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From Selfie to Self-Portrait: 5 Tips for Photographing Yourself with Artistic Intent

Emilia Brandão, a Leica ambassador photographer, shares her personal techniques for taking your self-portraits to a level of excellence.

By Vogue for Leica
November 27, 2020

“I understand selfies and self-portraits as ‘similar’ photographs because in both the subject of the composition is oneself, but when you look deeper, there are many fundamental traits that set them apart,” explains Brazilian photographer and Leica ambassador Emilia Brandão. She shares with Vogue España her reflections and the tricks that work best when it comes to raising the quality of your work.

In Emilia Brandão’s words:

“When I take a selfie, I usually do it with my phone, and the intention is just a snapshot: to record a moment, to communicate a message that is easy to read (a smile, a hug with a friend). It doesn’t ask much interpretation from the person viewing the image, nor does it carry much emotional or conceptual weight. A selfie simply happens.

But when I set out to make a self-portrait, there is reflection on my part, and it invites reflection from the viewer. It can address different themes, such as identity, an investigation of the self. A self-portrait is produced, created. There is a context, an execution, an intention, a narrative. Above all, it is an authentic form of self-representation, a practice of self-reflection. Nobody else even needs to see it.

To those who want to make a self-portrait, I recommend using an intimate camera (a Leica, for example) and connecting with your SELF, in the moment, in the time and space in which you live. It takes courage to explore personal questions without fear and to try to capture with the camera that part of the soul that normally isn’t shown, not even to yourself.”

Tips that will improve your photographs:

1. Write down your ideas. Start giving your ideas context, build a narrative, think about what you want to communicate and convey. It is a moment of self-reflection. If you’re out of ideas, look for visual references so you can mentally build the image that will reflect the SELF you want to capture in your self-portrait.
2. Inspiration. Look for photographic references to feed your imagination, to escape autopilot and create something authentic, with your essence. Here are some of my inspirations: Cindy Sherman, Francesca Woodman, Vivian Maier, Sophie Calle, Robert Mapplethorpe.
3. Get ready! Prepare the aesthetic and technical elements you need for the shoot: camera, tripod, remote shutter, light, background, props, setting… etc.
4. Now that everything is ready, you face a challenge: posing for your own camera. This isn’t about taking a selfie with your phone; a self-portrait requires a relationship with the camera. You can put it on a tripod and take the photos with a remote shutter (or with a phone app, for example), or hold it in your hand in front of a mirror. But the important thing is to know that the camera is at your service, and to keep shooting until you have something that represents you.
5. The simplest thing is to just let yourself go with the creative process. Improvise, let yourself feel, and keep shooting until you get a version of yourself that you want to carry with you in your story.

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