What's the best way to take a selfie? How to take the perfect mirror selfie

Filming so-called “selfies” was invented many years ago. However, this style gained popularity only with the development of smartphones. At first, many people did not understand why such devices needed a front camera - video communication then cost a lot of money. Only later did smartphone owners realize that with a small lens above the screen they could take pictures of themselves. Our advice will help you if you don’t reach new level, then at least impress your friends and girlfriends. You'll quickly realize that you can take a cool selfie without much difficulty.

There are several rules for taking a perfect selfie. Finding natural light is one of them. Even professional photographers with equipment that costs several thousand dollars prefer to shoot outdoors, since nothing can replace natural light. In nature, you will be illuminated evenly, the contrast of the photo will be ideal.

However, be careful! If the sun is shining outside, glare may appear. It will be better if the luminary is to your right or left. Under no circumstances should the sun be behind you - then even the regime will not save you.

Appreciate artificial lighting

Of course, you want to take pictures not only on the street, but also indoors. In the case of artificial lighting, you need to spend at least a couple of minutes preparing for shooting. Get a little closer to the light source and evaluate how it affects your skin tone. If you don't like the result, then move on to another lighting source.

The most important thing is to stand facing the lamp. Otherwise, your face will be plunged into darkness, and the smartphone may not be able to brighten it up. You can also position yourself to the right or left of the light source - this will make the photo more daring. You can further enhance the effect by slightly tilting the device. Shots like these are perfect for avatar. But do not overdo it; a person should not tilt his head to the side to view the photo, almost breaking his neck.

It's not just your smartphone that can be tilted

When taking a selfie, you have to rely on the device itself and your head - the rest of the body in the frame is usually not visible. But this does not mean that in every frame you need to fool around and make faces. No, you can achieve variety by simply tilting your head slightly to the left or right. Rotate it more and more until you achieve the perfect angle.

Don't hold your smartphone above head level unless it's a group photo. And it’s not at all necessary to look into the lens - try to glance somewhere to the side. All this allows you to get very interesting shots, sometimes even mysterious.

Don't turn your lips out

At one time it was very popular to purse your lips and literally turn them outward when taking selfies. Popularly, this facial expression is called “duckface.” For some reason, the girls themselves liked such photographs. But now even they understand that such facial expressions are far from normal. A regular smile looks much better.

If you can't smile in front of the camera, then remember some funny moment from your life. As a result, if you don’t laugh, you will definitely smile.

Move the camera away from your face

If you want to take a great selfie, you need to figure out how to fit more space into the frame. To do this, you can get a smartphone with a wide-angle camera. But if your budget does not allow you to do this or you are simply already attached to your device, then buy yourself monopod. With its help, you can move your smartphone away from your face by about one and a half meters. As a result, the photo will become more understandable - a person will be able to look at the background and determine exactly where you are. This will allow you to stand out from the huge number of monotonous selfies.

In a separate article we wrote, how to use a selfie stick. There is nothing complicated about this. Of course, it is not at all necessary to take a monopod with you absolutely everywhere. Practice shows that good pictures can be taken without it. A selfie stick comes in handy anywhere on vacation when you want to take the perfect photos.

Please note: Using a monopod, you can take a photo of yourself with the main camera. And it often shoots much better than the front camera.

Use an alternative to the shutter button

If you don't have a monopod, most of the time you'll be shooting with your phone by pressing the virtual shutter button. This will cause some shaking, which may result in a blurry photo. Most often this happens under artificial lighting, when the shutter speed increases up to 1/15 of a second. It is correct to shoot in such conditions using alternative buttons. In particular, you can press one of the volume buttons. On some smartphones, you can press the power key - this will also take a photo.

There are other alternatives. You can purchase Bluetooth button, which will allow you to press the shutter button remotely. Some devices allow you to give a voice command. For example, Samsung smartphones perceive the word “take a photo.” There are also special selfie apps, which take the shot almost automatically when your face is located in the right place. And sometimes standard Camera applications also receive similar functionality - this applies not only to South Korean products, but also Chinese smartphones .

