CDs seem to love taking pictures ?.I-need your input :)

[Di]

For those that remember my sweet Sherlyn.
Mod in the Gallery and fresh pictures every 7 days :)
(I took a lot of them but when I was at work she took alot )
She is probably so disappointed in me I did not learn this .
So
Frankly I-need tips .
I want to take. Pictures of myself
I lost weight
I will have the house to myself
I want to try this
So ladies please give me your best tips of taking pictures alone.
I have no clue where to start.
I will be using my iPhone i have no equipment.

[Natalie5004]

Do you know how to set the timer? If not, look it up on youtube. Then you will need to prop up the phone. Make sure you are using the lens with the screen facing you so you can see what you are getting.

Some folks buy a device that will hold the phone.

[docrobbysherry]

They sell small, inexpensive, cell phone holders on line. I have a couple I place on counter tops and furniture. Also, the holders r easily masking taped to various kinds of stands and poles.:thumbsup:
Cell phones have 10 second timers built in now.

U don't need much equipment with cell cameras.:) Just remember to check your position with the lites. And, never back lite your pics!:doh:

I took this avatar pic with my cell holder placed on a planter!:daydreaming:

[chrissy111]

Although my wife won't allow me to post pictures I have taken a lot of them. I have an apple phone and watch. You can prop up your phone and use your watch to make sure your in the frame and then use your watch to take the picture.

[Kayy]

Indoors avoid dark and cluttered backgrounds, best not to stand against a wall but a few feet away. If you’re sitting in a chair make sure your clothes will show against the upholstery. Outdoors avoid shade, make sure you are either facing the sun or sideways to it. Vary your pose, and take lots of pictures. Select the ones you like the best and work out why. The more you take the better they’ll get. Also there are lots of good tips online. Above all, have fun!

[DianeT]

Hi Di, I find the pictures taken by the front camera really bad in general, so I avoid selfies. To be able to use the back camera I simply take them in front of a mirror. The mirror needs to be clean because the tiniest dust speck will show. I like to hold the phone at eye level, but you can also hold it at waist level for a balanced figure.
Light is everything. If you can, take pictures on a bright sunny day, when light is flooding the house.

A DSLR camera with a timer can take much better pictures than a phone in good light conditions if you can find a good stand or shelf to place the camera. In low light conditions the phones generally fare much better. I don't use flash, direct or indirect.

[JenniferR771]

A tripod suited to a phone cam would be a help.

[Marketa]

There are also tips for modeling poses be it in articles or YouTube videos. I recommend those. Just like you can try to replicate actual model poses from e-shops photos.
And as Diane mentioned, the light is everything and nothing (or at least nothing cheap) beats natural daylight.

[Gail_veiled]

Since you are using an iPhone, try experimenting with the portrait mode too. That will focus sharply on you and blur the background slightly which may be a style you like. Also if you just got one of the brand new iPhone 17s, the selfie camera is much better that they used to be, that's what I used for my recent upload.

[Jenn A116]

Some good tips above.
When I do mirror selfies the real challenge is to keep the phone out of the frame. So I hold the phone out to the side and look at the phone in the mirror when snapping the picture. Then I crop the picture was needed.

The other thing to do is to get a small tripod and use that to perch your phone with you against a neutral background. You can buy a small blue-tooth device to trigger the shutter release.

[Raychel]

Years of trial and error. With the advent of digital pictures, this has become a lot easier.
Take a bunch of pictures and you will get a few good ones. try different poses. Smiling as best
you can. Think of something silly will help. (this is a tough one for me) Put on you favorite outfits
you may have to try different ones until you get a picture you are happy with. I took 133 pictures for the latest photo set
That include the ones edited. I can do some editing on the phone. then also edit and resize on the computer.

If you are home alone (like I always am) I would recommend getting a phone tripod with a remote.
And it is best to have the phone up around eye level so you are not looking down at it and it will be at the best angle.
Of course watch your background.

