Just shot myself for the first time after spending 4 minutes putting a sheet up with pins and turning on a bedroom light, just wanted to see how it would come out.

While it's obviously shit and I'm so new I don't even know the correct term, it's better than most phone pics of me so I figure I should spend some time actually learning to take portraits.

What are some good tips/advice/things you've learned? What can a complete idiot like myself with low to no budget do to improve photos like this?

Lighting? Not standing like a retard? Profile general I guess