It’s time to talk about how to take good selfies. Selfies are now in vogue and are a great and fun way to show the world your self-confidence, personality, and sense of style. Everyone is engaged in a selfie – from presidents to famous winners of the Oscar. In this article, I have presented a complete guide on how to take selfies in three easy steps that will admire everyone on your social network.
Table of Contents
How to take good selfies in 3 easy steps?
- Step 2 – Choose the Best Pose for Your Selfies
- Step 3 – Upload Your Image and Play with It a Little
- Pro Tips for Good Selfies
How to Take Good Selfies in 3 Easy Steps?
It is a mistake if you think you need to point the camera at your face and click without planning everything first because eye-catching selfies are real art that your friends will be happy to contemplate on their social networks.
By following these three easy steps below, you will get the best selfies like your movie stars.
Step 1 – Setting Up the Background and Plot
The background is the most crucial part of any photograph. Before deep dive into the selfie world, you have to choose the best background and plot for your selfies.
Follow these instructions to select the perfect selfie background:
A – Pay Attention to Good Lighting
The presence of a powerful light source is the main guarantee of successful photography in general, and a photo-self-portrait (selfie) is no exception. If you are trying to take selfies in dim light or a room lit by fluorescent lights, you will not achieve the desired result.
Natural sunlight will be best for your photographs, so try to photograph near a window or outdoors. For more information, you may read my post – “Lighting in Filmmaking and Photography.”
Keep these tips in mind when taking selfies:
- For the best shot, stand in front of the sun or other light source. The light will brighten and soften your facial features without leaving harsh shadows on your face. If the light sources are behind your back, ugly shadows will be visible in the photo, and your features may be distorted.
- Consider using a thin curtain to diffuse artificial light or sunlight. It will soften the light and enhance the photo, giving the impression of a smooth, unobtrusive background against which your face will look more attractive.
- Natural light reproduces colors much better than artificial light, but you can use artificial light to fill the shadows. If you can’t arrange the proper lighting, most modern digital cameras have built-in auto-correction to help improve selfies.
- Don’t use your flash if you can do without it. It will create glare on your forehead, distort your features and possibly give you a red-eye effect.
B – If Possible, Use Your Phone’s Back Camera
Many smartphones are equipped with two cameras: one located on the back (primary), the other in the front of the device. Instead of using the front camera, take pictures with the main one. It takes pictures of much higher resolution than the front one, which will most likely present you with only blurry selfies.
You will have to turn your phone so that you will not see the future snapshot. But this inconvenience is worth using the rear camera.
C – Only Use a Mirror If It’s The Only Way to Get the Photo You Want
The image will get a reflection, the phone will be visible in the photo, and you will most likely take a picture of yourself with a strange look. In addition, your image may turn out to be distorted since the mirror does not always reflect an accurate image.
It’s much better to stretch out your hand, grab the phone with your wrist, and take a picture. It may take you a little practice to get used to holding your entire face, but after a while, you definitely won’t cut off the top of your head.
An exception would be when you want to take a full-length selfie. Taking a photo like this, capturing an area larger than head to chest, is very difficult without the use of a mirror.
Practice using both of your hands to take a selfie and see which angle gives you the best shot.
D – Consider The Background of Your Selfie
The best are photographs that capture not only the face but also something interesting in the background. Wherever you decide to be photographed, indoors or outdoors, the first thing to do is look around and explore the surrounding area. Choose a position where future viewers can see what you want to show them.
Nature will always be the perfect backdrop. In the spring or summer, you can pose next to a small planting of trees or near flowering bushes and flowers, which perfectly cope with the function of a quickly matched background. In the fall, you can capture the falling leaves, and in the winter, the greatness of the snow and ice.
If nature is not to your liking, you can stay at home and take pictures right in your room. Remember to clean the things and room before taking a selfie. You can show something interesting in your home as long as it doesn’t distract attention from your face. For example, if you love reading, bookshelves are a great backdrop. But a massive poster on the wall with many faces would not be an excellent background.
E – Beware of People Killing Good Shots
Common culprits like little siblings, crying children, and dogs taking a bath behind you can seriously ruin your photo. Before taking a picture, take a good look around to see if anyone is hiding in the shadows, waiting for the moment to waste your selfie.
If your photo fails for one of the above reasons, you can always take another photo by waiting until the “destroyer” of images is removed.
Sometimes unexpected guests fit into the photo quite well. Don’t delete a photo just because it shows your sister’s face. The joyful silly face of a child, combined with your serious expression, can add originality to the image.
