It’s 2017. Everyone and their mother has a cell phone with Snapchat, Instagram or a camera in general.
We all know how to use it, but do we all know how to take the best selfie of all the selfies?
Today you will learn, my young padawans, about the perfect selfie and how to take it.
The best selfie is technically different for everyone because you want a selfie that highlights your best features and makes you feel flattering. What works for me may not work for you.
That being said, here are some general rules of thumb for getting you started on your path to selfie fame.
Let’s start with getting you posed.
There are a few different places to start. One of the most popular is to use your hands.
You know you’ve seen the picture of the girls with their hand doing the ‘V’ thing across their face.
Back in the day when everyone was “scene,” kids used their hands to make the claw-like thing.
Using your hands is an easy way to help you get posed and ready to shoot.
You could also do a profile shot of your face. That basically means you’re shooting from the side. A lot of people aren’t fond of this view though, so that’s really a personal preference.
Speaking of sideways, you could always just try giving the camera side-eye. (Don’t act like you don’t give it to most people during the day anyway.)
Now for your face. What are you going to do with it?
Smile! It’s really that simple. You’re more flattering when you look happy. Don’t be a sourpuss or grumpy gills in your selfie.
Or you could be sexy and smoldering. Do the lip thing. You know, when you nibble half your lip or whatever and give the camera that bedroom stare.
Honestly, it’s sometimes weird, so you should probably be careful where you’re taking selfies at if you’re making that face. You don’t want police called on you.
Now for lighting. Just like with any photo shoot lighting is key.
If you want to look like a movie villain, go ahead and get all up in those shadows and harshly lit angles.
If you want to look like a civilized human, you should try to get the light in front you above eye level. You’ll have to play around with it though because there may still be some harsh shadows that make your nose look like a bald eagle’s beak, but trust me this is better than looking like Dark Knight in the shadows.
One of the most important things to know is angle!
Hold your phone at a strategic 45 degree angle above eye level. I don’t know why, but this seems to be the best angle for most people.
If you have short arms or just want to be obnoxious, go get a selfie stick to help you out.
Once you’ve actually taken the picture you can play around with filters and photo edits. This is usually where people go overboard in my opinion. (Why can’t you just take a nice photo and leave it alone?)
There are three commonly used (cough, overused) filters. You could go all “natural” with the Snapchat filter that makes you look blemish-free. There’s also the dog filter on Snapchat. Stick your tongue out like you’re ready for some popsicles. The last one is Snapchat’s flower halo thing. I don’t get it, but people like it.
Essentially, if you want to be popular with filters you should just get Snapchat.
As for photo editing, there is a lot or a little you could do. If you’re familiar with Photoshop, there are apps for that. They let you get very in-depth with your editing.
If you’re not familiar and want to be basic (with your edits,) there are apps for that, too.
Most selfies you’ll see will have some kind on “insightful” quote with geometric shapes. Or they will have cute little animal stickers all over the place. Just search “photo editing” in the Google Play store or App Store, and I’m sure you’ll find something to entertain you that goes way overboard.
If any of y’all really liked these tips and want to try them out, share your selfies with myself and the rest of the Clarion staff on Facebook (@sinclairclarion) or Instagram (@theclarion).
Brittany Fletcher
Creative Director