Mark Bailey

Some call it “sports entertainment”, others call it “professional wrestling.” Regardless of how do you want to call it, it has left an ineffaceable mark on popular culture. Thanks to the generation-transcending reach of professional wrestling, popular faces like John Cena, Roddy Piper (R.I.P.), Ric Flair, Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock became household names.

WWE, the company synonymous with professional wrestling, can teach several lessons about digital marketing, while still entertaining its millions of fans.

In all honesty, since I was a kid I have been a fan of professional wrestling. Along with my younger brother and my father I grew up watching it and since then I never quite shook the habit. As a matter of fact when I was in college, I started dating this guy and the only way I ever agreed to hang out at his place on Monday nights was because he agreed to get cable and I had the opportunity to watch my favorite characters on Monday Night RAW.

Selfies” or self-portrait photos are huge on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Sharing where you have been and what you are doing with your followers and friends has become instantaneous, easy and fun.

However, there’s no need for self-portraits to be shaky instant shots captured by your smartphone. Self-portraits have been taken seriously, since the earliest days of photography, as a way of practicing techniques, improving camera skills and expressing a photographer’s creativity.

In 1839, one of the first photos ever taken of a human in fact produced on a daguerreotype plate was the own face of early photographer Robert Cornelius.

Now, the majority of photography students are regularly given self-portrait coursework and tasks, because it is a great way for them to improve their skills. It might seem a bit scary to prepare and capture a shot of yourself, but our six easy-to-set-up and simple self-portraits are the perfect way to begin.

Apart from your tripod, a kit lens and a DSLR, you don’t need anything else. However, as you will need in advance to carefully compose your photos, the use of tripod is essential, because in front of the camera you will need the freedom to move about.

Wireless remote makes shooting and focusing a whole lot easier, when you wish to take a self-portrait from a distance. If you haven’t got one, don’t worry too much, because we have got the necessary information on how to take shots with an intervalometer and a self-timer instead.

Are you ready to attend the Selfie School? In this article, we are going to have a look at how to take an easy monochrome headshot, which by the way is perfect for a CV, some more untraditional self-portraits that include weird angles, props and other innovative ideas and some crazy ideas for Facebook profiles that are better than the rest.

Shoot your Reflection

In order for photographers to take self-portraits, shots taken in a mirror are a great way. Additionally, composition and focusing are easy, because you can see what you are trying to capture. In order for the camera logo to read the right way, in post-processing flip the last image horizontally.

Get Up and Go Outside

Pull yourself together and go outside to take a natural photo in full-length in a garden or park. It might be a bit frightening to take a picture of yourself in public, so you should invite a friend to come with you for support. However, remember not to allow them to touch the shutter button, because if they do it, you can say goodbye to your self-portrait. Lean towards the camera and try different poses and tilt your body sideways for a relaxed, natural portrait.

Faceless Portrait

There hasn’t been a rule that say a self-portrait must include your face. You should try and take a portrait of one part of your body. If you prefer to stand behind the lens instead of the front, this is a great technique. You can also take a shot of your foot in the environment or take a close-up of one eye.

Go Wide

Revive your Facebook profile with a wild-angle, cartoony and fun shot. For this, you should use a kit lens but the distortion will be much more pronounced if you can get your hands on a wide-angle lens. In order for the effect to work, the camera has to be relatively close to your face so you can take the shot handheld.

Traditional Headshot

It is really useful to have a formal, simple monochrome headshot photo. Additionally, it’s the perfect solution for a business website, LinkedIn profile and a CV. With your camera on a tripod in front of you, stand or sit in front of a plain wall. In order to illuminate one side of your face you can use a handheld Manfrotto LED light, but it would work just as well if you use natural light from a window.

Use Props

You can be as innovative and creative as you wish, because you are completely in charge and that’s the beauty of self-portraits. Think about different ways to express your personality- maybe you could incarnate a favorite hobby or film. Comedy glasses, hats and face paints are all great examples how to transform your look and bring a sense of humor to your selfie.

Since the development of the instant camera, the photography’s world has changed. You can take a not so great shot with a digital camera and using a wide range of software options, you can make it perfect. Moreover, for just a few cents per picture, you can print one on quality paper at a store kiosk or on your printer. Much like the flash drive storage medium, in order to save and file pictures for sharing on the web, technology has created memory cards. From the memory card, you can quickly and easily upload pictures to your website, blog, family or friends.

With your digital camera you can earn money using some of the 10 different ways listed below:

1. Stock Photography

It’s a growing business. In order to capture the essence of their articles, publishers look for photos for articles, magazines and website newsletters. It isn’t very convenient to step outside and take some pictures whenever you want to. Selling stock photographs to individuals and businesses is lucrative for you and convenient for them.

2. Wedding Photographer

Well, at first you won’t be the main photographer unless you are a professional however you can be hired to take wedding photos after the ceremony or candid shots at the reception. You can compile wedding CDs of the pictures you took, because the married couple can order as many pictures as they want.

3. Pictures for Newspaper

You might capture photos, if you are in the right place at the right time, that are worthy of the newspaper. The newspaper photographer mayt not be on the scene, when news happens. You can sell the captured moments to the newspapers. From local newspapers, you can also earn you some money by snapping shots at community events.

4. Magazine Photographer

Submit the photos you have taken to magazines by creating a portfolio of those photos. They might hire you for some assignments, after looking at your work. You are advised to focus your efforts on small assignments for local newspapers, because it’s tough to break into the magazines’ market.

5. Local Photography Business

Did you ever get mailing that shows houses for sale or cars for sale? Obviously, those photos had to be taken by someone and that someone could be you. If you wish to take photos for the area businesses, you should hire yourself out to them.

6. Event Photographer

There are families who want to document their events such as birthday parties, bar mitzvahs, christenings and family reunions. You can catch candid shots of everyone by being the eyes in the room.

7. Senior Portraits

By an outside company, all high school seniors usually have senior portraits taken. Visit your local high schools and offer your services to them at a good rate.

8. Photography Site

If you are an expert on photography and digital cameras, it’s not a bad idea to consider creating a site so that you can sell photography products. With engaging content on different topics of photography, keep customers and visitors coming back.

9. Photography Class Teaching

Digital cameras might seem easy to use but people could get mixed up by some of those symbols. Help others in creating great pictures by teaching them how to use their digital cameras.

10. Food Photographer

If you enjoy styling food and taking pictures, you can earn decent money by being a food photographer for website owners, grocery stores, etc.

If you are a fan of photography, feel free to give us your thoughts on how to make money using a digital camera.