The very reason I bought an Olympus camera back in 2011 was so that I could shoot self-portraits and outfit posts using my phone as a remote. Being able to see yourself on screen while shooting is a huge advantage…
As is being able to focus your camera on you from you phone – goodbye using a chair as a stand-in and rushing to and from the tripod continuously. I thought I had it good with being able to select the timer, giving myself 6 seconds to hide my phone away out of site and then take a picture.
You can imagine how delighted I was to discover an even fancier version of remote shooting from lovely fellow blogger and Pen user Emily of Fashion Foie Gras. This involves being able to set up 10 shots in a row, with an interval between each shot to give you time to pose (work it, work it, lol!).
In all honestly, I feel much more comfortable taking pictures of myself – I still feel awkward when other people take my photo, I kinda want it over as soon as possible! I much prefer the lack of pressure shooting on my own – I can try things out, re-frame the shot and just keep going until I’ve got what I want! For the images above, I wanted to try and ‘shoot the person’ so I smiled and played up to camera for fun to see what the results would be like! Some of them feel a bit over the top to me but I think it’s fun to try and push your boundaries!
Do note that I’ve added in grain to these photos as part of my VSCO edit! The photos clean off the camera are super clear & sharp – just so you don’t think this is how the pictures come straight off the Pen!
The video below shows you how to use the self-timer and interval shooting on the Olympus Image Share app. Do let me know any questions!
Top Image Editing Tip!
Hugely useful to me lately – especially for shoots for other people – is PhotoBulk Image Editor, a brilliant image editor which saves you a tonne of time by allowing you to apply certain settings to batches of photos in one go. This is fantastic for e.g. for resizing a whole load of images in one go – rather than image by image – and renaming; the kind of thing you should be doing for proper save-you-time-in-the-longrun filing type! You can also do watermarks if you use those…
Photography by myself on Olympus Pen E-PL9 (and tripod!) with 12mm lens. Use BLOGGER10 discount code to buy both Pen and lens here.
The Olympus self-timer is ssssoooooo useful. I’m like you, I hate having my photo taken but I’m comfortable doing it on my own and I like the shots I am currently taking on the Tripod & self-timer!
Ah that’s great to hear – yes, I must say my hit rate of shots I like is higher when shooting on my own lol! xx
You have now become my Pen guru. So pleased I’ve discovered you! I’ve had my EPL-8 for around 7-8 months and been very lazy with the settings. After being stuck on auto, a decision is now made to make a change.
I dropped my beloved camera last week and damaged the lens casing for my 17mm kit lens, which was pretty devastating! After having lusted after the 45mm for an absolute age, my husband bought it for me to help me get over the loss of my 17mm. I’m loving my new lens but since a fair chunk of my photography is product shots, it’s causing a very slight difficulty. I will,
of course replace my 17mm in time but I’m seeing if I can manage without it this side of Christmas! What are your thoughts on product shots with the 45mm? Any help gratefully received.
Samantha | https://thebeautyspyglaas.com
Hi lovely! I love the 45mm for product shoes as you get that lovely blur when you open the f-stop to 1.8 🙂 yes, you need to be further away from the subject because of the focal length but the image quality and details is exquisite! Of course, the 17mm is a much more flexible lens – I have a 20% discount code I help you out with if of interest? If so, email me or DM me on Instagram! x
Hi
Thanks for a good guide. Did you say that it’s not possible to shoot interval pics with the e-pl9?🙈
Hello! You definitely can 🙂 I do all the time! Sorry if I wrote something confusing, will amend!