Taking the Perfect Selfie: 5 Key Tips

What started as a trickle on social media sites has turned into a full-fledged, worldwide phenomenon. Thanks to the glorious evolution of the front-facing camera, it has swept across nations, sucking world leaders, religious leaders, and everyday folks alike into its addicting charm. Of course, the word you’re looking for to describe this phenomenon is none other than Oxford Dictionary’s 2013 word of the year, “selfie.”

Admit it, you’re guilty of taking at least one form of this popular self-portrait at one point or another. Love it or hate it, it’s here to stay, so you better start perfecting your game face and keep up. Here are some tips for taking the best selfie you possibly can, and convince the Internet that you’re infinitely more ridiculously good-looking than you actually are.

Image via The New York Post

Pump it Up

It’s true that the camera adds 10 pounds. Too bad that doesn’t apply to your hairdo. When you’re taking a selfie, make sure you have as much volume as you can. How many times have you thought you were having a great hair day, but turned that front-facing camera on yourself only to find your locks lacking some serious luster? That’s because what works in real life doesn’t always translate to the two-dimensional screen.

Voluminous hair will make give you a put-together, slender look. Give your ‘do a boost by fluffing it up with your fingertips and spritzing it with some flexible hold hairspray before snapping your selfie.

Give a Good Chuckle

You know how when you were a kid your parents would get you to smile for the camera by telling you to “say cheese”? Many professional photographers have taken this trick a step further to coerce genuine smiles out of their subjects. They’ll ask them to give a little chuckle (let’s be honest, it’s a full-fledged fake laugh) right before snapping the photo. Give it a try sometime in private, when you won’t be self-conscious about getting strange stares from co-workers or friends.

Even though the laugh is fake, it will paint a genuine smile on your face. You’ll find that your eyes sparkle and you simply glow in your selfies when you start using this trick.

Shine Those Pearly Whites

Fake laugh or not, crooked and yellow teeth aren’t cute additions to selfies. Take care of your pearly whites to make sure the overall impression of the photo exemplifies how wonderfully happy and natural you look — not how gnarly your chompers are. This cosmetic dentistry procedure infographic shows all the options you have to make your grin cheeseworthy.

Along with the chuckle tip, try to capture a genuine smile — don’t be afraid to show your teeth. Closed-mouth duckfaces aren’t cute.

Find Your Angle

The universal best selfie angle is from above. Even the thinnest people look terrible in photos taken from below their line of sight. Furthermore, very few human faces are symmetrical, so you’re bound to prefer one side of your face — or one camera angle — over others.

Start with an angle that’s slightly above your shoulders and snap several photos, experimenting with angles until you find a few that you find to be the most flattering. Then focus on those angles as you perfect your selfie strategy.

Nigel Barker also advises doing “the turtle” to get rid of your double chin long enough to take a great photo.

Light Up the Frame

As with any form of photography, lighting is key to taking a flattering selfie. First off, cut backlighting at all costs. This kind of light creates shadows and doesn’t highlight your features at all. Ever notice that your selfies turn out awful when you’re under fluorescent lights? That’s because artificial lighting is too harsh and washes you out. If you’re indoors, window lighting is best (no wonder car selfies are so popular!), but always try to face your light source when you can.

Additionally, avoid using your camera’s flash feature when you can. It’s almost as harsh as fluorescent lights, and there’s nothing natural about red-eye.

As you jump on the selfie bandwagon (you know you will), put your best face forward by remembering these key tips. Have some great selfie advice? Please share with us in the comments below!