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Guides & Journal
How to be your
own photographer
Practical guides for photos of yourself, your outfits, your trips and your friends, with or without our app. Plus the SHOOTS Journal: style notes, poses and letters from Gül Eda.
Guides
Step by step
How to take good photos of yourself when no one's around
No tripod, no friend, no stranger you have to trust with your phone. Just a ledge, a timer and a plan.
Gül Eda Aydemir · 6 min read
How to take more than one photo on an iPhone timer (and space them out)
Apple’s timer counts down and shoots one moment. Here’s how to squeeze more out of it, and when to switch to an interval camera.
Gül Eda Aydemir · 7 min read
How to start a photoshoot without touching your phone
The worst part of a timer shot is the sprint from the phone to your spot. Here are all the ways to skip it, with Apple’s Camera and with SHOOTS.
Gül Eda Aydemir · 7 min read
How to use your Apple Watch as a camera remote
Apple’s free Camera Remote app is genuinely good. Here’s how to use it, where it stops, what a hands-free interval remote adds, and what to do when there’s no Watch (or the camera is an iPad).
Gül Eda Aydemir · 8 min read
How to use an iPad or second iPhone as your iPhone camera remote
Your iPhone is the camera. The iPad on the sofa, or the old iPhone in the drawer, can be the viewfinder and the shutter. Here’s how.
Gül Eda Aydemir · 6 min read
Solo travel photos: how to get great pictures of yourself on a trip
You came all this way. You deserve at least one photo that isn’t an arm’s-length selfie.
Gül Eda Aydemir · 6 min read
How to shoot outfit photos at home by yourself
Your hallway is a studio. All you need is a window, a plain wall and a phone that keeps clicking.
Gül Eda Aydemir · 6 min read
Interval shooting on iPhone: which interval for which shot
Too fast and every photo looks the same. Too slow and you miss the moment. Here’s the right rhythm for each kind of shot.
Gül Eda Aydemir · 6 min read
How to take a group photo with everyone in it
Someone always ends up holding the phone, and they’re never in the picture. Not this time.
Gül Eda Aydemir · 6 min read
Best self timer camera apps for iPhone (2026), compared honestly
Written by the developer of SHOOTS, so read it with that in mind. Every claim about another app links to where we checked it.
Gül Eda Aydemir · 7 min read
No tripod? Places and tricks to prop your phone for photos
Anything that holds still is a tripod, if you’re a little creative and a little stubborn.
Gül Eda Aydemir · 5 min readJournal
From the Journal
Be your own paparazzi: why the 2000s flash photo is back, and how to shoot it alone
Hard flash, a background gone black, a glint off your sunglasses. The red-carpet photo never needed a red carpet. It just needed someone to fire the flash, and that someone can be your iPhone.
SHOOTS Journal · 7 min read
Never run out of poses
Every photographer has a running script: chin down, turn, walk to me, laugh. Now your propped-up iPhone has one too.
SHOOTS Journal · 5 min read
Shoot it, DUMP it, swipe the rest: my 3-app camera roll routine
Twenty-five photos in, one carousel out, and a camera roll that doesn't make me sigh. The whole routine, from shutter to post.
Gül Eda, xoxo · 5 min read
Why I built SHOOTS
Because nobody should have to choose between being in the photo and taking it.
Gül Eda, xoxo · 6 min read
The 10-minute solo photoshoot: my exact settings
Two rounds, fifty photos, one wall to lean the phone on. The recipe I use when I need new photos, have no time and have nobody around.
Gül Eda, xoxo · 6 min read
12 poses that work on a self-timer
No photographer to say “chin down”. No problem. These are the poses that hold up when the only direction you get is a beep.
SHOOTS Journal · 5 min read
Why a voice saying “Iconic.” makes you take better photos
Solo shoots are quiet. Too quiet. Here’s what changes when your phone starts talking back.
SHOOTS Journal · 5 min readQuick answers
Ask it like you'd ask a friend
How do I take photos of myself without anyone?
Prop the phone at chest height, set a 10 second start delay, a 3 second interval and 25 photos, and change pose a little on every frame. Full guide ›
Can my Apple Watch work as a camera remote?
Yes: Apple's Camera Remote app works with the built-in Camera, and the SHOOTS Watch app runs hands-free interval shoots. Compare them ›
How do I get the iPhone timer to take more than one photo?
The built-in timer counts down and fires once (a photo, a Live Photo or a short burst, depending on your settings). For photos spaced out while you change pose, use an interval camera. Here's how ›
Which self timer app is best for iPhone?
It depends on whether you need intervals, an Apple Watch remote or video. Honest comparison ›