Step 2 – Choose the Best Pose for Your Selfies
Now it’s time to choose the best poses for your selfie. If you want people to see and appreciate your selfies follow these posing guidelines:
A – Choose A Favorable Angle
Instead of taking selfies headlong, experiment with different angles to showcase your best facial features. If you turn your head a couple of degrees to the left or right, your body parts will look less flat. At the same time, holding the camera above your head and aiming it at yourself will make your eyes look slightly bigger than they are, plus you can avoid the “potato nose.”
Here are a few more ideas to help you find a good angle:
- Think about your “best side” and try to take pictures from that side of your face. It will not be hard for you to choose it – this is the side that looks more pretty, balanced, and symmetrical.
- Holding the camera slightly above your head and taking a photo of your face and chest will accentuate your bust. And while this pose is not entirely natural, you will know what your camera focuses on in such a selfie.
B – Showcase Something New
Suppose you were thinking about taking a selfie to show your new hairstyle or a pair of new earrings. In this case, you have to use a tripod so that the object you decided on in the photo is visible and pronounced in the image.
From the best angle, you can get a selfie highlighting your new hairstyle. At the same time, if an ideal mustache served as the impetus for creating a new photo, then the camera should be right in front of the face, likewise, if you want to showcase new glasses.
You can also take good selfies while holding a stylish new accessory you’ve recently purchased or even food you’re about to eat shortly.
C – Focus On a Specific Facial Feature
If you plan to photograph your face up close, consider highlighting one facial feature while slightly downplaying the others. This works great if you have a trait that you are delighted with close up.
For example, if you like your eyes, highlight them with mascara and add some bright shadows while leaving the complexion and lips as natural as possible. In this case, the lips should be left unpainted, or you can use a pale gloss or lipstick.
At the same time, if you adore your charming smile, then you should not paint your eyes brightly and powder your cheeks. Accentuate the lips, which are supposed to show off a stunning bright lipstick.
D – Make An Interesting Facial Expression
You can’t go wrong if you smile. It is possible that smiling at the camera of a mobile, or just a camera, you will feel a little silly, but, for that matter, taking pictures of yourself with your phone is already a rather silly and uncomplicated activity. If you are now very serious and you have no time for smiles, then an easy and calm expression on your face will also look great.
It’s no secret that you can smile in different ways; therefore, you have the opportunity to choose which smile suits your face best. A shy smile with a closed mouth can be as relevant as a broad cheerful grin. A smile will always be the most common and mesmerizing facial expression you can display, no matter what.
It is not always easy to make your facial expressions appear natural and genuine. But there is at least one way to make it more real – click yourself at the moment when you are overwhelmed by any emotion. Try taking a selfie while watching a movie that makes you laugh genuinely or right after reading unexpected and shocking news.
E – Take A Full-Length Photo
Whether you want to show a newly acquired outfit or a stunning figure after a grueling diet, you’ll need to stand in front of a large mirror to capture your body from head to toe. Please note that the face will not be a priority in this case, and you will not focus on it.
Take full-length shots in a tidy room with no clutter. Your figure should stand out in the photo, not the background.
Your body will look a little slimmer visually if you tilt your hip slightly towards the side where you are holding the camera. The shoulder farthest from the lens needs to move forward a little, and the freehand can hang down, or you can find it a good place for the picture on the waist or hips. The chest should naturally be slightly in front, and the legs should be crossed at the ankle.
F – Give Your Look a Natural Look
You can take a standard selfie, where you look exactly how the outside world is used to seeing you every day. Still, your picture with hair sticking out after sleep or minimal makeup can create the illusion that you are giving your followers on social networks a chance to catch a glimpse of your “real” yourself. It can turn out to be equally intriguing and sexy.
However, if you first got out of bed, if the sight of you first got out of bed feels more like a nightmare than a beautiful dream, you can put yourself in order. Even a little makeup will give the confident impression that you are showing your “real face,” mainly if your surroundings are used to seeing a lot more makeup on you.
G – Remember What Poses Are in The Distant Past
Certain selfie poses were once wildly popular, but now it’s safe to say that their best times are long gone. You can add such photos to the album along with the rest of the images for a change, but do it with caution, letting your friends know that you are joking. After all, such selfies are treated as negatively as the famous duck face, muscle tension, pretending to be asleep, or photographs in which girls acted to be taken by surprise.
Duck Face is a clumsy combination of elongated lips and huge eyes, made famous by the American actress Snooki and her friends. If you are confident enough, do it at your own risk!
You are taking a picture of yourself while pretending that someone is taking the camera away. From your pose and posture, it will not be difficult to guess what kind of selfie it is, and then mountains of criticism from your friends are guaranteed to you. But, if you create such a photo with a slight smile on your face or a little wink, your friends will immediately understand that this is a sarcastic, deliberate production.
