Do you want to take your selfie game to the next level? If so, I can help! I may not have a Ph.D in selfie-ology, but I have taken thousands of selfie pics and have learned what works and what doesn’t. And here’s the good news: You don’t need a $4000 professional camera to take awesome shots; a cell phone camera will do just fine!
TIP #1 .
Make sure the light source is in front of you.
Which photo looks better? The one of the right! That’s because the window with the sunlight beaming through is in front of my face rather than behind it. So whenever you get ready to take your selfie, take notice of where the light is coming from and make sure it’s in front of you. You’ll be amazed at how this little trick revolutionizes your photos. Not only will the picture be brighter, but unflattering shadows and blemishes will seem to disappear. Seriously, its almost like nature’s photoshop.
TIP #2
Be careful how you angle your shot. Usually shooting with the camera high and a slight angle down onto your face is the most flattering.
Take a look at these two pictures. The one on the right is shot with a down-up angle. You can see how it distorts the head to look all weirdly portioned, like one of those little bobble head toys. Contrast this with the photo on the left which is shot with a slight up-down angle and seems much more natural.
TIP #3
Avoid distracting backgrounds
Check out the pic on the left. I have a palm tree growing out of my head and miniature man standing on my shoulder. These background distractions can make the pic look amateurish. A quick tilt of the camera angle is all you need to get a much cleaner looking image.
TIP #4
Beware of weird shadows and inconsistent lighting
There is just nothing good about this photo lol. Intense light causing nose shine so bright it could melt the planet of Alderaan. And with half the photo being dark, it would be very difficult to correct this on editing software like photoshop. All of this could be avoided with a little attention paid to shadows and lighting when composing your shot.
TIP #5
Always review your pictures after you take them
There’s nothing worse than coming home after taking the most epic selfie in the world only to find that half your face is cut off in the shot. Take a few seconds to review your picture after take them. This will be time well spent… trust me!
Tip #6
Have fun!
Okay, I know I just gave you a bunch of rules to follow when you take selfies. But come on. It’s a SELFIE. The whole point of this is to have fun. You’re not trying to take TIME magazine’s photo of the century so take these “rules” with a grain of salt and ultimately just take the shot you want to take. If you’re not having fun, then what’s the point?