Adjust white balance and exposure

Digital cameras work very poorly with light and colors. Artificial lighting can cause certain problems. The smartphone also experiences some difficulties at dusk if there is a lot of snow around. If you notice that your skin has an unnatural color, then try changing the white balance. Now any smartphone can do this.

As for exposure, this word refers to how light or dark the photo turns out. This parameter can also be adjusted. And many people don’t know this, trying to shoot on full automatic.

Edit your photos

Don't think that experienced photographers get a masterpiece immediately after pressing the shutter button. No, they edit their photos in various graphic editors. You can also edit your selfies in third-party applications. You don’t need to turn on your computer to do this; now many similar programs exist on operating system Android. You can verify this by reading the article "The best graphic editors". With the help of such applications, you can turn an ordinary selfie into a very unusual picture that will definitely catch the eye of a person scrolling through Instagram.

Apply filters

Many of the photographs are good on their own. A well-applied filter can highlight a selfie. In particular, this should help those who are thinking about how to take a beautiful selfie with a budget smartphone. The simplest cameras shoot with various artifacts; they are not able to produce a clear picture. The filter can hide technical flaws.

Nowadays many people have the function of applying a filter. preinstalled programs « Camera" And " Gallery" Filters are also available in Instagram and many other social network clients. Photo editors cannot do without them either.

Summing up

This concludes our list of tips. The most important rule when taking selfies is to use your imagination. Believe me, no one will appreciate your photo, most of which is taken up by your face. Try to come up with something new - go somewhere, take a photo with a landmark in the background, do something unusual... Surprise the viewer! And try not to overuse the front camera - you don’t need to take selfies every day large quantities. This only makes their value decrease.

You can endlessly take pictures of yourself, but what's the point if out of thousands of pictures you can hardly choose even one decent one! Think you're not photogenic? No, you just don’t know how to take beautiful selfies! Selfies, or so-called selfies, gained popularity in the late 2000s when phones introduced camera features. Modern fashionistas can no longer imagine their Insta-life without smartphone self-portraits. By the way, according to statistics, it’s the “selfies” that get a record number of likes! Do you want your selfies to delight and make your friends jealous of such excellent shots? Just follow our simple tips, and then you will definitely learn how to take selfies correctly!

Find your corner

First you need to find the “working” side. It's simple: take a selfie with different hands, bringing either the right or left side of your face closer to the lens. The side that hides shortcomings and emphasizes advantages will be the “working” side.

Try tilting your head at a 3/4 angle, this will make your eyes look larger, your cheekbones more expressive, and your jawline will not merge with your neck.

Another trick is to raise the camera above you. This technique will visually narrow the face, allow you to emphasize clothing, the décolleté area, or capture the background.

Let there be light!

Lighting plays a huge role in creating a quality selfie. It is best to use natural light. To do this, you can go to the window or go outside. The light source should be located above eye level, and not shine from behind your shoulders directly into the camera. You can use a thin curtain to create soft, enveloping lighting. In low light conditions, you can use artificial light, but not flash! She will give you red eyes and distort reality.

Show your emotion

“Selfie”, where you smile sweetly, is the easiest trick to charm your Instagram audience. But if the mood is autumn and there is sadness in your soul, you can experiment, show thoughtfulness, surprise or even fear. It's up to you. The main thing is that the emotion seems sincere and not feigned!

Makeup won't hurt

When we're talking about When it comes to selfies, the first thing your eye catches is your lips. Make them stand out with red, purple or pink lipstick. And please forget about duckface! You will also need a highlighter. Apply this fabulous remedy to your cheeks, bridge of your nose, chin and forehead. The skin will instantly transform, become more fresh, radiant and healthy. Highlighter is an irreplaceable must-have for those who like to sleep longer! Apply it instead of a full-fledged make-up, and you are incomparable.

Sorry, what's the background?

Concentrating on themselves, many forget that behind there is a clothes dryer, a street dump, as well as other things or people that do not fit into the self-portrait. It’s great if you take a selfie against the backdrop of picturesque nature, original interior, landmarks, turquoise sea, palm trees or unusual animals. The right background can attract as much attention as your flawless face. Well, if you manage to catch a celebrity in the lens, it will be absolutely cool!

