Are you a side hustler? A mama wanting to bring in some extra income for your family? A college student looking to help cover the cost of the quickly building student loans? Whatever the reason for starting your side hustle, you know the importance of images!!
Beauty products, skin care lines, clothing, workout supplements, health and wellness, essential oils, accessory artists, the list goes on and on.... Some products deriving from MLM companies now days are TOP NOTCH, and there are several I am a big fan of at the moment and frequently purchase... but because these products are not "big box products" the distributors are the ones who are marketing them to the masses...And how are they reaching these masses?... The #1 way is through social media by imagery!!! A compelling & honest before and after picture will set your business on fire for your ideal client! Trust me, I am that ideal client who was drawn in by that before and after image!
Whether your images are results driven by before and afters, a quick makeup tutorial, a cute picture of you holding or using your favorite products from your business, your images have to be telling of the greatness that your products offer!!
I am going to give you some tips from a professional photographer on how to take that perfect selfie that will help you build your business through images!! I hope you find this useful and that it helps build that side hustle and you reach all of your dreams!
TIPS ON HOW TO TAKE A BETTER SELFIE
CLEAN YOUR LENS
You will not even guess what all touches those small little lenses throughout the day... dust, smudge, Cheeto grease... ha! Just give it a little clean before your snap that picture! There are many different types of cleaning supplies out there but the bottom of a soft cotton t-shirt or microfiber cloth will do wonders!!
Find some handy phone wipes from Amazon here!
USE THE BACK CAMERA
If at all possible use that back camera rather than the selfie camera! The back camera has almost double the megapixels then the selfie camera! For example, the back camera on the iPhone 8 has 12 megapixels and the selfie camera is a 7 megapixel camera!
***A megapixel is the size of the images, those little tiny squares that make up an images... 12 megapixels is equivalent to 12 million of those tiny squares!! With more megapixels the more clarity, color pop and details you will get in your images!!
A trick to use the back camera for a selfie is to use a tripod with the screen facing a mirror and to use the built in self timer! See tip below on self timer! I have also see some people hook up their camera via Apple TV to their television to see the screen better while using the back camera! To each their own...
FIND NATURAL AND EVEN LIGHT
Have you ever taken a picture in your car during the day and are blown away by it?... Don't lie, we all have!! Want to know why? IT'S THE LIGHT! The light that comes through our car windows and windshield is beautiful, its natural from the sun and diffused (softened).
So the next time you are taking a selfie find that natural light!!!! The best place is in front of a large window, an open door or on a covered porch! Be sure to avoid facing away from the light or being in direct sun light! This natural and even light is the most flattering light, and especially great for those images that you are trying to showcase beauty products, before and after pictures, etc.
So remember, just like Jesus..... GO TOWARDS THE LIGHT!!!
TRIPODS OR MOUNTS
Depending on what you are needing, a tripod or a phone mount will do wonders!! There are so many different options out there, some as cheap as $5 then others ranging up to $50+! If you are using the tip of finding natural light for your selfie, a tip would be to get a suction mound for your phone to suck it to the window so the light hits you! Also great for bathroom mirrors for makeup or skin care distributors!
Here are a few options out there for under $15!
From top right here are where I found these mounts: Sam Moon $7.99, Sam Moon $9.99), Sam Moon ($5.99), Five Below $5.00
LOOK INTO THE CAMERA
This is one of the things that I struggle with at times, I tend to look at myself on the screen rather than the little camera on the top! So find that little camera and snap the picture while looking into it!
SELF TIMERS
Want to get that picture of you standing doing a cute pose or holding your products or kiddo? This tip will help you!! Did you know that most smartphones are equipped with a self timer option? These little guys are the bomb when it comes the taking those images without your arm sticking up and into the frame. On the iPhone there is a 3 second or 10 second option... so it may take a few tries but once you get it down you will be able to create anything you want, hands free!!! As you have read a few tips above, it is best to use the back camera for a more high quality image! A little secret, 99% of my images are taken with self timers!!
***If you need some assistance to find where your self timer is on your iPhone use this handy video
This picture above was taken with self timer in natural light and a clear background!
DON'T ZOOM
If you are using the back camera for a selfie, do not zoom. Zooming on phones distorts the images... instead, step closer to your phone or bring your phone set up closer to you!
PORTRAIT MODE
One of my most favorite new features on the iPhone now is the portrait mode! You can get a high quality image that looks as if it came from an expensive camera while only using portrait mode! Again, this feature is only available on the back camera but using the tips above you can really get creative with this one!
The blurriness of the background in the image (in photography we call this bokeh) really makes the images look more high end, and can hide distracting elements behind you!
CLEAR YOUR BACKGROUNDS
Girlfriend, we all do it... as a matter of fact I just did it as I was getting ready to shoot a video for this blog post... we shove our clutter from the background of our images out of the frame... but if you are just getting started with photographing for your business you may want to keep this in your mind. I know sometimes the purpose of our selfie can be front of mind, like the makeup you just applied or the new jeans you bought... BUT if your room or bathroom is a mess that is all people are looking at!!
So clean (or push away) anything distracting in your pictures!! Unless this is the look you are going for, people don't want to see your underwear on the floor, chip bags, dirty diapers or your over flowing trashcan next to the toilet. This is taking away your potential clients view from your product and focusing it on something you were intending to.
LET OUT A LAUGH
If you have ever been a portrait client of mine, you know this awesome yet awkward trick!! "Give me your best fake laugh right here to my camera".... You know what this does, it makes you feel so goofy that you actually start to crack a real and genuine smile! Try it.... hahahahahaha..... see!!
The image above was recently picked up by Target because of the swimming suit not the body lol! But this was an example of my fake laugh, it really brings out a genuine looking smile an not so stiff!
ASK FOR HELP
This one is so hard for me as well, but I have become ok with this as I have grown more comfortable of my intent and reasons behind asking for help! But asking for someone to shoot a picture of you can help out so much! For me, when I ask my husband to take a shot of me I give him clear instructions on what I am needing the image for, how I want it set up and when to take it! Giving them an idea of what you are needing will help lessen the time taking the image and be less stressful! Trust me, they love you and appreciate your hustle and it feels like a bigger deal to us then it is on them to snap a picture!
Ps. Every time I see a person, couple or group trying to take a selfie I ALWAYS offer to take it for them! Because you know why, I know they wouldn't ask for help! I'd rather offer them a great phone image of them all hugging one another then have someone cut out or the arm halfway through the pictures!
Well, I hope this helps you! I hope and pray that these tips brought you an "ah-ha" moment and you begin rocking your selfies! Build your business and promote those products through beautiful imagery! Showcase the love you have for your products!
And if you needed to hear this today.... KEEP GOING!!! Don't give up my friend, keep chasing those goals, those dreams, that financial freedom! If you use any of these tips be sure to #mlpselfie so I can see them working for you!!
If you have any questions feel free to reach out!
Until next time,
Mandy