Guides · Photos of yourself
How to ask a stranger to take your photo (and get one you'll keep)
Most people are happy to take your photo. The problem is what comes back: tilted, cut off at the knees, eyes closed, the monument missing. That part is mostly fixable before you hand the phone over.
The short answer: ask someone who is also taking photos, ideally with a good phone or camera. Frame the shot yourself first, lock focus, then hand over a phone that only needs one tap, and ask for "a few, vertical and horizontal". Offer to take theirs first.
Who to ask
- Other people taking photos. They already care about framing, and they will want the favour back.
- Couples and families over people on their own: they are used to being asked and to asking.
- People standing still, not people walking past with somewhere to be.
- Not anyone who approaches you offering to take your photo in a busy tourist spot. Phone theft by "helpful" strangers is common enough to be a rule.
Set the phone up before you ask
This is the step almost nobody does, and it is the whole difference.
- Frame it yourself. Stand where they will stand and decide what should be in the picture: you, and how much of the place.
- Lock focus and exposure where you will be standing (on iPhone, press and hold on the screen).
- Set the lens to 1× and turn on burst or Live Photo, so one tap gives you several frames.
- Choose the orientation. Vertical for social, horizontal if the place is wide.
What to say
Short, specific, and with a way out:
"Sorry, would you mind taking a photo of me? It's all set, you just press here. A few, if that's OK — I'll stand by the railing."
Point to where they should stand and what should be in the shot: "the whole tower, please" beats hoping they guess. Then offer to do the same for them.
While they are shooting
- Move a little between frames: a step, a look away, a laugh. It gives them more chances to get a natural one.
- Check before you thank them and leave. If it is not right, "could you take one more, a bit lower?" is a normal thing to ask.
- Ask them to crouch slightly if they are taller than you. Photos from above make everyone smaller.
When there is nobody to ask
Early mornings, quiet streets, a hike, a table for one, or simply a day when you do not want to ask anybody. You can prop your phone and use the timer (see how to take pictures of yourself alone), or use BackPix: frame the place, tap, and about a minute later you have photos of you there, made with AI from a selfie you saved once.
No one around? Frame the place.
Tap once and get photos of you right there, in the same light. Your first shots are free.
See how BackPix works Get the iPhone app BackPix photos are made with AI from a selfie you save and the place you frame.