How to take the Perfect Selfie

Lighting is Key: Natural lighting always makes for the best selfies. If you can’t take your selfie during the daytime, make sure you find a well-lit room. Position yourself so that you are facing the main light source. For example, if you are outside during the daytime, be sure to face the sun. If you are taking your selfie without natural lighting, make sure you get close enough to the light source so that it illuminates your face. This makes sure every feature of your face is visible and your skin will look flawless without any shadows. Lighting improves the clarity and quality of all your photos, so this is definitely the most important tip in improving Instagram posts!

Ambassador Pro-Tip: If you have a ring light, use it for all of your selfies. Holding your phone in the center of the ring light ensures that it illuminates all the features of your face perfectly. It mimics the natural lighting and highlights your face. If you don’t have a ring light, an adjustable desk lamp has a similar effect!

Avoid Third-Party Camera Apps: Using your phone’s built-in camera app is always the best option for maintaining the quality of your photos.

Play around with Angles: Taking a selfie from different angles can add a nice touch to the final product. Different angles accentuate different features of your face, so switch it up to make each photo unique.

Take Lots of Photos: You will never get a perfect photo on the first try. If you take lots of photos making subtle changes to your facial expressions, the camera angles, positioning, and the lighting, you will have a lot more to work with. Don’t hesitate to take more than 20 photos in one take! After you’re done, you can pick your favorite one. This is much easier than only having 3 or 4 to choose from– that way, you don’t need to reshoot your photos!

Focus the Camera Perfectly: If you are using a phone, be sure to tap the screen where you want to focus your photo. Tap around until you find the exact place that focuses the photo and optimizes the lighting.

Ambassador Pro-Tip: If you’re taking a full body picture, have the person take the photo stand or squat towards the ground and tilt the camera slightly upwards. This angle will make your legs look longer and you look taller!

Avoid Flash on Phones: Using the flash on cell phones (especially the front-facing flash) decreases the quality of the photo substantially. You want your selfies to be clear, not grainy or blurry. If you hold your phone too close to your face, the flash will give you an unnatural skin tone or make you look extremely pale. If you hold your phone too far away, the flash won’t pick up your figure, and your picture will appear washed-out.

Have a Simple Background: You should be the focus of your photo. If you have too much going on in the background, it can can take away from the main point of your photo. When trying to select a background, explore your city to look for walls, simple scenic backdrops, tapestries, etc. to take your photo in front of.

Change Your Facial Expressions: You don’t necessarily have to sit in front of the camera and smile. Smiling is great, but it’s not the only way to take a perfect photo! Switch it up from time to time– you look away from the camera, look down, take a candid, etc. This can make your Instagram feed unique and will keep your followers interested. Even the subtlest changes are noticeable!