These tips are particularly effective, but you will only be able to get better results if you practice constantly some of these tips and advice you’ll see here. Check them out down below!
1. Selfies are not only about your face
Something you have to change in how you perceive selfies is to realize that they are not only about your face. Selfies are pictures that you have taken of yourself, regardless of whether this picture is of your face, your foot, or your hand. The selfies have as their main focus sharing whatever news you have to tell your friends. So, if you’ve purchased or won a watch, some great new shoes, or a cool T-shirt, consider taking a selfie of you wearing these things,
2. Cut the images!
If you want to learn how to take a good selfie, you don’t need to capture your entire face, for instance. Frequently, the best selfies will be those with only a part of your face or of the subject matter. If your selfies are not coming out as good as you want them, try “cutting” the image near the closest eye, just like we show you in this image. To do so, there are a lot of great photo editing apps that can be downloaded both on Android and on iOS, as well as a lot of PC software.
3. Relax your face before taking pictures
Keep in mind that relaxing your face doesn’t mean you can’t use facial expressions. The issue is that very frequently parts of our faces, such as our eyebrows, forehead, or even our mouth can tense up, resulting in a less-than-ideal capture. AS such, before you give a beautiful smile or do any other facial expressions you might want, take a moment to relax your facial muscles. You will notice the difference in the details!
4. Keep your face in one of the upper parts of the picture
Another great tip on how to take a good selfie is to keep your face in one of the upper corners of the pictures. This way, your face is not the only focal point in the picture, and it becomes a good supplement to the rest of the landscape. To check if you’re properly positioned, check if your eye is in the last third of the image. Now, if you want to take a picture that includes a great background scenery and you want it to be as highlighted as yourself, what you should do is to center yourself in the image. That’s the best idea for pictures where you want to capture everything, as you can see in the image below.
5. Use the water
The water can be an amazing ally for your selfies. First of all, because it will create more shine on your skin and your hair. Second, wet skin will always look prettier than dry skin, almost like a natural airbrush! Of course, one of the things you have to take care of the most is your body. If it is a good addition to your selfies, you must also be careful with how you’re posing. If you don’t want that your body appears in the image, a picture where you only appear from the neck up might be a great option, as shown in the previous image.
6. Use of reflections
Another amazing tip, very often also related to water but that you can also use with mirrors for instance is using of reflections. The reflection of the sky in a lake in the background when taking selfies can create really amazing results, for instance. If you want to take pictures with mirrors, be careful with what elements are in the reflection and try to position yourself as best as you can to avoid unwanted elements.
7. Pay attention to the focus
The focus in your pictures is one of the most critical elements to ensure that it looks great. A blurry focus, even though it can look amazing if you use the right circumstances and a great place, will most often than not look bad, at least in your typical selfie. If your hand shakes a lot and you’re too unsteady, take into consideration our next tip, or even use a tripod with a timer or other accessories (that we talk about later on in this article) to take your selfies.
8. Take your selfie using both hands
When you take a picture, you usually have two options: either you use one hand or you use both of them! If you’re just starting to take selfies now, using both hands is likely the simplest and better option. First of all, because you will have a new element in the picture (your other arm) and it can help to mask your lack of experience. Other than that, it will help you keep a better balance. You have two ways to do it: either hold your phone with both hands or hold it steady with one and press the shutter button with the other!
9. Use the right apps
Anyone who knows how to take a good selfie knows that a good picture doesn’t come to be simply when you press the shutter button. To be able to get a great selfie, you need to thoroughly edit it afterward. The filters that social media platforms offer, such as Instagram, can really come in handy, but frequently they aren’t enough. If you want to learn which ones are the best apps for that, check out the best photo retouching apps, the best free collage makers, and the best apps to remove Image background!
10. Put your camera over your head
A great piece of advice when you want to take a good selfie is to position your smartphone camera over the top of your head. Other than that, you can also use of this moment to show off another part of your house (a couch, for instance), your new clothes, or even… Rio de Janeiro! However, you need to be careful when doing this, since it is extremely important that you don’t capture your entire body and leave your head as a piece of the background. Try to get your torso, from your waist or even your chest up, into frame in order to achieve the best results.