I have a camera tripod, and found a mount for a cell phone that came with a remote for $9.99 (Amazon)
That makes it real easy to take a bunch of pictures. lots of poses, with a simple click of the remote you can hold.
There are tripods that will hold the camera that will come with a remote. Then you can sit it on a counter or just about anywhere

Or like said in previous posts you can prop up the phone and use the self timer. I did that for a long time as well.
Not as easy taking the pictures. Set it for 10 seconds then run to get the pose for the picture. It can be done.
But for a little money you can make it a lot easier

Lol, or come to Maine, We can have a photo shoot with all the fall leaves :heehee::heehee:

[BLUE ORCHID]

Hi Di:hugs:, No Bright behind you,

It will make you look dark as the camers adjustes to the Bright Light, >Orchid**O:daydreaming:O**

[JohnH]

I have a tripod that clamps the phone or tablet and a Bluetooth shutter control.

John

[JenniferR771]

I like to rotate my shoulders to make them look slender, cross my legs and keep my hips square and padded to make my butt look big. One hand usually goes up to fuss with my hair.

Di, I hope we can see some results!

[AmyJordan]

Hi Di

Best advice is to get a dominant wife who enjoys turning the tables and making you pose like glamour women have to for mens enjoyment.

Failing that take the advice given and enjoy experimenting.
Have fun

Amy x

[DAVIDA]

Well, I don't have any tips.
I tried to take some pics, but my phone sent me a text asking me not to do that again.:doh:

[Karren H]

Congratulations on the weight loss Di!! I just finished sorting through over 30,000 photos to move them to my new laptop. Got it down to 12,000 of my favorites. Lol. But To date most have been on small Sony cameras with small tripods and large tripods. I have used my iPhone for some closup bra shots and have posted them but I found that the iPhone photos, if I posted them from my phone that all the metadata came along for the ride including my current location. I was shocked and had to go out and delete bunch. So if I use my iPhone I run them through my laptop first. And use a free photo program called XNView. And delete all metadata.

[Shelly Preston]

Di,
First you should consider what kind of pictures you want to take.

Location is another factor.

As has been said you can use a tripod, A small one like a gorilla tripod for a phone is good if you have a suitable place to position it. They are pretty flexible, and small enough to fit in a bag.

A selfie stick with a button can be used too, which allows you to take pics without a timer. (My avatar was taken this way)

[Michaela Jane]

I use a tripod, I've had that for many years anyway, I bought a device to fit the tripod that clamps my phone and another device, a bluetooth shutter release that I hold on my hand to take the photo. For me, and others who have already said so, the front camera is the one to use because you can see your pose. This ain't the best photo in the world, but this is what I see when setting up for my photos.

347289

[Maid_Marion]

Soft diffuse light works best. Direct sunlight is harsh and makes flaws stand out. The Golden hour just after sunrise and just before sunset offers soft diffuse light perfect for photography.
I have a cheap ring light I bounce off the ceiling! Wedding photographers used to bounce powerful strobes off the ceiling.

Indoor lights have different colors that show up on camera. Old florescent lights had a sickly green cast.
LED lights can be purchased that are either warm like the golden hour or more light mid-noon daylight. Warm tends to be more pleasing. The higher the CRI number the better.

Learn to activate and use the timer option on your iPhone.

[Di]

Thanks I knew you all would help me out. TY so much!
Amy Jordan….do not know where I would find one …,just kidding.

Davida….I know better and so does your wife…..beautiful inside and out.

[rachellegsep]

A good video link on how to pose for photos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xei9FNWilw

[OrdinaryAverageGuy]

All the phone tips mentioned above....

But my best pics are taken with my laptop. I set it up on a countertop, deck handrail, stool, whatever. Open the camera through the Windows menu, open the lens cover or take off the blue tape. Set the timer to 10 seconds. Put it wherever you think it should be, stand back and see if you're centered in the screen, go back and start the timer and get into position. Then look at the result and adjust the position/lighting/whatever and go again.

Go through your hundreds of results at your leisure. Crop, play with effects, delete, etc. Enjoy!

[Sandi Beech]

Di,

That?s great news on the weight loss.

I am not that big on taking pictures of myself so I am not equipped with anything other than my iPhone as well, but I do think there are some good tips here.

The iPhone tripod and Bluetooth remote shudder buttons are great ideas.

Karren made a good point about removing location data from your pictures. I just edit them in Microsoft paint to do that. Also Paint can be used to reduce the pixel size for posting here.

One thing a lot of crossdressers do is to stand straight with feet wide apart in front of the cam. I believe that does not show off the figure as much as it does when one foot is close to the other, or in front of the other. I suspect it is due to how males tend to stand, so it?s not something you would do ; )

I am glad it sounds as if you are feeling good about your weight loss. I lost 17 lb this summer and hope to continue the trend with inspiration from others like yourself.

