular color scheme for women. Why? Because it works well with just about any type of hair or skin color.

Tips For Choosing Clothing

• Always choose solid colored tops. It’s okay here and there to add in a floral dress into the mix. But YOU want to be what stands out in your photos, not your outfit.
• Choose clothes that match your color scheme.
• Be yourself! If you are naturally a casual kinda person, then wear jeans in your photos. Don’t dress up if that doesn’t represent your true self.

Camera Equipment

The million-dollar question is “Can I use my iPhone to take my photos?”. The short answer is “You can”. The longer answer is “If you want the absolute highest quality photos made, then don’t use an iPhone”.

Who do you know who has a good quality Canon camera? (Ya know that mom who always brings her “good camera” to the ball games.)

If you can think of one person who has a good digital camera, it’s super easy to ask that person to borrow their camera – or barter with them a photo swap.

Long before I invested in my own Canon camera, my best friend Beth had a good camera. So on several occasions, I asked her if she would do me a favor and take photos of my family.

Then I asked other people with good cameras if they would take photos of me in exchange for me taking photos of them. They were happy to take me up on this offer because people who own good camera rarely get photos made of themselves!

Before you reach out to a friend to borrow their camera, make sure you have planned your location, lighting and everything else first (which you will learn in part 3 and 4 of this series).

_________________________

Are you starting to see the full picture now? Do you have an idea now for your color scheme, wardrobe? If you are still stuck, message me below. What have you found to be the most helpful in this article? Drop a comment below!