Use apps

Let's say you got the selfie the first time. But how to even out the tone of your face, remove the yellowness of your teeth and that pimple on your forehead? Don't be shy, use photo editors and improve yourself! Luckily, they now have something for every taste! Here are some of them:

FaceTune. A godsend for selfie lovers! It can do almost everything: whiten teeth, remove red eyes, make hair brighter, correct the shape of the face, blur the surrounding background. Forgot to put on makeup? Do your makeup right in the app!
Perfect365. A great app for retouching photos and adding makeup. Large selection settings allows you to change the color of your eyes and hair, correct the oval of your face, whiten your teeth, eliminate skin defects, remove bags under the eyes and much more.
CamMe. For those who are tired of selfies with an outstretched arm! Set a timer, place your smartphone on a plane about 5 meters away from you and shoot, shoot, shoot. The application is controlled by gestures, so there will be plenty of time to set up.
Retrica. More than 100 filters in real time! There is also a timer. One click, and your photo is a work of art.
. Easily transforms even the worst photo. No magic, only technology! Temperature, contrast, sharpness, transparency, many filters: everything for the perfect selfie.
Pixelmator. Almost magic. This is a kind of Photoshop, but with a more intuitive interface. It has everything you might need to edit your photos: filters, effects, professional tools for retouching and color correction, etc.
YouCamPerfect. A perfectionist's dream! The application allows you to remove wrinkles and other skin imperfections, remove shine, refresh your complexion, give radiance to your eyes, and even “surgically” correct different parts of the face and body.

And remember:

Always wipe down your camera before taking a selfie. This way the photo will not be blurry.

Taking pictures in the mirror is not comme il faut. Don’t post photos on social networks that show off your smartphone. Better use the above-mentioned CamMe app.

Try not to use it for selfies front camera. It loses image quality. Turn your phone over and set a timer. 2-3 seconds is enough to take a winning pose and choose the appropriate facial expression. If your gadget has a “portrait” function, you are incredibly lucky. Feel free to use it!

Don't shoot yourself too low, you risk getting a double chin. And if you overdo it and stretch your arm high up, you will distort the proportions of the body.

Stand out, find your style! Maybe your thing is to be photographed wearing hats, driving a car, or showing off luxurious curls and fashionable accessories.

Save candid selfies in a towel after a shower, in underwear, or immediately after sleeping in bed for your personal photo archive.

Try to relax, look as natural as possible. A casual selfie without makeup with a cute expression on your face can get more likes and will cause a storm of compliments than staged photos in expensive outfits.

Dilute the same type of selfies with collective self-portraits. Let everyone know that you are not only beautiful, but also funny!

In order not to be considered complete ignorant, devoid of any morality, under no circumstances take pictures of yourself at a funeral, against the backdrop of someone else’s accident, next to a homeless person, in holy or tragic places.

Before you take a self-portrait, make sure that no one is lurking behind you in hopes of ruining the shot.

Now you know how to take selfies correctly! We hope that your new selfies will blow up your Instagram, and your subscribers will appreciate your photo skills.

Text
Rodion Danilov

Inspired by the success of Ellen DeGeneres' selfie and other popular self-portraits, we decided to figure out what rules you should follow to ensure that your selfie gets the maximum number of likes.

Treat yourself
with humor

One of the best ways diversifying the stream of monotonous selfies is a competition #SelfieOlympics. Its participants try to outdo each other in the absurdity of the photographs taken: someone is photographed in a pool with balls and with Pikachu in the background, someone is photographed in a bathtub and on a bicycle, etc.

Take pictures
with celebrities

Of course, Ellen DeGeneres’ selfies are already popular, but with a dozen famous Hollywood actors at the Oscars, she made her photo many times more popular: even if you don’t like her jokes, you can laugh at Kevin Spacey or admire Jennifer Lawrence.

Climb
to a hard-to-reach place

Selfies taken in space, on mountain peaks, or other hard-to-reach places are predictably popular. One of the most successful selfies of this type is a photo of astronaut Mike Hopkins, who increased his chances of success by taking a photo with the Earth in the background.

Take selfies even if
this is not expected of you

This rule works best for those who may not have even learned the word “selfie” yet. For example, when Pope Francis agreed to take selfies with teenagers last year, it raised eyebrows in the media and cemented Francis's status as the boldest and most democratic pope in years.