Sandi

[CynthiaD]

You can buy a camera with a remote control. Most people take pictures with their phones these days, but the lenses are tiny. There is a theoretical limit to how sharp an image can be based on the diameter of the lens. If you want really sharp pictures a real camera is a good investment. The remotes are tiny, hardly more than a button. Buy an electronic camera. The size of CCDs is approaching that of the grain in photographic film, and a high-capacity memory card can hold tens of thousands of pictures.

[Robyn n TN]

A lot of the phone stands have the ability to use your phone camera with a remote trigger to trigger the camera. Also a small tip that I have found is to have the camera above your face so you are looking up. It lifts your chin.... Have fun

[Genifer Teal]

I find the audio trigger easiest to use on cellphone. You don't rush to position yourself or wait longer than needed. Just say the trigger word like cheese or smile. Then wait 1 second.

[Rochal Tukque]

Yes they certainly do! LOL what few my phone has put up with I?m always respectful of others in a group setting that I?m not imposing on someone?s privacy.

[Traci H]

I'm kind of a hypocritical snob when it comes to taking photos with a cell phone. I consider myself a portrait photographer using a dSLR and off camera lighting. Taken some awesome photos over the years, including lots of weddings, etc. That being said, most cellphone cameras are awesome tools within their limitations. Shooting at home and providing some decent light can give you great photos. I am lazy as well, and have resorted to using my cellphone as I sometimes just don't want to haul out the lights, triggers, lens etc.

I have camera friends that have taken their hobby down the path of cellphone photography and done excellent work.

Di, I do think you would be best served to invest in a simple trigger, say via bluetooth as John has done. Running for a timer is a PITA in my opinion. Hard to get your pose just right. A small tripod or stand or some kind as others have mentioned make life easy as well. Now if I would only take my own advice.

Good luck and we maybe we will see some of your results. Just watch that coat stand in the background that now appears to be sticking out of your head :~)

[Maid_Marion]

Nikon still supports the D70 DSLR that I purchased twenty years ago with new Windows 11 software. I can use exceptional lenses around 100mm designed for Portrait Photography and get file sizes that are big enough for most purposes.

A good portrait lens can blur the background in a pleasing manner.

[CarlaWestin]

Congrats on the weight loss and, I can't wait to see pictures!
Last time I checked there were 693 GB of images and video in the Carla archive.
I've caught some real gems by capturing stills from video (https://drive.google.com/file/d/17XSsmwbv2jAhdDJLh0p6_1XraCRBrvux/view?usp=sharing).

[Dragster]

Yes Di, I remember Sherlyn, and all the posts you both published around, before and after the time you got married. I was really jealous about the support and encouragement you gave her in her crossdressing, you were absolutely made for each other. I shared your grief too, when Sherl died; far too young, and I'm really surprised you're still here, and contributing. Well done you!
Now to your problem. A couple of years ago, I was given a Qimic selfie stick by my daughter for Christmas (not to take CD pictures, my wife would die of embarrassment if anyone else found out I like to wear women's clothes!) The telescopic arm (to take photos from a short distance away) has a tripod on the handle end, so you can stand it on the floor or on a table to take photos from further away. There's a small removable button that operates the "shutter" and controls the orientation of the phone, and of course, the giro holds it vertical or horizontal and it's all operated through Bluetooth. It's not the cheapest option, but it could give you everything you need.

Good luck, with your photography and life!
Tony

[JenniferR771]

Good idea Di. And furthermore, you can use a rubber band and attach your phone to a full heavy water bottle. Place it on a desk or counter and hit the selfie button with the time delay.
Sunlight is a bit harsh and causes squint in the eyes. The best light is a cloudy day or in the shade from a tree. Show us some examples.

[Genifer Teal]

How about using voice activation? It's free. It's easy and you don't have that remote in your hand in the photo. Most phones already have this feature.You just have to turn it on. Then say the magic word like cheese or smile. I think there's a few others. Then the camera takes the photo in a second or two. No need to buy anything. Enjoy!

[Frannie7]

I use the Apple watch remote as well. Besides a tripod I have used a music stand with a lip. That way it easy to tilt the camera to the correct angle and raise it to the height. I like the voice activation idea and will give it a try.

[Di]

Y’all are the best !