11. Find your angle
We all have an angle that suits us best. Everyone does! It’s up to you to find out which one is the best angle for you. Other than trying out using the right and the left sides, try also positioning your camera slightly over your head, hanging something up with your eyebrows, or even your lips. Everything is valid when you want to learn how to take a good selfie! A special tip that won’t take almost any time is that, typically, pictures taken with the camera from below your face are very rarely considered to be the best angle. This is since they will highlight your neck, your nostrils, and they tend to make the light come from behind you, which is not ideal – as we mentioned previously.
12. Blur the background
Unlike what many people think, blurring the background is not only a good idea to hide imperfections that you don’t want to show that are present in the place you are when taking your pictures. It’s possible to use of this feature to highlight you in the images while also creating an amazingly pleasant and good-looking result by using the colors present in the blurred background. Do an experiment by taking a picture focusing only on you – the element that’s closest to the camera!
13. Take a picture with someone that’s uglier than you!
It might sound ridiculous and silly, but according to the researcher Dan Ariely, if we are close to someone who is uglier than use, we will always seem to be much more good-looking than what we really are. That is to say, our ugly duckling friend makes us look much better. As such, when you want to take a new selfie, consider bringing along a friend who’s uglier than you! Now, if you get someone who looks better, the most likely result is that the ugly one will be you…
14. Adjust your clothing
When taking pictures of yourself and getting in frame at least a part of your torso, don’t forget to also adjust your clothing. After all, even though the result might look really great, you will certainly get frustrated id there’s a stain on your shirt or a bra strap you didn’t want, or any other imperfection. Of course, you can still use some apps to edit your pictures, but the natural result will always be the best option if you can attain a good one.
15. Take several pictures in a row
One of the simplest tips on how to take a good selfie is to take a lot of pictures in a row in just a few short seconds. There are some great apps for that, such as Fast Camera for iOS devices and Instant Cam for Android devices. Other than that, most stock camera apps also offer a similar feature! This way, it will be much easier to take and to find the perfect shot. Some of the pictures might come out shaky, in others you might be blinking, but when taking several in a row consecutively, you will be able to save some time instead of needing to check after each one!
16. Learn about all types of light
It’s important to take into account what kind of lighting you have. Natural light will be the one that most frequently ensures the best possible results, while using fluorescent and led white lights will render the pictures colder, and halogen and yellow lights will get you some warmer tones. If you need to use light bulbs, you should consider neutral lights, since they are the best middle ground and resemble natural light the most. However, try out all the different types of light you have available and see the final result in the color temperature.
17. Have the light facing you
It might seem really amateurish, but still, a lot of people make this mistake and end up with shoddy pictures and selfies. Having the light facing you, in front of you, will make your skin shine, it will bring forth your qualities, and will make the picture brighter overall. No matter how well you’re posing and how good everything else is, if the light is on your back the results will most likely look terrible, save a few exceptions.
18. Use your smartphone’s main camera
Even though it’s extremely simple and handy to use your front-facing camera, whether it is on your iPhone or on your Android device, the truth is that it will most often than not be worse than the back-facing camera. There are exceptions, but in most cases, this holds true. For that reason, if you want your picture to look more professional and you want to get better results, always use your main camera module!
19. Use some great accessories
There are a few accessories that can really come in handy when you take pictures of yourself. Of course they will cost you a bit, and you will need to always keep more things in your back (which might be very inconvenient), but this is one of the best tips of how to take a good selfie. If you want to improve them, check out four things you should purchase:
Hisy: This is a button that works via Bluetooth and lets you take great smartphone pictures from a few meters away from your smartphone. As such, you’re able to test out several poses without needing to actually hold your device; The Selfie: The The Selfie is a small and relatively cheap device that stays connected to your device that lets you take pictures as if you were in a studio in the XIX century; Shutterball: This small gadget lets you take pictures without needing to hold your iPhone or your Android phone, same as it is with Hisy. However, it looks much more playful and it is easy to carry it around in your pocket. Cellfy Stic: This gadget has the goal of helping your mobile device stay stuck to any surface (generally a wall). With two sides that help it stick both to the walls and the back of your phone, this can be a great gadget for the fans of bathroom selfies, for instance.
