CAREER PURSUIT 2021

EXPERT ADVICE - SELF-EMPLOYMENT 31 If it’s a clear blue-sky day, you’ll need to cover your window with a very thin, white material to soften the light . If it’s an overcast day or you’ve got a non-south-facing window, you won’t need to. The optimal position for the sunlight is where it shines through the window but doesn’t cast shadows on your background or your face. You may find that you have to time your shot for a particular point of the day to get it right. If so, do it! The last step is a piece of white card. This is going to be used to ‘fill in’ some shadows. Position this opposite and parallel to the window, perhaps by resting it on a shelf or by getting a second volunteer to hold it for you. Through experimentation, you’ll find a sweet spot where the light from the window bounces off the card and fills in some of the shadow on your face. You’ll need to check between photos to see the difference. Move it closer and further away to vary the strength of the bounced lighting. STEP 4: TAKING YOUR SHOTS Position yourself in your scene. Don’t stand right next to the background – you’ll create a shadow. Stand about a metre away if you can. Camera settings If you’re using a smartphone for this, try to set the following settings: • Use a single-shot image (not burst or live). • Shoot a square image (1:1 aspect ratio). • Turn the flash off. • If you can set the ‘f ’ value, feel free to experiment. Get shooting! Try with different poses. You’ll soon work out those you like and those you don’t. At the end of the day, it’s your photo, and you’ll know what you like. Some tips would be to: • Look towards the window rather than away from it. • Shoot at eye level or slightly above. • Shoot the picture so the eyes are approximately 1/3 of the way from the top of the frame. • Focus your camera on the eyes. Get creative Other creative ideas you might like to try include: • Use a different colour card for your background. • Shine a coloured light on your background. Take care not to shine it on yourself at the same time. • Use a table lamp and shine it at your back to create a ‘rim light’ – good for darker backgrounds when you’re wearing a darker top. • Introduce a fan to your scene to give a bit of motion to longer hair. • Try an aperture of f/2.8 or smaller to create a blurred background. • If you struggle with having lots of chins (I know I do!), try holding another piece of card below you and out of shot to reflect more light from underneath. STEP 5: EDITING So, you’ve now, hopefully, got a pile of images to choose from. The next step is to edit your image to make it profile ready. Some things to note: • Unless you have been very clever with your setup or have made the rest of your face too bright, you won’t get a perfectly white background… this is ok. • If you’re going to add a colour filter, do your basic adjustments to make the image the correct brightness before applying the filter. • Try not to add too much of any one setting in your phone’s editing options. • If you want a black and white image, don’t use the filter. Reduce the saturation – it’ll give you a lot more control. “Don’t do a selfie; they were never cool… ever.”