Are you stuck at home in quarantine and scrolling through Instagram wishing you had a picture to post, but thinking a shot of you sitting in your pajamas all day probably won’t cut it? Wrong! I’m going to show you eight creative self-portraits you can take from the comfort of your home — not only to feel good about yourself, but also to spice up your Instagram feed.
All you need is a camera or phone, a tripod or something to serve as one (maybe some books or a table), some natural light and you (hopefully without pjs!).
- Relaxed but post-worthy
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This first one is very simple: just grab a chair! It doesn’t matter what kind of chair you use. It can be a bean bag, desk chair, barstool — literally anything. Sit back, relax and enjoy your photoshoot.
- Just a bit of fabric
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This one is basically like building a fort and taking some cool photos in it. I just grabbed this see-through blanket and threw it over my camera, me, and some chairs behind me to prop it up. You’ll want to make sure you use some type of see-through fabric, so the light can still shine through onto you. I recommend tulle, netting or a blanket with holes.
- Card tricks
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Everyone has an old deck of cards lying around their house! Cards have so much color and are so interesting to look at, so why not use them in a picture? I just kept shuffling them over and over, fanning them out and throwing them up in the air until I got a picture I thought worked for my Instagram.
- Not your average mirror selfie
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This one was a bit more difficult, I’ll admit. You have to find a nice blank wall, prop your mirror up, place your camera behind you and pray you get that perfect picture. You really have to work with angles with this one, so take charge and work it girl!
- Frame it
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I actually left the inside of my house for this one and used my backyard (stay safe and stay home everyone!). I found a picture frame and framed my face, making it look like I was a literal photo. How ironic.
- Servin’ breakfast
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I decided to cook a big breakfast and thought it would be cute to take photos of me in action. Make sure you clean your kitchen before doing this one, and just have fun with it. I had some music on in the background and was just enjoying cooking some sausage.
- The Upside-Down
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I may or may not have named this one after Stranger Things (which, if you haven’t seen it, now is the perfect time to binge-watch while you’re stuck in your house). I know this one looks like I’m falling, but I’ll let you in on a secret: I just flipped it upside down. All you have to do is lie on the floor and put your feet in the air, then rotate the photo upside down when you edit it. I guarantee you this would stand out on everyone’s Instagram timeline.
- Girl, put that CD on
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Wait, do people still even own CDs? You can use any disc, whether it’s a movie, video game or album— it won’t make a difference! Just make sure you use the reflective side. You can really play around with this one and get some reflections of your face in the CD, get the rainbow color to reflect on your face or just hold up the CD and look cute.
I hope these not only spice up your Instagram feed but also your self-quarantine. Staying home doesn’t have to be such a drag. Just use this time to get creative and work on yourself and your self-portraits!
Tag my Instagram if you try any of these @kennedyshaynephoto.