How to Take a Perfect Selfie
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If we asked you to open your camera roll on your phone right now, how many selfies are in there? Out of those that you find, how many are you willing to post on social media or share with friends? For most of us, we can have somewhere between 10 to a million photos saved on our phone before we find the right one.
It's not that uncommon to snap a lot of photos of yourself wearing the same thing, in the same place. This is because perfecting a selfie is not easy. The photos that we see on Instagram that are garnering thousands to millions of likes are handpicked from several other photos that the owner has deemed not social media worthy. They might even go through several photo retouchingattempts.
So how do you take a perfect selfie? There is no one answer, but there are several factors that you need to take into consideration.
We have gathered the advice of photography experts as well as popular social media personalities and listed down some factors such as lighting, smiles, and angles that can help you come up with the perfect selfie without resorting to professional photo editing.
Tips on Getting that Perfect Selfie
Try these tips before using a retouching app for a naturally beautiful photo!
Experiment with Angles
Kim Kardashian has millions of followers on Instagram. A single photo from her can garner a thousand to hundreds of thousands of likes in mere minutes. When it comes to selfies, she has one tried-and-tested formula: to keep the camera above you and keep your chin down. Let’s face it: you have, at some point, accidentally taken a picture of yourself with a camera angle from under your chin, and you have to admit that it isn't the most flattering photo of you. This is why when you're taking a selfie, it is best to hold the phone in a way so that the base of your phone is at eye level. If you have a selfie stick, even better. Holding your phone up high can make you look like a supermodel in your photos.
Take Care of Lighting
This sounds like a given, but there are still a lot of amateur selfie-takers who do not put enough stock on proper lighting. You need good lighting, particularly, natural lighting. Vloggers share that natural lighting is the ultimate and best camera accessory or beauty product that you don’t need to pay for.
You can see a vast difference in quality between a photo that's taken in front of a television or computer screen and one that is taken with your face towards a window that is letting natural light come in. Even better? Go outdoors when the sun is out. This kind of good lighting can get rid of unwanted shadows and even under-eye circles, making you look flawless in your photos.
Give a Real Smile
The number one thing that you can do to improve any kind of photo is to flash a real smile. It might sound funny, but there are people who are struggling with creating a natural smiling appearance. Make sure that you are not contorting your face into a fake grin that is either forced or too big. There is nothing better than a real, natural smile.
If you are aiming for a more serious pose, try the advice of some influencers on social media, which is to smile with your eyes. How do you do this? Just practice in front of a mirror, posing until your face is giving off a pleasant and friendly smile without having to move your lips.
Get Rid of Shadows
Unless you are going for a conceptual photo, there is nothing worse than having a big shadow covering your face. Professional photographers advise facing directly away from the sun or into the sun. If you're taking a photo in the middle of the day, shadows can seem like under-eye circles or bags. The perfect time to take a photo is either during sunset or sunrise because natural lighting during this time is low and aesthetically appealing. While you can retouch the photos later on, it’s easier to have a naturally well-lit image to begin with.
Backgrounds Matter
The focus of the selfie is your face, however, it is also important to make sure that you have a good background. You can go for a simple selfie background such as your garden, or go wild and take a selfie while diving off a plane. Finally, make sure there are no photobombers in the frame!
Taking Selfies at Night or in Dark Places
Now let's talk about using flash. What happens if you want to take a selfie but it's dark? You can be at home on your couch while watching TV, or you might be in the club with your friends, and there is not enough natural lighting to make your photos pop. How do you get a good photo in dim light?
One thing that can be a lifesaver is to use the Snapchat app. Take a photo with the app’s front-facing camera because it has a flash feature. This is particularly helpful if you have an iPhone (because its front-facing camera does not have flash). The Snapchat front-facing camera and the flash feature will not look perfect but it is a good enough alternative when you need to take a selfie in little to no lighting.
More Photos, More Chances of Winning
Kylie Jenner is another beloved and popular celebrity who is known for her perfect selfies. One of her top tips for selfie-taking is to just take a lot of photos. Even a famous star like herself admits that she takes hundreds of photos before finding the perfect one to post on her Instagram. The same applies to all of us.
Keep these in mind the next time you’re taking selfies, and you’ll soon land an Instagram-worthy shot!
If all else fails, use a post production app like MIKU
If you can’t get that perfect selfie try an app like MIKU. MIKU allows you to send your photo to a team of professional photo editors, they can edit your photo on demand and send it back usually within 20 minutes. They can make all kinds of changes, like merging the best of two photos together, fixing lighting, removing blemishes, changing the background, almost anything you can imagine.
