In 2013, two very millenial things happened. Wordsmiths and language scholars decided to officially include the word ‘selfie’ in the dictionary. And it was also dubbed as the word of the year. Perhaps it was bound to happen. No age is too young nor too old for the word – you would see toddlers mimic their idols while taking a photo of themselves. And not even boomers are going anywhere when asked for a selfie. Anybody can do it. But can anybody do it right?
Selfies and influencers are like peanut butter and jelly. One simply cannot be without. So we did a roundup and asked our top influencers for tips on how to take the best selfie.
Nothing beats natural light
Michele Fedecostante (@mikynate) insists that selfies be done during daytime as nothing beats natural light. Ohanes Kondjian (@hovig_ohanes) agrees with this and emphasizes that a selfie is never good without the best lighting, and if you can’t have natural light, use a ring light, “…to hide all the shadows on your face”. Christian Fernweh (@christianfernweh) tells us, “…to take a photo in front of a window during daylight, and it will make your eyes sparkle and look more dynamic.” Noah Chokri (@noah_chokri) even tells us to face the sunlight.
Always from the top
Or wherever your ‘angle’ is. We’re pretty sure you’ve practised at least taking more than a thousand selfies in your lifetime by now. You know where your best angle is, whether it’s moving your face to the right, or tilting it a bit from the left and placing your phone or camera on the opposite side. Nobody else can tell you where your best angle is going to be from unless you’ve seen and done it yourself. “Try multiple facial expressions to get the best one!” adds Noah.
Tip: Use a tripod and a remote – and make it look like you didn’t take it yourself. This way it’s easier to take it from the right angle. See this example from Trendhim, taken with a tripod on distance:
The background matters, too
Good lighting and good angles are not the only important things to consider. The background is equally important. João Nunes (@joaonunes999) stresses that if the background is sort of fading away, or blurred, it would give a better quality selfie. Leonardo Daidone (@leo_diezcerodos) emphasizes that if you have a landscape background, make sure that it doesn’t look crooked or not straight, as this greatly affects the photo, “In a selfie, the subject must be straight but if as a background there is a landscape, seeing the crooked horizon line is not pleasant.”
To filter or not to filter
Our influencers say that using a professional camera and not putting any filters is highly suggested. And if you really want to, choose a very natural filter, says Michele. Christian also says that there is no harm in editing, as long as it brings out the best in you.
What not to do
Selfie sticks were a hit for some time, everybody thought it was a useful tool. But, selfie sticks are a big NO for Leonardo, “Avoid using selfie sticks that give a very artificial effect to the photo.” Christian adds to never take a photo from below, as most men do this. But the result is never good.
