How to Take Great Selfies (with Pictures)

2024 Author: Jason Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 10:50

Taking “selfie” photos is a fun way to show the world your confidence, personality and style. From the president to the winner of the "Oscar" Cup, almost everyone does. But don't just point the camera at your face and take photos without a strategy. Master the art of taking eye-catching selfies, so your friends will be amazed to see them on their screens.

Step

Pose

1. Catch a good angle. Don't take the photo right away, but try some angles to show the shape of your face. If your head turns a few degrees to the right or to the left, your face will look thinner. Hold the camera slightly higher than your head so that the camera is looking down at your face, as this will make your eyes look bigger and help you avoid the “pig nose” look. Here are some ideas for how to find a good angle:

   

   • Know your best side and take photos from that angle. It's the angle that shows the side of your face that looks the most balanced and symmetrical.
   • Angle the camera slightly above your head and take a photo of the face, then your cleavage will show. Since this position isn't quite natural and it's a bit odd, you already know what the camera will focus on when you take a selfie like this.

2. Show something new. If you decide to take a selfie to show off your new hairstyle or pair of earrings, make sure that you make the photo in a way that shows your fun novelty.

   

3. Be sure to smile or put on a cheerful expression. A sad or sullen face won't help create a good pose.

   

   • A selfie that's meant to show a new hairstyle, for example, should show your hair from the most attractive angles. Similarly, a selfie that is meant to show a mustache should immediately show a mustache, and a selfie that shows a new pair of glasses should be the same.
   • You can also take selfies holding a certain item you just bought, or even a food you want to eat.

4. Focus on one feature. If you're planning to show your face up close, consider that accentuating one point means blurring other parts. This method will be especially effective if you want to point out a point or a section that you really like.

   

   • For example, if you like your eyes, apply mascara and eye shadow while maintaining a natural skin and lip tone.
   • Similarly, if your smile is the most attractive part, keep your cheeks and eyes looking natural while wearing a pretty shade of lipstick.

5. Show an attractive expression. A smile is an expression that can't go wrong! Maybe smiling at the camera lens or phone screen makes you look a little stupid, but taking pictures of yourself every once in a while with your phone is downright ridiculous. If you're a serious person, a calm, cool expression can make for good photos too.

   

   • You can try different poses with different smiles, of course. A smile with a closed mouth can look appropriate and so can a photo with a wide smile, or a look of laughter. Either way, a smile is one of the most likable and desirable expressions you can make.
   • Making sure your expressions look natural and not made up can be quite difficult. One way to make it look more natural is to take a photo of yourself when you feel something in your emotions. Try taking a selfie while watching a movie that makes you laugh out loud, or right after you get some shocking news.

6. Take full body photos. If you want to show an extraordinary dress style or body shape after a diet, you have to stand in front of a high mirror to take a photo of your body from head to toe. In this pose, your face is no longer the focus of the photo.

   

   • Take full-body photos in an open and crowded place. The photo should focus entirely on your body, not on the objects around you.
   • You can look slimmer by tilting your hips slightly toward the hand holding the camera. The other shoulder should be leaning forward slightly, and your hand that's holding nothing should be relaxed or resting on your hip. Your chest should naturally lean forward, and your legs crossed at the ankles.

7. Try to show a natural face. Don't add too many filters at once. You can take photos of yourself for everyone to see, but taking photos of yourself as is or just a little make-up can give your social network followers an impression of who you really are. It can be an attractive and sexy photo.

   

   If your face looks really ugly when you wake up from sleep, you can groom yourself a bit first. Even simple make-up can give the impression that you are showing your “natural” face, especially if you tend to wear more makeup than you show in your selfies

8. Take a photo of your shoes. If you decide to take a selfie of your feet after putting on a new pair of shoes, angle the camera so that your legs look slender, pointing toward your shoes.

   

   Point the camera down. The end of the frame should show your thighs, slightly closer to your hips. This angle makes your legs look very long

9. Get to know the poses that are out of date. There are some selfie poses that have become so popular and are now out of date. You can still use the poses occasionally, but do so while clearly showing that you're "exaggerating" the pose, so people will know you're joking (not unaware that the pose is out of date). Frequently used options include the “duck face” expression, flexing muscles, pretending to be asleep, or pretending to be caught off guard by someone.

