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Hi Carol, I just use muy iPhone 12 for selfies. I have a Nikon DSLR, but it actually took pictures not as good overall. I have used photoshop expressions to manually smooth out blems, crow’s feet, breastplate seams, etc. I didn’t intend to share pictures I took in early-mid 2021, but after joining here, I wanted to share. Quite a few of my pics are unretouched, especially the ones from the last few months.
Hugs,
Brie
Hi Brielle.
I must say you look gorgeous in all your photos. My phone just doesn’t want to take clear pictures unlike yours. I’ll take a look at photo shop but definatly need a high mp camera.
Thanks Brielle.
Love Carol ❤️
Tripod for me too, and a 10 second self-timer, back when I was taking pictures. You can get cameras with remote releases, but I found that it’s hard to hide the unit and strike a pose at the same time.
Connie
xxxHi Carol,
Sometimes I just dress up for fun and not for photos. But when I’m planning a photo session I use a Sony DSC-W830. It can be purchased for around $130. I like its’ flexibility and relative affordability. I is also small and compact and pretty easy to use. It has a smile option will take you photo when it detects a smile (encouraging those smiles is important!) – although I have found this option to not always be reliable. It also has a 10 second delay option that allows you to get into your pose. The great thing about this option is that the camera will then take 5 photos in a row so that you can try out small adjustments to your head or smile or hands etc.
When I am doing a photo session, I have to adjust my make up a bit because I use a number of light sources to get a nicer end product. This means your makeup needs to be a bit bolder than you might do for going out in public. I also helps to work on using your makeup to create proper contouring for your face (that’s a whole other category of discussion!)
I have a couple inexpensive LED camera lights on stands and a few other cheap workshop spots that I use. Lighting is key and I’ve learned what works best through online searches and my own experimentation. In general don’t have lights pointing straight at you from one angle at that will create a lot of shadow. Try to see if you can fill light from multiple angles.
For me – when I take photos – it is part of the experience that I enjoy about dressing up. So experimenting with lights and angles and poses – and seeing how it all comes out is fun! I should also say that in general – 80% of my pictures do not turn out that great so don’t go into taking pictures thinking that if you take one or two you will end up with a photos that are perfect (I’m hardly every entirely happy with the end product – but I find that is part of the challenge and fun of it as well)
Finally, I rarely do any other touchup after the photo except to crop and perhaps adjust light levels just a bit.
That is probably more that you ever wanted to know but… you did ask 🙂 !
Hugs – Melody
I use a Samsung S6 Active 16MP rear facing camera on a tripod with a bluetooth remote shutter. I bought the S6 on ebay (unlocked with no SIM card) for $60. The tripod, mount and remote shutter were around $40 on Amazon.
Hi Carol,
I disabled all of the phone stuff so it’s just a camera and takes better photos than my iPhone. I love, love, love the remote. It’s pretty small so its easy to hide. I can click away till my hearts content, and then just delete the ones I don’t like,which is usually alot..lol.
Hi Michelle.
Thats what i mean, you take lots of photos but lots are just poor. The ones i posted are not the best but now I’ve joined CDH and seen the other girls its given me the confidence to show my femine side and i want to capture that and show that with better quality photos. God am i begining to sound like a vain woman LOL
LOVE CAROL ❤️
Hi Carol
I don’t take any photos, but I am wondering that maybe it’s the girls who are making the photos look stunning and not the cameras.
Love
MichelleHi Michelle.
True, but i think the quality of the photo can make a difference. A poor photo can take away from the whole look.
Love Carol ❤️
Hi Carol,
Good photos are far more about good lighting than a good camera. Most camera phones can take a good photo as long as the lighting is right. A stand or tripod might help to allow you to work hands free on a timer.
Lighting is a big subject and set ups will depend on the look you are after. A general rule for a flattering portrait is to use a diffused light ( think cloudy day, no shadows). This reduces features you may not want to bring out (wrinkles). If you are lucky and don’t have these ‘features’ you could add some more directional light (think sunny day, harsh shadows) to create defined shaded areas.
If you are inside, light near a window or door is good. Light levels soon drop off the further into the room you go. Room lighting is often poor for photos.
If you want to learn but don’t want to spend money I would suggest an internet search for natural light portrait photography.
Final thing before I bore you to death. Think about the background. Try to keep it simple, nothing distracting – unless that is what you are after.
Love Jane X.
