All (well, most of us) have taken one, or at least attempted to… The famous “Selfie”. Smartphones have made it possible for anyone to become a “model” these days.
With just a little bit of creativity, flattering lighting and flaw-concealing filters, self-portraits taken with a mobile phone nowadays look like they’ve been taken by a professional photographer for a magazine shoot.
However, even though we’ve seen some pretty impressive “Selfies”, who can deny we’ve also seen some, well, shockingly bad ones too roaming around on social media like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram?
If you are new to the “Selfie” game and a bit clueless as to how to take a “Selfie” that will make you look good, here are 5 tips:
1.Get the lighting right
Make sure it’s not too dark or too bright wherever you are taking your “Selfie”. Also consider shadows and how they fall on your face. A bad shadow can emphasize a facial feature that you don’t necessarily want emphasized, for example a protruding nose, a shiny forehead etc.
2.Make sure you have a good angle
The whole point of a “Selfie” is to show off your best features and to make yourself look good, so the angle at which you take the picture should do just that. Also make sure there aren’t any obstructions in your picture, or people doing a “photobomb”, unless you don’t mind. Another thing to consider is the background to your “Selfie”. Is there anything you would deem “inappropriate” and wouldn’t want to be associated with? Remember, you will be sharing your “Selfie” with friends, family, colleagues, and pretty much the world…
3.Be creative
Your “Selfie” should NOT look like your ID or Driver’s License photo. Smile, strike a pose, have a friend in your picture, show-off a cool outfit, hat, or another prop or natural scenery. Look what’s around you, and use it to your advantage. Your “Selfie” should be unique and draw positive attention to it.
4.Be careful of mirrors
If you want to take a full-length photo, then taking a mirror “Selfie” could work, but avoid mirrors, if you can. Firstly, your flash will reflect in a mirror, your image will appear in reverse and proportions can seem distorted in a mirror.
5.Use awesome filters
Once you think that you have captured the perfect “Selfie”, use some of the tools available at your disposal to crop, edit and overlay your “Selfie” with. If you have an iPhone, I can personally recommend photo editors like Photoshop Express and VSCOcam with some awesome filters and editing capabilities, and for social media, Instagram, that lets you play around with your pictures.
Looking for a smartphone to take and share that perfect “Selfie” with? Check out www.JunkMail.co.za for bargain mobile phones for sale in your area.
There is also a “Selfie” competition on Auto Mart where if you enter and win they will pay your Car installments for a YEAR!