   

   • “Duck face” is a combination of pursed lips and wide eyes, originally made famous by Snookie and his friends. Do it and do it at your own risk!
   • Taking a selfie that looks as if someone else took the photo is difficult. Some things in your posture or actions will appear and invite criticism from people. If you take a picture with a slight smile and a wink, people will notice that it's a selfie that you purposely made yourself.

Adjusting Other Factors to Produce Better Photos

1. Pay attention to good lighting. Having a good light source is an important part of taking any photo, and this applies to selfies too. If you're trying to take a selfie in a dimly lit room or a room with blinding neon lights, the photo won't turn out the way you want it to. Natural lighting is the most ideal type, so try to take your selfie near a window or outdoors. Keep the following factors in mind when you take photos:

   

   • Keep the sun or other light source in front of you, slightly above your eye line, for the best photos. The light will illuminate and soften the look of your face, not erase the harsh shadows on your face. If the light falls to the side or behind you, your face will appear dark or distorted.
   • Consider using light curtains to diffuse the light. It will give the impression of a smoother and softer appearance on the facial lines to make your smile look more attractive.
   • Natural light will bring out colors more precisely than artificial light, but you can use artificial light to reduce shadows. If you don't have the best lighting, most newer digital cameras have an automatic color correction feature for that need.
   • If possible, do not use the flash from the camera. The glow will make your forehead look shiny, distort your appearance and possibly make your eyeballs turn red in the resulting selfie.

2. Use your phone's camera. Many cell phones have two cameras: one on the back, and one on the front. Instead of using the camera on the front to take selfies, use the one on the back. The camera on the back of the phone has a higher image resolution than the camera on the front, which tends to blur selfies. You have to turn your cell phone, and you won't be able to see your own face when taking photos, taking pictures with the rear camera will avoid problems.

   

3. Don't use a mirror unless there's no other way to take the photo you want. The photo will appear upside down, your camera will be visible, and the result will have a strange shimmering shadow. In addition, selfie photos can suffer from distortion because the mirror doesn't always reflect the image correctly. Extend your hand, use your wrist to point the camera lens at your face, and shoot the photo. This may take some practice to get you right, but eventually you'll know exactly where the camera is to get an accurate shot of your entire face without cutting off the top of your head.

   

   • The exception is if you want to take a full-body selfie, as it's certainly difficult to shoot more than your head and shoulders without using a mirror.
   • Practice using your right and left hands to take selfies. Observe which hand gives you the angle you want.

4. Pay attention to the background of your photo. The best selfies have more than just a face. There are some interesting things to see in the background as well. Whether you're taking selfies indoors or outdoors, look at the things around you first to see what's around. Position yourself so that you are in front of the background you want others to see.

   

   • Nature is always a great photo backdrop. In spring and summer, you can pose in a small forest area or near blooming flowers if you want an easy and quick backdrop. In autumn, take advantage of the color of the changing leaves as a backdrop, and in winter, take advantage of the splendor of ice and snow.
   • If nature is not your favorite setting, you can pose indoors and take selfies in your room. Tidy up your things first. You can also put something interesting in the background, as long as it's not distracting. For example, if you love to read, a bookshelf or stack of books would make a great backdrop. However, a movie poster with lots of different characters in it will distract from the look of your photo.

5. Watch out for photobombers that appear when you take photos. Usually these bullies include your siblings, crying children, and dogs pooping on the grass behind you. Before you shoot your “selfie”, look around you for a moment to make sure that there are no distractions or other shadows that can interrupt your moment.

   

   • Of course, if an intruder is still trying to sneak in your selfies, just take another photo after the intruder leaves. Just make sure to check the background thoroughly before uploading a new selfie.
   • Sometimes bullies just make your selfies look even better! Don't throw away a photo just because your little sister is in it. His looking up face paired with your serious face can make the photo even more interesting.
   • If you don't want to re-take your selfies, just get rid of the intruders using an image editing program, or just crop your photos using the crop feature on your phone.

6. Invite a few people to take pictures with you. The first requirement of a selfie is that you have to be in it, but there's no rule that says you have to pose alone in the photo! Invite some friends, siblings, your dog, and other people to be in the photo with you. The photo may seem overwhelming, but it will be visually appealing and fun for others to see and share.

   

   • Taking selfies with other people in public is a good option if you're nervous and too shy to take pictures alone.
   • The more people in the photo, the more interesting it will be to share! If you have a group of friends instead of just one or two people, the photo is more likely to be shared and liked by more people.