Most photographers will tell you the best camera is the one in your hand. For most of us our phone is the best available because it’s always within reach. I have thousands invested in professional photo gear (I’m not a professional). But I rarely use it for my girly photos. The camera on my phone is actually quite good. It’s what I use 95% of the time. With decent lighting it would be hard to tell the difference between it and my high-end Sony rig. As others have said, lighting is probably the single most important factor to achieve a good photo. Soft light will give you a more flattering photo. Direct light can make for a dramatic image but is also unforgiving. Low light conditions are more likely to produce grainy or blurry images. Post processing (Photoshop) can fix most of those issues, but very few of us would ever make time for that. Post isn’t a magic bullet. It takes skill to use it effectively.
Two other things that can make a big difference are makeup and smiling. Almost all the gorgeous girls I see on CDH have really good makeup – either self applied or by a professional. And they’re smiling. Smiling tells people you’re a happy and confident girl. That’s always attractive. Think about all the print and TV ads you see. How many have sad faces? That’s right – ZERO. Frowny sad faces don’t sell products and they won’t “sell” you either.
Hi Carol!
I have to admit I do not put nearly enough attention into lighting or setting. And the lighting is so important – shadows in the wrong places or highlighting some looks I’d rather not have hi-lighted! And it seems that whether I use natural light or artificial light will change the color of my hair from more red to more brownish.
I only use my older Samsung, it seems to take nice enough pictures, and the timer is convenient. I think the issue is more user ability (me) than the technology I use, lol.
Stevie
I used to use a Cannon SureShot. The advantages was the 10-second delay, the built-in flash, many different modes (although I rarely used too many), and the zoom. It had a 12x optical zoom and a 4x digital zoom on top. The optical zoom was great for taking far away photos making them look like close-up, so you could stealthily take a “close-up” photo from a distance. Not great for selfies, though. It had a standard tripod mount, but it makes it difficult to use as a point and shoot if you’ve got a tripod attached. I broke it when sitting it on my car trunk to take a selfie.
I now use a GoPro Hero 8. The advantages are that it is fairly wide angle, so I can be in close and still get a full body shot, the built-in mini tripod (it collapses to a handle), and the voice activation to take a photo, video, or burst of photos (you can then join them into a moving GIF or select the best photo if people tend to blink). The disadvantages are the non-standard mount (you have to put on a different mount to use on a standard tripod), the lack of zoom for landscape shots, and the lack of a flash if you are a little back lit.
Being a Unix/Linux person (I’ve used it for 40 years), I usually use GIMP (Gnu Image Manipulation Program, where Gnu is pronounce “g’new,” not like the wildebeest “new”). It’s a very powerful photo editor and is available on other platforms. I usually use only basic functions: white balance, brightness and contrast, red eye removal (more for group photos and with a flash; it also seems to occur more frequently in people with blue eyes than brown eyes), cropping, and scaling. On rare occasions I might smudge or copy over a small area (perhaps to remove a high intensity area like a flash reflection), or play with sharpening or blurring (including pixilation).
I don’t have any expensive camera equipment but I always get my best shots by making videos and pulling screen shots out of my videos. I find the pictures I get look much more natural and not posed.
I use my camera phone in selfie mode leaning against something. Non selfie would be better resolution but i want to see want I’m taking. It has the option to say “cheese” or “capture” to take a pic or I can hold my hand in front of my face and it give me a second or two to pose. It also has a time delay but that makes me rush.
Lighting and angles can be key to getting pics you really like. Some of the things I think as I’m taking a pic is chin out, stomach in, sleeves pulled over wrists, hand on waist, angle waste, legs angled or crossed, and smile a real smile cause you are dressed and taking pics. My pics without smiles just look like the drab me.
I use the camera on my phone on selfie mode. I have a device on a tripod to hold the camera….
And a device to remotely set the shutter off….
It’s easy to set a pose and click the button.
I use both a Canon DSLR and my iPhone. Sometimes I’ll take handheld, closeup selfies with the phone, but otherwise I use a tripod. Ideally, look for a tripod that is at least as tall as you so you’re not shooting from below. Not the most flattering angle for a crossdresser!
I also use Adobe Lightroom which allows me to play with the exposure, saturation, contrast and more. These days, all smart phones will give you some editing tools for making these adjustments.
Beyond the actual hardware, I’d recommend shooting in filtered natural sunlight. Also, shooting from just above eye-level tends to be more attractive and doesn’t accentuate the jawline. Give yourself a nice background by clearing your space and picking a good setting.
If you just walk around your house and snap a bunch of selfies, you’ll find the best spaces for light. Take a bunch of pictures at all different angles. You’ll find the ones that are most flattering for your face and body too.
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