There’s no point in taking a selfie if you’re not going to share it, right? You know it, we know it. Problem is, how do you post a selfie without looking like a big narcissist? How to justify the share without bragging about your look that day? There are ways; tips that can help you be cool, not just “look cool”, and attract followers. These are ours #mobilemagic
FIRST, BEAUTIFY YOUR SELFIES
1. Use the power of light. Take selfies that showcase your best features, with the light in front of you (avoid backlit portraits). Always try to use natural light; wait for early evening or snap in the early morning, when the light is soft and beautiful. If you’re indoor, make sure you stand next to a window.
2. Know your best side. Every person has a side of their face that looks better in pictures. Usually, it’s your left side, but take many shots before making a decision.
3. Play with angles. When you’re seated, place your phone at a higher level. For a full, frontal selfie, place it at a lower level.
4. Use your grid in camera modes. This will help you position yourself in a way that respects the “rule of thirds”.
5. Look into the light right before snapping a selfie. Your pupils will shrink, avoiding the red eye look.
6. Adjust white balance if your device allows it. If the native camera app doesn’t, use a thrid-party application like Snapseed.
7. Use camera app functions, including filters. Adjust structure and sharpness to get a soft look and use the healing brush to remove blemishes. Once you have a clean, beautiful “canvas” to work on, go to filters. Instagram offers plenty of them now but choose the ones that complement your features and don’t go overboard with saturation. Alternatively, use a smartphone with beautification functions embedded in the native camera app. Yes, they exist! OnePlus 3, Oppo F1S, Axon 7 are just a couple of smartphones with FotoNation’s FaceSavvy tech that adjusts skin tone, texture, white balance, contrast and apply make-up.
THEN, USE ACCESSORIES
8. Buy a small smartphone lens kit. The macro and fisheye lens clip-ons will give you the freedom to go creative with your selfies. Why take a frontal face shot when you can focus on your eyes or lips? Why take an ordinary selfie when you can experiment show some of the background?
9. Take a phone tripod with you when you want maximum precision. Alternatively, shoot remotely with a Bluetooth smartphone remote or by using your earphones’ “+” button to release the shutter button.
FINALLY, GO WILD!
10. The easiest trick for a different sort of selfie is to use the b&w filters. These will add drama or a sense of nostalgia to your shots. More importantly, done right, it will take your selfies from Narcis land to artist lab.
11. Take advantage of your environment. Avoid extreme close-ups and try to include your background in your selfies. Make a pun by using signs, statues, grafitti or tell a story using diverse elements and different expressions. Another way to use your environment is to take advantage of natural elements; use a puddle of water for a reflected selfie or the wind for a dreamy picture.
12. Get inspired by checking other creative guys like you. You’ll see some of them using pictures of their younger selves to create an artsy before & after or involving mirrors and drawings to attract followers. Others take close-ups of statues and animals with one phone then take a selfie with another smartphone of the first device superimposed on the face.
Now & Then: Actor Terence Stamp. © Betina La Plante.
Pencil vs Camera. By Ben Heine
Do you have tips and tricks to add? Leave them in the comment section!
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