During my recent adventures in taking my own b-pics I discovered a few things about doing DIY b-pics. Here they are, hope you enjoy!
Preparation for pictures
Camera: Digital cameras are pretty much the normal these days, which is great because you can take as many pictures as you want and upload them straight to the computer. Your camera should have either a built in/pop-up flash or external flash. Something that is a must have for your camera is a self timer or a wireless remote. Most self timers can be set for up to 10 seconds. A wireless remote works by triggering the shutter of your camera from a small wireless remote that you hold in your hand. My preference is the wireless remote because you can take several pics and not have to run back to the camera each time to set the self timer.
White bed sheets: I used my dark bed sheet set for my first set of shots and am far more impressed with the quality, lighting, and punch of my second set of shots that were done on a white set of bed sheets. White sheets also create great contrast against your skin tone and your can use them by hanging them from the wall and running them across the floor or you can hang them off your headboard and across the bed, or just cover your normal bed set with them.
Undies & Shoes: Bring out the cute ones! What ever you are comfortable wearing go for it. Think sexy! Try out several outfits, I used 3 and ended up with a huge array of shots to choose from. Don’t forget nylons, garters and a sexy pair or heels or boots.
Makeup & Hair: I didn’t think that doing my hair and makeup any different then my day look would matter much but I was wrong. For hair you can go and have it styled at a salon or do it yourself. I simply straightened mine and it looked great. As far as makeup remember that the camera can find every imperfection, red spot, and dark circle that you have. So I would strongly recommend doing your makeup slightly heavier then normal. A great website for makeup tips and tricks was suggested by Kristin: http://www.projectwedding.com/post/list/diy-makeup-video-for-b-pics-or-going-out
Here are two pics from mine, the first was with my day to day make up with air dried hair, second with heavier makeup and straightened hair. I removed my pics as they show up online when you google my name:( But if you wish to see examples send me a PM.
Necklaces and props: Many ladies have added beaded & pearl necklaces to their shots and they look fantastic. Without looks great too. Don’t forget to try and incorporate some of your fiances items to make it more personalized. Bring in their dress shirts & ties, work clothes, baseball caps. Whatever they love use it! I used my FI’s work overalls for one pic and it turned out pretty cute. If they do construction why not put on their work belt with some tools??? Let your imagination run wild with ideas.
Taking of pictures
Give yourself at least 2 hours for a successful DIY photo shoot because it takes a little bit to figure out lighting, focus, and posing.
Background: Keep the sheets bunchy, don’t try to iron them perfectly or you’ll be fighting a never ending battle.
Setting up the camera: If you have a tripod use it, if not try resting the camera on a stack of books, on a shelf, handheld gets good pics too. For an overhead shot I discovered that if your camera has a strap hang it from your ceiling fan.....trust me it works, just make sure it's secure:)
Lighting: There are two types of lighting, natural and artificial light. Natural light is the best light to use for photographing, so open all your windows and let in the sunshine! If you don’t have enough natural light then use your ceiling light and lamps for additional light. I strongly recommend using lights in the room before using the built in flash on your camera. A built in flash has a habit of creating the “deer in headlights” look. If you have a pop up flash you can still use but decrease the strength of the flash so it isn’t so harsh. If you have the ability to bounce the flash of the ceiling do so as it creates a much more natural look.
Focusing the shot: Most cameras have a focus lock which is when you push the shutter button down half way the camera locks its focus for the shot. For your shot I recommend placing an object like a teddy bear in the shot, in the location where you will be in the picture. Then set your self timer, focus on your bear.....then jump in the pic and throw the bear out:) One of my pics in my bio you can see I didn’t throw the bear out of the frame....lol If you don’t place a prop in the shot for the focus you will most likely end up with unclear blurry pics:(
Posing: It takes awhile to figure out which angles work for you, so try as many as you can. Check out websites online such as PW and you’ll find lots of examples of different types of poses for b-pics.
Editing: Check out online for free editing software if you don’t have any. This software can often fix skin flaws, convert to B&W, crop, and creating lighting you might not have captured in your pics:)
My final piece of advice is to have fun. Your by yourself when you do these so you can do what ever you want and only you will know!
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