Step 3 – Upload Your Image and Play with It a Little
For a good selfie, the main requirement is your presence in the frame; however, no one claims that you should be alone in the photo! Call your friends, the same sister, and even your dog to take a picture together. The image will not be predictable but visually funny and exciting for other people who will view and like it. This is a great way to take a picture of yourself in public if you feel shy about snapping only yourself.
The more people in the photo, the more pages it will be published. If you have many friends, imagine how many times they will share a photo and how many people will see and appreciate it.
A – Experiment With Filters
Most people who take selfies are fortunate enough to have apps that can add an exciting flair to an image using color and light filters. Not every filter will work well for every selfie, so it’s best to try a few options and then stick with one.
The most common filters, such as black and white and sepia, are available on any phone and do not require the installation of particular applications.
Other popular filters will make your selfies look vintage, romantic, darker, or lighter. Feel free to try each option and see which one works best for your particular shot.
B – Edit The Photo
If you have the right software, such as Face Tune, you can fix imperfections on your faces, such as pimples and blemishes, before posting the photo on social media.
You can crop out unwanted parts of the background and resize the image to make a face look different, change the light and shadow in the frame, and much more. Many of these features can be right there on your phone without installing any apps, but you can look out for dozens of apps that can handle these tasks.
However, the changes should be small to make the photo look natural. If you can’t make the natural and almost invisible changes, remove any previously applied filters before posting an obvious fake.
C – Upload Photos to All Your Accounts
Share your selfie on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram, and all your friends will see it. In most cases, you can add a caption to describe what is happening in the frame, but you can also let the image tell itself where you were and what you were doing.
When uploading an image, acknowledge that this is your selfie. Pretending that you wanted to take a photo of something else, but suddenly your face is in the frame, you are not fooling anyone, so you need to show your cute face proudly.
Prepare because some people find selfies annoying and may write some not-so-flattering comments on your photo. But if all your albums are filled with such selfies, it is worth considering how to diversify them.
Leave comments under the other users’ images, only the ones you would like to see in your album. Remember, the more likes you put, the more you get!
D – Be Trendy
Selfies have gained a lot of popularity over the past few years, and it’s pretty fun to get involved with selfie trends. Photos turn into a kind of food that we feel the need for. Feel free to upload your photos.
Here are some trendy selfie tricks:
- Back to Thursday: Every Thursday, people start taking pictures of themselves in the early morning. Let’s see if you can find your childhood photo or at least some image from last week!
- The Place Where I Am: The idea belongs to people who wanted to share their location, presenting it as original and unusual as possible. Take a photo of your feet while in a country where you have never been, on the beach, in an ancient city, or somewhere else, to tell your friends about your trip.
- The “feminist selfies” that started on Twitter. The bottom line is that ladies are proud of the laid-out photos, even if they look far from charming. The dogma that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes fits here at just the right time.
- “Smile and Hair” is designed to showcase healthy and lush female hair. If you think this is your greatest asset, take a picture of your hair in all its glory.
E – Be Sure About the Right Moment
Some places are unsuitable for taking selfies, such as a funeral or a scene of an accident. And, although most of these situations are familiar enough, ask yourself the question of whether your photo session will not upset or offend anyone. If the answer is yes, reschedule your selfie.
Weddings, funerals, and other special occasions are out of the ordinary. If you are at an event for other people, put your smartphone away and not obstruct the young photographer.
Likewise, if you are memorializing the lost people, keep your phone in your pocket. Do not take selfies near monuments or memorials, mainly if tragic events have occurred nearby.
You may also like to read: Poses for Girls: 100 Beautiful Poses for A Photoshoot of Girls
Pro Tips for Good Selfies
- Be natural as possible, so you don’t feel like you’re trying your best to look good. On the other hand, these are all selfies!
- The body will look slimmer if you shoot from above or below. But, being proud of your appearance, you should not forget that it does not yet determine your positive human qualities.
- Men may be advised to leave their shirts slightly open rather than fully buttoned. It will give the appearance of slight negligence.
- The groove between the breasts will look more impressive if you lie down on the couch or the floor and support yourself with your elbows.
- Muscles of impressive size will appear in all their glory if you slightly raise your arm.
- If you are looking to take a selfie with your feet after the subsequent purchase of a fashionable pair of shoes, you should choose an angle in which your legs seem slender and from which you can see the new stylish shoes.
- Point the camera straight down. The edge of the future photo should be somewhere in the hips. This angle will make your legs as long as possible.
It was all about how to take good selfies to stay out from the crowd. Now, show your selfie in the comments and share this article with your friends.