20. Timing is everything!
Frequently, the secret to take a great selfie is the timing for when it is taken! A picture taken in an important event with an average quality might have an amazing impact. On the other hand, a great-looking selfie in an everyday moment might not generate a lot of result. The secret is to always keep your mobile device at hand, ready to take a selfie at the best moments! The Oscars selfie you can see down below is a great example of it. The picture itself is terribly taken (Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are out of focus, for instance), but since it was taken at the right moment and then shared to the social media platforms of these actors, it went huge!
21. Avoid undesired elements
When taking pictures of yourself, it’s important to take care about what’s surrounding you and what’s behind you. Depending on what are your goals, make sure you’re alone and that you don’t have undesired objects and elements in the shot. You should pay a lot of attention to it before taking it and then gauge the end result carefully so you don’t end up with a huge miss posted to social media!
22. Don’t take too many selfies
Your selfies tend to start looking worse and worse the more you take them. So one of the secrets is to learn how to manage how much you indulge in this compulsion. Remember: quantity is not quality! Other than that, a bit of variety in your selfies is a great way to engage your social media followers.
23. Try to always use natural light
Natural light is by far the best type of light, since it offers you the perfect amount of shit, even for those who don’t or can’t use any makeup. If possible, avoid using any artificial light on your pictures, trying always to use what the Sun provides!
24. Avoid shadows
A tip on how to take a great selfie that’s especially useful when we’re using natural light, avoid projecting shadows on your pictures since a part of your subject matter will end up being obscured. The best times to use the sunlight while avoiding all shadows are early in the morning when the sun is rising and at the end of the afternoon, when the sun is setting. Avoid times such as noon or early in the afternoon, since that’s when the Sun is highest and more likely to create shadows.
25. Prefer morning shots
If you want to perfect even more the usage of the times of the day to take selfies, prefer taking them in the morning. Since the day is only just beginning, your skin and hair won’t be affected by sweat, wind, or air humidity. However, remember to wash your face beforehand so you don’t have a bed face! Other than that, just like we mentioned previously, you’ll be able to use the natural light extremely well during this time.
26. Try to take pictures in different places
Another amazing tip is to diversify when it comes to locations. If you live in the seaside, don’t always take pictures on the beach, for instance. They might look amazing, but it can get tiresome or even boring to look if the scenery is always the same, even more if you always post on social media.
27. Learn when to use flash
One of the most important tips when it comes to how to take a good selfie is to avoid using flash to the maximum. Although it can be useful, it can make your pictures “blow up”, or be way too bright, and ruin the shot. Most of the camera apps don’t have frontal flash, but even though it’s getting much less use after Instagram Stories arrived, Snapchat’s camera let’s you use front-facing flash. As you can save the images taken here, use it in this scenario and save it to your gallery.
28. Ensure the horizon is straight
When taking pictures that include the horizon, such as in a beach, make sure that the horizon is in a straight horizontal line. This is one of the reference points in images that, when broken, frequently makes the end result look somewhat off.
29. Use your references
Many professional photographers don’t take all their shots using only of their own ideas. As such, use references in pictures available in social media platforms or even in a quick Google search. Check the styles that please you the most and try to recreate them when taking your selfies. Of course, you should always try to stay somewhat original and make sure that what you take don’t look the same as your reference.
30. Don’t be shy!
The final tip on how to take a good selfie is: if you don’t work as a model, it’s time to pretend you’re one! Put your shyness aside and get your best pose ready – even if it’s an introvert pose – and start taking selfies. Don’t be shy, make use of our tips, and take amazing selfies with all the tips in this guide!
How’s your modeling career after learning how to take a good selfie?
Let us know in the comments if this guide was helpful to you, and don’t forget to also check out how to use a round profile photo on Instagram, learn how to turn photos into cartoons, check out the best video editing apps, and find out which ones are the most common iPhone charging mistakes! Tip: If you want to post these selfies n Instagram and you want to get popular, check out here the most popular Instagram hashtags, our Instagram bio ideas, and the best apps to get Instagram followers!
