Profile Pics - How do you get good ones?

[ErosWired]

I admit it - the camera does not love me. I have a face made for radio, so that's a lost cause, but try as I might, I've found it almost impossible to get decent images of my body that escape my personal cringe threshold. I've stumbled into luck a couple of times when some random Top has snapped a shot of my ass that turned out to be functional, but not everyone is a photographer, and I don't make a habit of annoying Tops with narcissistic-sounding requests to photograph me. (Half the time, it doesn't even occur to me - I am, after all, focused on their pleasure at the time.)

Taking shots of myself always ends up being harder than I think it will be. There's just no way to make it look natural without some elaborate setup, some places are unreachable without mirrors, and it's hard to put the camera lens in the place of a Top's hungry eye when the camera is attached to your hand. Plus, some of the juicy positions require balance.

For those of you with good shots, or satisfied with the ones you have, how do you go about getting good photographs? Any tips or tricks? Do you have a special photographer friend who does it for you? Do you pay to have it done? Are they stills from your porn work? I refuse to post images of myself that aren't real, and aren't fresh, so I would appreciate any advice. (And no, I'm afraid I don't have any porn work from which to pull stills. *sigh*)

[funpozbottom]

I think I have a face made for a dark room, but Photography is one of my hobbies so here are a few things I consider when taking pics.

The first thing to do is to take stock of your equipment. No, not THAT equipment – I mean what camera you are going to use. Different cameras offer different features so if you haven't already, check out what yours can do. The cams on phones, tablets, and webcams are convenient since there is usually a front cam that lets you preview the image before you take the pic, but keep in mind that they almost always have wide-angle lenses that compress the image in weird ways. They are usually OK for body pics but it makes them bad for things with recognizable features, like faces. In order to get better face pics, you need to increase the distance between you and the camera. This helps to counteract the lens distortion. (Best case would be to use a camera with a short telephoto lens so you can place it a few feet away but still zoom in on a subject, but most people aren't nerds like me who care about that.)

If you don't have someone to take pics for you and want to take pics hands free, you need a tripod or some support to hold your camera steady. You can get a cheap tripod for a phone for under $20, or make something for less. Almost all cameras have a self-timer so even if it's a little out of reach, you can still set the camera and have like 10 seconds to get into position. Some cameras come with or have add-on remotes so you can take your time at framing your pic. Also, some cameras have an “action” setting that automatically takes several pics in a row so even if one is slightly off there's a good chance you'll get a decent pic before you reset.

After figuring out the camera, next think about lighting. Best is natural or bright indirect lighting that softens an image and doesn't cast sharp shadows. (Unless you want to highlight your throbbing veiny cock then yeah – go for the sharp relief.) Avoid fluorescent bulbs – they totally fuck up color.

Pick your angle and frame your shot. Faces tend to look better in a slight profile, so you don't have to look directly at the camera. For body shots, shooting from the right angle can also accentuate various assets, or diminish flaws.

Next, take lots of pics. This is one of the differences between an amateur and a pro. An amateur will snap a pic hoping to get a good one. A pro will snap a hundred to improve the odds of getting a good one. You've gone to the trouble to set up your cam so take advantage of it and snap a lot of pics. That way you have several to chose from in case you move slightly or see something distracting in the background.

Finally, there is editing. Sometimes a OK pic can be made better by cropping the image or tweaking the color balance and contrast. Editing in this way is not faking an image, it's merely focusing your attention on what you want to highlight.

It's not easy to take good self pics, but it's just like anything else – the more you do it the easier it gets. Try different angles, different locations, and see what turns out. But if all that seems too complicated you can hire me – I work for cum loads. Yum.  🤤

Edited December 22, 2019 by funpozbottom

[tallslenderguy]

7 hours ago, ErosWired said:

I admit it - the camera does not love me. I have a face made for radio,

i too have camera issues. i often look drunk or half crazed. i look at myself in the mirror and query (cause i'm queer): "Eek, do i really look like that?"  

i doubt you have face issues, but if you do, your sweet ass makes up for it. 🙂

[ErosWired]

2 hours ago, funpozbottom said:

Finally, there is editing. Sometimes a OK pic can be made better by cropping the image or tweaking the color balance and contrast. Editing in this way is not faking an image, it's merely focusing your attention on what you want to highlight.

For anyone else following this topic, I would add a word about digital photo editing. I’ve worked with Photoshop on a professional basis for decades, and if I wanted to, I could make a pic of myself look like anything, and you would not be able to tell the difference. But I don’t, and I never will. 

Photography, at its best, reveals truths, and judicious edits made with purpose can reveal profound truths. But photos can also be made to tell pernicious lies that rip at the fabric of our relationships with one another.

So if you’re ever tempted to make a pic lie on your behalf, remember two things: 1: We’d probably rather know the real you; and 2: unless you’re a pro, that ‘shop job on your abs is going to look ridiculous.

[funpozbottom]

20 minutes ago, ErosWired said:

So if you’re ever tempted to make a pic lie on your behalf, remember two things: 1: We’d probably rather know the real you; and 2: unless you’re a pro, that ‘shop job on your abs is going to look ridiculous.

I totally agree. Most shopped pics look terrible. Minor adjustments can enhance an image, however if you go too far it just looks stupid. And it's not the best first impression to give to someone looking at a profile. It makes me wonder if someone is lying with their pic, what else are they lying about. You want your pics to look good, but if you fake it, anyone you meet is going to know the second they see you ... if it gets that far.