Right, so getting into taking, let’s call ’em, better photos of guys, including myself, wasn’t some grand plan. It actually kicked off after I went through a bit of a rough patch a year or so back, found myself single again, you know how it goes. Decided to try those dating apps everyone talks about.
Man, the photos I had of myself were terrible. Like, really bad. Blurry, bad lighting, awkward smiles. Looked like I was being held hostage in some of them. And honestly, scrolling through, a lot of guys had the same problem. Just not putting any effort in, or maybe not knowing how.
Getting Started – The Awkward Phase
So I thought, how hard can it be? I’ve got a smartphone, right? First attempts were a joke. Stood in front of a plain wall, used the flash – looked like a mugshot. Tried outside, got weird shadows everywhere. Used the timer function, ran back and forth trying to pose, mostly ended up with pics of me mid-sprint or looking confused.
It was frustrating. Felt pretty stupid, actually. Here I am, a grown man, trying to take a decent picture and failing miserably. It wasn’t even about looking like a model, just wanted something that looked… well, like me, but on a good day.
Figuring Things Out Bit by Bit
I started paying more attention. Noticed how light worked in rooms, shadows, reflections. Started messing around near windows during the day. Big difference, that natural light. No more harsh flash making my forehead shiny.
Then I looked at angles. Turns out holding the phone slightly higher, angled down, is usually better than shooting straight on or from below. Who knew? Seems obvious now, but it wasn’t then.
Here’s kinda what I stumbled through:
- Lighting: Ditched the direct flash. Found that soft, indirect light (like near a window but not in direct sun) works wonders. Even just moving a lamp around the room helped.
- Angles: Played around a lot. Higher angle seemed to work better for my face. Learned to turn my body slightly, not just face the camera square on.
- Backgrounds: Started noticing the junk behind me in photos. Tried to find cleaner spots, or places that looked a bit interesting but weren’t distracting. A brick wall, some bookshelves, even just a plain colored wall works better than a messy room.
- Expression: This was tough. Trying to force a smile looks fake. Found it better to think of something funny or just try to relax my face, maybe a slight smirk or just a neutral, confident look. Took loads of shots to get one that didn’t look forced.
- Timer & Burst: Got wise to using the timer with burst mode. Set it for 10 seconds, let it fire off 10 shots. Gave me time to adjust, try slight variations in pose or expression without running back and forth like a lunatic. Usually one out of the burst would be usable.
From Selfies to Snapping Friends
After a while, my own profile pics definitely got better. Nothing amazing, but decent. Felt a bit more confident about them. Then a buddy, Mark, was complaining about the same thing, needed photos for his professional profile online. He’d seen mine and asked if I could help him out.
We just messed around one afternoon in his backyard. Tried different spots, different shirts. It was way easier directing someone else than posing myself, honestly. We got some shots he was really happy with. He just looked relaxed and approachable, which was the goal.
Where I’m At Now
Look, I’m no photographer. Still mostly use my phone. But I learned that taking a good photo, one that makes a guy look confident and like himself, isn’t about fancy gear. It’s about paying attention to simple things: light, angle, background, and expression.
It’s just practice, trial and error. Taking a bunch of bad shots to figure out what makes a good one. It’s kinda satisfying, actually, getting a shot that just works. Whether it’s for yourself or helping out a friend, it’s a useful little skill to have picked up, born out of pure necessity and a bit of embarrassment about my old photos.