Beware
photobombers

Usually they act as photobombers younger brothers and sisters, crying children and dogs doing obscenities behind you. Before you take a selfie, make sure that no one is lurking behind you, waiting to ruin the shot. On the other hand, such provocations can play into your hands if you have enough self-irony. As practice shows, such photos can be very funny and “like-intensive”.

We can take a thousand selfies, but how can we take a truly good and attractive photo? One that makes your hair, skin, smile, clothes and surroundings look perfect.

People, of course, sometimes exaggerate the importance of social networks (remember that Instagram is not real world), but on the other hand, selfies are a way to feel more confident in yourself, accept and love your appearance with the help of photographs that we post on social networks or send it to our friends. The main thing to remember is that you shouldn’t judge yourself by the number of likes on a photo.

If you want to take a great selfie but don't know how, grab a few professional advice. We'll look at 8 techniques for creating a great shot: from finding the right angle to choosing the right filter for your photo.

Make sure you have quality equipment

It would seem that there is no better invention for taking selfies than a smartphone with a front camera: it takes good pictures and has many filters. But, in addition to ordinary phones, you can use full-fledged cameras to create a self-portrait. You might want to consider purchasing the Olympus PEN E-PL7 designer camera, which is great for this purpose.

Olympus PEN E-PL7 selfie camera with LCD display

Fashion blogger Alex Steadman believes such a camera the best solution to create attractive pictures: the camera allows you to take high-quality, clear pictures and instantly share them on social networks using Wi-Fi. The camera has built-in filters and effects, as well as a flip-out LCD display that helps you “capture the shot the way you see it.” In addition, with such a display, your hands will not be included in the frame when shooting.

Find the perfect shooting angle

Everyone has a “best angle” in which they look most advantageous. You just need to find it. Look at designer Tom Ford: he often stands in one pose in photographs and always turns out well. One photographer told us how to find your own right angle. “The whole secret lies in knowing your strengths and being able to highlight them by posing for the camera,” he said.

For example, if you have long nose, you should raise your head a little (but don’t raise it too high). There is no need to photograph yourself from below (a double chin appears) and too much from above, in which case the body will look disproportionate. The best angle is a half-turn position so that one half of the face is visible. The cheeks can be visually reduced by pointing the front camera at the top. In this case, the face will appear slimmer. In addition, this placement of the camera visually enlarges the eyes. Finally, if you have a large forehead, avoid taking pictures of yourself from above, holding your smartphone to the side and just above your eye line. In addition to the shooting angle, you should choose which side to turn your face, because the right and left halves have differences: the size of the eyes, the height of the eyebrows, the presence or absence of moles and skin irregularities. Experiment with different positions to find your favorite angle.

Remember the lighting

You may have a Lumee selfie light case, but is it the ideal lighting source? Photographer and fashion blogger Candace Lake advised before shooting to go outside, where natural diffused light will come to your aid. The golden hour for good photos is the time of sunrise and sunset. Natural light is the best.

Selfies are best taken in natural light

“Lamps indoors can add yellow tones to the frame, which I don’t like,” says Alex Stedman. If you still decide to film at home, then it’s better to do it during the day, standing in front of the window. If sunlight too bright, cover the window with a loose curtain to diffuse the rays. With this lighting, the lines of the face appear softer and smoother. If you don't have enough natural light, you can supplement it with artificial light to fill in the shadows. Avoid taking photos with flash as it will distort your facial features and make your pupils appear red.

Make a bright make-up

If you've applied your makeup and feel like you look your best, then it's time to grab the camera. An even skin tone, expressive eyes and lips will make the photo rich and bright.

Bright makeup in the photo will attract more attention

Makeup artists recommend using highlighter to give your face freshness - a little on top part cheekbone, in the inner corner of the eye, on the tick above upper lip. “Be sure to apply concealer under your eyes (for a natural look, use one that’s a shade lighter than your skin tone)—it will open up your eyes,” advises Christine Daniel. Do you want your face to not look dull and tired in the photo? Use peach blush and bronzer powder.

