Hey, mama! Ever wished you were in more photos, but cringe when you do take them? You’re not alone! 😂 So, today I’m bringing you my best self-portrait posing tips for moms! That way, YOU can be in control and take the photos just how you want to, and know EXACTLY what to do with your hands! lol. Your family will thank you years later when they photos to remember you by! PS – If you want to know how to actually take them with your big girl camera, check here and here! All of the photos in this post are self-portraits taken with a tripod. You can do this, too!
First up: have fun and MOVE
There is little point to taking photos if you’re feeling frustrated or annoyed with the process. Try to make self-portraits fun, especially if your kiddos are near! (Read some prompt ideas here if you just don’t know what to photograph). Don’t be afraid to laugh at yourself. No one has to see these if you don’t want them to. One of my favorite things to tell people is to imagine a big square out in front of you. Look at each corner of the square and pause, smiling. Continue until you are laughing at how silly you feel. If that doesn’t work, get moving! Put on music and dance with your little ones. Seriously! Use an interval timer so you can be in the moment.
I’m not sure what to do with my hands
First off, don’t leave your hands idle. If you feel awkward in photos, hand placement is a dead giveaway to the viewer. Try holding hands with your littles, or holding onto your precious magic juice (coffee). You can also fold one arm over the other, or place on hand on the back of your hip, fingers pointing down or put them in pockets loosely. If possible, setting up a mirror on the other side of your camera will help! If you’re a mom, you will surely have tiny people invading your photo, so let’s talk about how to enjoy that below! I firmly believe that photography can help us show up and be present for our lives (read more on that here).
(photos above from my closet styling experience with Martine a la mode!)
Sitting and squatting poses
Sitting is my favorite, because you can contain little ones this way. Sit them in your lap and try tickling, bouncing up and down, or holding hands and singing to keep their attention. They will not just sit there and smile unless you play with them! Please don’t expect them to sit still (read more on that, here and here)! Try these poses on for size:
Facing each other
These are my favorite poses for self-portraits. What better way to get your little ones attention than to look at each other and talk? You can tickle from this pose or ask for kisses, too! Honestly you cannot go wrong facing your child and giving them your attention!
Technical Tips
Keep your camera (especially a phone camera) at a 90 degree angle to the floor. That way you don’t get any weird distortion from your lens! You’ll notice in all of my photos I also try to keep my daughter closer to the camera than my own body as well. I think this helps with scale and proportions. If you’re wondering how to do this on a big-girl camera in general, click here!
Need more help?
Consider joining Manual Mode for Moms. It is our online photography course designed just for moms. I’m a mom, and I know you don’t have time to piece things together on your own with YouTube. Let me hold your hand and walk you through the ins and outs of manual mode as efficiently as possible! If you don’t have a big-girl camera but want to take better photos on your phone, click here to get a copy of my free pretty phone photos guide!