How to Take a Great Selfie: 5 Selfie Tips for Mastering the Art

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We all take selfies. We take solo selfies after workouts (swelfies) and couple selfies while kissing. We take selfies with dogs and selfies while driving (more on selfie safety in a bit). And we take big group selfies with friends (my favorite).

You probably shot a selfie recently. Maybe earlier today.

Before you strike another Blue Steel pose, take a minute to up your game and perfect your selfie skills. Here are 5 selfie tips for better digital self-portraits.

1. Face a light

Lighting is 80% of the selfie game. Find the light. You need the light. You’re looking for diffused natural light.

It’s not around? Face the best light source. Get out of the bathroom and face a window. But beware of strong side lighting. Those shadows completely change your look.

Here’s a breakdown of lighting problems from?Photofeeler.

• Uneven, dark shadows = warped, creepy features
• Fluorescent overhead lights = sickly skin tone
• Bright camera flash = ghostly, tired face
• Direct sun = harsh shadows, squinty expression

Here’s a great example of?how not to take a selfie?in direct sun from Amanda, self-proclaimed worst selfie taker, at the Alamo.

Maybe she was inspired to take this selfie by her surroundings? Look at that historical background. Go with the lighting you’ve got.

What about taking a selfie at night? Or in a dark bar? My friend Lyndsey has a phone with a front-facing flash. I don’t. But I do have an Android phone with Night Sight feature. It helps a lot.

Tool Tip: For $20, you can get a clip on?selfie ring light?that solves this problem.

2. Reach far with a straight arm

There’s a distortion issue with closeup photos. When the camera is up close, things in the middle of the picture look bigger. That’s your nose.

Here the?Koldunov Brothers?illustrate the point perfectly. The closer the camera, the larger the center of the photo appears.

This is one of the reasons selfies don’t make good?profile pictures.

This also explains an increase in demand for nose jobs. According to?a 2017 poll, 55 percent of facial plastic surgeons reported seeing patients who wanted surgery to help them look better in selfies, up from 13 percent the year before.

So hold that arm out straight. If the pic is a selfie headshot, you’re not reaching far enough. Your entire upper body should be in the shot.

3. Hold the camera high

Red-eye reduction is in the camera, but chin reduction is in the angle. Raising your arm will help feature your face, not your neck. Rise your arm. Get out a protractor and make sure it’s 26 degrees.

The angle dramatically affects the viewer’s perception of you…

• A low angle makes the viewer look up at you, putting you in the position of dominance.
• A high angle makes the viewer look down, making you look friendlier, cuter and thinner.

For the rest of the article, <click here>.