It seems that all you need for a selfie these days is a mirror and an iphone, as well as the obligatory duck face pout, so so attractive... And we don't do selfies do we?
But with a little effort, and the correct gear, we can create images which will excell those home mirror poses. Of course we need a camera, thats a given, but there are a few other pieces of equipment that could help with self portraits.
The Right Tools For The Job
Tripod
Now, you can go for a cheap tripod, but you get what you pay for, cheap tripods are notoriously flimsy, shakey and unstable, and defeat the object of owning a tripod in the first place. A good tripod should never move, should be solid even during very long exposures of 30 seconds etc. But most self portraits are not taken at such slow speeds.
You can even mount smartphones on tripods nowadays, with smartphone grips being available for smartphones of all sizes.
Forget selfie sticks, the true self portrait enthusiast uses tripods, not their arms and a stick.
A traditional tripod is the way to go, although a good alternative is the Joby GorillaPod, specially those designed for medium to large SLR camera's, as they can be used to hold off camera flashguns from almost anything, the trick is to hang it upside down, and angle the head towards your subject!
Camera Bag
A good camera bag will last for years, and not only are they great for keeping camera equipment safe, they are also great for carying other things too, like a bottle of water, keys, hair brush, makeup.
It is always a good idea to invest in a bag which can carry a tripod as well, though you can get tripod bags also, but most decent bags will be able to carry your tripod around with you.
Camera's do get heavy after a days work, so a bag is a good investment, plus it keeps your gear safe and dry from the elements.
Camera
The camera plays an important part in images, of course it does, but the best camera for the job is the one you have on you.
In essence, any camera will do!
Yes a camera is important, but as for make and model, camera type, is all down to personal preference and budget.
Fortunately nowadays most camera's have Manual modes on them, as well as a host of creative modes, but the manual mode is the one that always works out best, why chance your lovely images being ruined by a camera's inaccurate exposure settings?
Depending on the light and situation, camera metering can be hit and miss, shooting into the light is unfavourable simply because the camera will always underexpose, leaving images dark and useless.
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