While we’re all stuck indoors and practicing social distancing, taking a smiley selfie can help to boost your confidence, send out some positivity, and remind those you haven’t seen in a little while just how lovely you are.
Read on for six top tips on taking the perfect, smiling selfie.
Lighting is key
We’re sure you’ve heard this before, but lighting is everything. Get it right, and you’re on track for a gorgeous picture. If you’re taking your picture outside or next to a window, timing it for when the sun is lowest in the sky will give you a gorgeous glow (a good sunset is the perfect time for this). If you’re taking a selfie inside, get it so the light is hitting your face and not creating any unflattering shadows. Hold your phone up in selfie mode and move until the lighting hits just right – you’ll know when you’ve found it.
Change up the angles
Selfie-mode is a blessing when you’re testing out angles. Try out some new things, and don’t hold your phone at one angle for all your pictures. Try from the side, from above, from below – get creative! You might be surprised by what works best for you.
Take a few
Don’t be afraid of having your own mini photoshoot – take as many pictures as you like and work it, girl. Fill your entire phone storage with pictures of your lovely face if you want to! No-one needs to know how long it took you to get a shot you’re happy with, and you can have a little laugh at the outtakes. Remember, too, that you’re your own worst critic, and show your beautiful self some love.
Don’t be afraid of filters
Although it’s important not to over-edit; you want your selfie to look like you, don’t be afraid of using a subtle filter. It can improve the colours of your image, and make for an all-round perfect picture. There are a wide range of apps for this – VSCO and Colourtone have some fabulous free filters that can make a huge impact on your selfie, and look great on your grid.
Smile like you mean it
When partaking in a selfie photo-shoot, it’s very easy to have a Chandler Bing moment and totally forget how to smile naturally when you press the capture button. You may also feel a tad awkward, and find yourself wanting to bring back the duck-lips and throw up a peace sign like it’s 2006 (don’t – please don’t). A good tip is to close your eyes for a second before you take your picture, open your eyes slowly, smile, and capture. This will help your expression to look fresh, and not like you’ve been holding it for ten minutes straight. Think like Tyra and bring out your best ‘smize’.
Think about your background
There’s not much worse than taking a perfect selfie, then realising your messy room is distracting from your wonderful face. Think about this before-hand, and try and find a pretty background – or at least make sure there’s nothing distracting from the main feature: YOU.
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