Uploading and Managing Selfie Photos

1. Try some filters. Most people who take selfies usually have a photo editing program built into their phone, which can add an interesting dimension to color and light filters. Not every light filter is good for every selfie, so try a few options before deciding on the best one.

   

   • The simplest filters are “black-and-white” and “sepia”. Even if you don't have a photo editing program on your phone, it's possible that these basic features are already on your phone.
   • Other popular filters, for example, are those that can make a photo look old-fashioned, spooky, romantic, or darker. Just try all these filters and see which one works best for your photos.

2. Edit your photo. If you have an editing program, you can also correct any flaws or mistakes in your selfies before uploading them to your social networking accounts. You can crop a certain part of the background, resize the photo, attach a different photo frame, change the lighting, and so on. Many of these editing methods can be done with your phone without using a specific program, but you can also take a look at some of the photo editing programs available to do this.

   

   After all that, you should not edit your photos too often. If you can't edit your photo to keep it looking natural, be careful not to make a mistake. It's better to delete the entire edit than to show an unnatural looking photo

3. Upload photos to all your social networks. Share your selfies on “Facebook”, “Twitter”, “Snapchat” and “Instagram”, so all your friends can see it. Usually, you can add a title to explain the description of the photo, but you can also decide to let the photo speak for itself.

   

   • When you upload a “selfie” photo, it is yours! For example, you take a photo of something and accidentally your face is in it. Don't think that other people don't know, but instead be proud to show your charming face.
   • Be warned that some people think selfies are distracting, and you may get negative comments. If your social networking album ends up filling up with selfies, you should probably consider having other photos besides selfies.
   • Make sure that you also leave the same comments that you would like to see on other people's selfies. The more “likes” you give and the more you share with others, the more you will receive on your own selfies.

4. Follow the latest trends. Selfies have been very popular over the last few years, and it's really fun to participate in the trend when it comes to selfies. What is the trending selfie photo in your social network history? There's no shame in uploading some of your own photos too according to the trend. These are some examples of popular trends:

   

   • “Throwback Thursday”: Every Thursday, people post pictures of themselves from the past. See if you can find childhood selfies, or just upload yours from last week!
   • “From Where I Stand”: This “Hashtag” was created by those who wanted to share beautiful photos from their point of view. Just take a photo of your feet when you're in a country you're visiting for the first time, at the beach, at the crack line on the side of the road, or wherever you like.
   • “Feminist Selfie” (“This is Me”): This “Hashtag” started trending on “Twitter” and soon became very famous. This trend is all about being proud to post your photos even if you may not be the kind of woman that is commonly seen as beautiful. Beauty comes in all different shapes and sizes.
   • ”Hair Smile” (“My Hair is My Smile”): This is a photo that shows off your hairstyle. If you feel that your hair is your greatest asset, take a selfie of your hair, and make your hair the focus of the photo, not your smile.

5. Make sure that you take selfies in the right situations. There are some places that are not suitable for taking selfies, such as burial sites or accident sites. Most situations can be thought of with common sense, but as a general rule, think for yourself whether taking a selfie in a situation like this will make other people who see it angry or offended. If the answer is “yes”, you should take a selfie at another time.

   

   • Funerals, weddings, and other large events are not the right situation. If you're at an event that's focused on or celebrating someone else, keep your phone away and don't try to be the center of attention by taking selfies.
   • Similarly, if you are at a particular memorial, keep your phone in your pocket. Don't take selfies at memorials or monuments or statues, especially if something tragic has happened there.

Tips

• Keep things as natural as possible, so you don't sound too overwhelming. After all, that's a selfie.
• Your body will look slimmer if you lean one side of your hips outward. However, be proud of the shape of your body as it is, because your abilities are more important than your appearance.
• The shape of the stomach looks best when taken from the side. For men, not wearing a shirt is better than pulling it halfway up, which will look messy and a half-hearted pose.
• Cleavage looks best if you rest your elbows on the bed or on the floor.
• If you have a muscular body, stretch the arms you want to show, then the muscles will look better.
• If you want to have the perfect selfie from the top corner, use a selfie stick (“selfie”). The wand can be extended and produce better photos, and not only from the top corner but from any angle you want.
• Make sure that you don't move your phone when taking selfies. This will help you get a clearer photo.