An Improvement on the Infamous "Selfie"

I’ve been wanting to write this post for a while. Finally, seeing the plethora of dismal “selfie’s” on Facebook prompted me to finally get it out. Now, don’t get me wrong. Selfie’s ain’t the worst thing on the planet, everyone’s taken a few in their day. What is bad, though, is that people don’t know how to properly make themselves look as attractive as possible in them.

Okay, okay, I know. That sounds pretty shallow. But hey, if you spend so much time making yourself look beautiful for a special occasion and then can’t properly document how great you look, that stinks! It also stinks for your Facebook friends (like me), who probably aren’t diggin’ your low quality selfies. To further illustrate, I’ve posted crappy cell phone selfies so you can see exactly what I’m talking about.

So, if you’re gonna post a selfie (or 12…) Here’s what you just gotta know:

1. Stand facing a window: Window light will always be the most flattering. It evens out your complexion, decreases your pupil size (which makes your eye color more vibrant and visible) and won’t give you any harsh shadows on your face.Check out my nasty skin color. Oh, what’s that? You can’t tell what color my eyes are? Weird. I bet you like those strange shadows though, right?

This is a proper selfie. Taken facing a window, from slightly above, eyes and skin properly illuminated.

2. Take the photo from slightly above eye level: Let’s face it, nobody looks great from below – you can see up nostrils, usually there’s more chin visible (double chins, anyone?) and it decreases the size of your eyes. Shooting from slightly above will make your eyes appear larger, and will decrease the chances of your face looking plump. Now, to be clear, I’m not talking about taking your photo as if you were still in sixth grade on Myspace (the dreaded “myspace angle“) just ain’t right.

Not cute. Does my face have a shape? How many chins do I really have? Nobody knows.

3. Get out of your bathroom: For cryin’ out loud, just do it.

At the risk of appearing to care about online presence/opinions too much, I can’t help but share simple tips to present yourself in the best way to the world. If you must take a selfie, remember these things! These tips don’t just apply to selfies, either. Taking a picture of your grandma? Throw her in front of a window. Your chubby cousin? Shoot the photo from above.

As a photographer, my job is to capture people at their best. Having a “nice camera” and knowing how to click a button simply isn’t enough to get a great photo. To my chagrin, I can’t take my Facebook friends one by one and take a beautiful profile picture for them, but I can offer a few ways for them to present themselves well! Hopefully, the next time I scroll through my news feed I’ll that at least one person has benefited from this post. 🙂

Ever your selfie-help expert,

Nina