How many times have you scrolled through your social media accounts only to find yourself looking at pictures other people have posted and wondered why your selfies never turn out that good? Maybe you shy away from posting any selfies because you are self-conscious and just can’t seem to get that perfect shot. What you need to know is that the perfect selfie doesn’t necessarily happen by accident and there are some tips and tricks you can use that will better your results. Let’s examine the techniques and tools you can use to help you take the perfect selfie for social media.
Table of Contents
Do You Have the Right Phone?
The first question to ask is whether or not your phone is even capable of taking a great selfie. It may be a hardware issue rather than a user error. You can find a budget-friendly portrait smartphone that provides exceptional quality selfies which you’ll be thrilled to post. Getting a new phone may be the only tip you need.
Take Advantage of Tilting
Here’s a tip straight from the experts, and it offers fabulous results with very little effort. Rather than keeping things perfectly straight, try tilting one aspect of the photo. That could mean you tilt your head, your body or you tilt the phone. You aren’t trying to turn things and make it drastic – just a slight tilt is all that is needed. Tilting can be to either side, up or down – whichever ends up looking the most flattering. To perfect this tip, try taking practice pictures using different tilts. You’ll start to see patterns arise and begin to see what the best angles are.
A Natural Smile is Always Best
Whenever possible, you want to try to capture a natural smile. This is always the most flattering for people and will come off extremely photogenic. If you’re having a hard time getting a natural smile, try to think of something that makes you happy or makes you laugh.
Lighting Will Always Play a Role
If you don’t usually give a second thought to the lighting, now is the time to start paying attention. Lighting can enhance and beautify a selfie or it can create shadows and draw attention to the wrong features in the picture. Again, this is something that takes practice, so you can start to see the difference between good and bad lighting. Ideally, you don’t want the light too bright or too dark; instead, it’s best to stick to the middle ground. The one good thing to remember about lighting is that often you can enhance or fix it using an app that offers editing tools. Instagram is a great example as you can tweak the brightness and contrast after taking the photo.
Give Thought to Your Background
Finally, you want to be aware of your background. Although you’re taking a selfie, parts of the background are sure to show and you want to be sure it works with the photo.
Following all of these tips will ensure that you take the perfect selfie time and time again.