Things to consider when taking a portrait/self potrait:

--Location- your background does, in fact affect your picture. Choose wisely

--Lighting- make sure your picture is lit well enough so the contrast and balance is how you like it

--Emotion- plan out how what pose you're going to do in the picture and explore what emotion it conveys to the observer.

--Best angle to use- play with different angles of your body and the camera positioning to see how it affects your photo.