Mirror Selfies vs Studio Self-Portraits: When Each One Wins
Mirror selfies solve the full-body problem for free. Studio self-portraits solve everything else. An honest comparison of what each format is genuinely good at.
Self photoshoot craft: posing, light and shooting yourself well
Self-portrait technique, studio lighting and what to do with the photos afterwards. Our step-by-step guides cover planning a session; this is the craft behind it.
18 articles · new ones every week
Self-portrait technique
6 articles
Photographing yourself is its own discipline. Distance, the remote and where you look matter more than the camera - start with selfie vs self-portrait.
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Focal Length in Plain English: Why 35mm and 85mm Change Your Face
You do not need to understand optics to benefit from focal length. What the numbers mean for portraits, and why studios shoot faces at 50-85mm rather than wide.
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Where to Look When There's No Photographer
Eye direction is the difference between a portrait that connects and one that drifts. Where to look in a self photo studio when nobody is standing behind the camera.
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The Remote Shutter, Properly: Countdown, Burst and Hiding the Clicker
The remote is the one piece of equipment you actually operate in a self photo studio. How to time the countdown, use burst mode, and keep the clicker out of frame.
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Why the Front Camera Distorts Your Face (and the Distance That Fixes It)
Your nose is not bigger than you think. Front cameras use wide lenses at close range, which exaggerates whatever is nearest - here is the optics, and the distance that undoes it.
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Selfie vs Self-Portrait: What Changes When the Camera Is Two Metres Away
A selfie and a self-portrait are not the same photo. Distance, lens and lighting all change when the camera leaves your hand - here is what that does to your face.
Lighting & camera craft
4 articles
Why the same face looks different in two rooms. Read these before your next session and you will be able to name what a studio is doing to your face.
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Colour Temperature: Why Your Home Photos Look Orange
Your eyes adapt to warm bulbs; your camera does not. What colour temperature means, why mixed lighting is the real villain, and how studios avoid it.
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Catchlights: The Tiny Detail That Makes Eyes Look Alive
A catchlight is the reflection of the light source in your eye. It is small, most people never notice it consciously, and its absence is why some portraits feel lifeless.
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The Four Portrait Lighting Patterns, Spotted in a Studio Room
Rembrandt, loop, butterfly and split lighting explained by the shadow each one makes - and how to produce all four by turning your head in a fixed studio room.
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Why Studio Light Flatters Skin and Your Ceiling Light Doesn't
Same face, same camera, completely different result. The difference between studio lighting and a ceiling bulb comes down to size, direction and colour - explained without jargon.
Posing & expression
3 articles
Deeper than our posing guide: hands, expression, seated poses and the angles that actually change a jawline.
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Angles for a Softer Jawline That Aren't "Chin Down"
Chin down is the advice everyone gives and it often backfires. Four angle adjustments that define the jaw without shadowing the eyes or shortening the face.
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Expression Range: Six Different Faces in Twenty Minutes
Most people shoot one expression sixty times. Six specific, repeatable expressions to cycle through in a self photo studio, and how to trigger each one on demand.
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What to Do With Your Hands: 11 Fixes That Look Natural
Hands are the hardest part of posing. Eleven specific placements that look natural on camera, plus the three habits that make hands look awkward.
Editing, formats & sharing
2 articles
The half nobody plans for - cropping, editing, printing and getting one session onto three platforms without losing quality.
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Aspect Ratios Explained: 4:5, 1:1 and 9:16 From the Same Frame
What aspect ratios mean, which platform wants which, and how to get all of them out of one studio frame without recomposing or losing quality.
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One Session, Three Platforms: Cropping for Instagram, LinkedIn and Print
The same frame has to become a square, a portrait and a print. How to shoot with crop room in mind, and how to cut one session into three very different outputs.
Booking & logistics
2 articles
Practical Singapore logistics: what to bring, what to ask, and when a studio will actually have a room free. Prices are in the price guide.
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The 12-Item Bag Checklist for a Studio Session
What to actually pack for a self photoshoot in Singapore, from lint rollers to a backup outfit - and the four things studios almost never provide.
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How Many Photos You Can Actually Take in a 20-Minute Slot
Studios advertise unlimited shots, but your slot is finite. A realistic breakdown of where 20 minutes actually goes, and how many usable frames to expect.
Occasions
1 article
Festive and seasonal sessions, written to be read before the date rather than after it - booking windows included.
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Halloween Ideas That Work in a Small Studio Room
Most Halloween photo ideas assume a big set. Costume, lighting and prop ideas that actually work in a two-by-three-metre self photo studio in Singapore.
Planning a session rather than reading about technique? Start with what a self photo studio is, compare the studios in Singapore, or browse studios by area.