Don't be afraid to take a leg selfie - it's totally appropriate

Don't want to take a photo of your face? Then take a selfie of your feet - this is new trend on social networks. Remember that for a memorable selfie, shoes should be of an unusual design, fashionable or just fun.

Leg selfie is a new fashion feature

Take your shots using a grid overlay so your feet are exactly in the middle. On an iPhone, you can add this function in the camera settings; for Android owners, it is possible to take a photo inside the built-in Instagram application. The surface you're standing on is also important for this shot: look for beautiful tiles, paving stones, or an intricately patterned rug.

Choose a current look

You know for sure that Gucci loafers will get a lot of likes, but you're not sure whether you should show off your legs in fishnet tights? Take pictures in different images until you understand which photos are the most successful, and what you should really post a selfie in to get compliments from your followers.

Try to choose a beautiful image to get more likes

Use the photo editor to take a beautiful selfie

We take a huge number of selfies at one time in order to choose one or two truly successful shots from all the options. But even such shots often require processing: contrast, exposure, color correction.

A special photo editor will help improve the image

Taking pictures of yourself is a real fashion trend of the last three years. Even famous politicians make elevator bows and selfies. But what if you are not a politician and want to create something unusual at the same time? How to take a beautiful selfie at home if you don’t live in a castle? To figure this out, you should resort to simple and reliable rules. And the main one of these rules is to be in high spirits.

Selfie poses at home

Yes, yes. This simple type of photo has its own poses. And the main one is full height. Take a photo of yourself in full if you have nothing to hide. Full-size pictures are perfect for slim and fit guys and girls.

But young people with curvy figures should be careful. Take pictures of yourself up to your waist and a little from above. This way your figure will stretch out and you will look quite good.

If you don't have makeup on, then you shouldn't enlarge everything. Frame your selfie a little far away so that pimples or skin imperfections aren't noticeable.

And for people with big noses, eyebrows and cheekbones, a quarter-turn pose works well. This way you will look the most sophisticated and elegant.

How to take a beautiful selfie at home?

Many bloggers claim that nothing good will happen at home. But that's not true.

And so Several options for a good home selfie:

Photo against the background of a bookcase. This way you will create the image of an intelligent and erudite person;
Image near the window. If you have a good view from the room, then this is the best option;
Selfie on the bed. Have you just woken up? Take a photo of yourself! It will be cool;
Selfie at the computer. Many Internet gurus do this, the main thing is that there is nothing shocking in the background;
And if the room is a mess, you can create a rebellious photo against its background.

You can also take pictures of yourself in the kitchen, against the background of plain wallpaper, on the balcony, etc. The main thing is to choose a place that will look unusual in the photo.

Much attention should be paid to light. It's better to take a photo during the day. This way it will turn out bright. After all, room lighting is not always enough to create a good photograph.

A selfie at home should be fun, but not stupid. Don't fool around too much. Look at yourself from the outside, and only then take pictures. And you will get a great effect.

Selfie tricks and secrets

Don't act too quickly or try to go against the odds. Always follow these selfie rules:

Don't show what isn't worth showing. Do you have bad breasts? So don't take a photo of her;
Make sure that your imperfections are not included in the frame, for example, acne or stray hairs sticking out of your hairstyle;
Apply a little makeup before shooting;
Try different angles;
Use programs that eliminate hand shake.

You shouldn't take such pictures when you have Bad mood. The photo will turn out fake and fake. Also, do not adopt unnatural poses or facial expressions. If you smile a little in life, then you shouldn’t do it in the photo.

Be sure to try it different options. Take a couple dozen photos. After all, even professional photographers cannot do their job in one shot.

Don't forget to edit

If you took a beautiful selfie at home, it’s still worth processing. Every smartphone has a program for this purpose. You can also use the editor in any social network. network or Photoshop.

Adjust the contrast and color in the photo so that all the lines are clearly visible. Work with the background. It can be made monochromatic or a little blurry.

You can also crop the photo, removing unpresentable moments. You can also remove minor blemishes from your face. But you shouldn’t be too persistent, so as not to become a fake doll.

To photograph yourself beautifully at home, you don’t need to have any special skills. Just look at other photographers, and don't be afraid to experiment. Then you can fill your VK page with really cool pictures.