The invention discloses a self-portrait control method for a mobile terminal. The method comprises the following steps: (1) judging whether or not the mobile terminal is in a self-portrait mode; (2) if the mobile terminal is in the self-portrait mode, starting a light-sensing module; (3) sensing the change of light rays in real time by the light-sensing module; and (4) if the light rays change, transmitting a signal by the light-sensing module, and controlling a front-facing camera to capture images. The invention also discloses a self-portrait control system for the mobile terminal. Through adoption of the self-portrait control method and self-portrait control system, the problem of shake of the mobile terminal caused by clicking of screen virtual keys or physical keys during shooting can be solved effectively; the problem of inconvenience in shooting due to overlarge size of a mobile terminal screen can be solved; and self-portrait is convenient and rapid, and images are clear.