Taking good photos of yourself with your phone can be tricky. It means capturing your best features and look in a flattering light. With some simple techniques anyone can take stunning selfies.
How to take good photos with phone of yourself? Many people struggle with taking quality selfies that they are proud to share. Knowing a few photography tips can help you join the ranks of popular Instagram users with perfect pictures of themselves.
There are some easy ways to improve your phone’s front facing camera skills. Small adjustments to lighting, background, and angles can make a big difference in how you see yourself. With practice anyone can be their own personal photographer and love what they see on screen.
Photography Tips For Better Selfies
Taking great selfies is all about knowing some basic photography tips. Proper angles, lighting and backgrounds can make your phone photos much more flattering. Experimenting with different set ups will help you learn what works best for your face and style.
Many photography techniques used by professional photographers also apply to selfies. Small tweaks to traditional rules can optimize how you see yourself on screen. With some trial and error, taking selfies can become easy and fun.
Photography Angles Work Best For Selfies
One of the most important choices is which angle to hold your phone at when taking self portraits. Slightly different angles can completely change how features appear. The front angle may not be the most flattering for everyone.
Aside from straight on, Take Good Pictures Of Yourself also try angling the phone slightly from the side. This three-quarter view can make your face looks thinner. Play around with small adjustments to find the most complimentary angle for your facial structure.
Front Angle Or Side Angle
Many people are most used to taking selfies with their phone directly in front of their face. This front angle can work well to capture full facial expressions. However, it may also emphasize any features you want to de-emphasize.
An angle from the side, about 30 to 45 degrees off direct center, is generally more flattering. It adds dimension and contours to the face in a way that looks naturally slimming and defines facial structures.
Above Or Below Eye Level
When choosing phone height, above or below eye level makes a difference. Holding the phone high above your head can create a double chin. However angling too low may make the nose appear larger.
For an elongating effect, aim the phone slightly above your eye line. This draws attention upwards rather than bringing the focus down. Placing the camera right at eye level is generally the most balanced option.
Full Body Or Close Up Portrait
Consider whether to include your full body or just take close up headshots. A tight close up focuses exclusively on facial features and expressions. Full body shots allow you to show off an outfit.
Both types of selfies have their time and place. Close ups are best when you want more precision over smaller details. Full body is ideal for social media posting that includes your whole look and activity details.
Landscape Or Portrait Orientation
The traditional way to take most photos is in portrait, or vertical, orientation. However for selfies, landscape, or horizontal, format may be preferable and make more sense on different devices and platforms.
Portrait orientation squeezes the face lengthwise which can be unflattering. Landscape opens things up and accommodates more of the context around you. So for optimal selfie proportions, try holding your phone sideways.
How to Take a Good Picture of Yourself: The Ultimate Guide
Taking a great selfie starts with finding the right light. Natural light is best, so stand near a window or go outdoors. Avoid harsh overhead lighting or direct sunlight, as they can cast unflattering shadows on your face.
Once you’ve found the perfect light, think about your pose and angle. Experiment with different angles by holding the camera slightly above or below eye level. Keep your shoulders relaxed, chin slightly down, and smile naturally for a warm and inviting look. With practice and patience, you’ll be able to capture stunning self-portraits that showcase your best features.
How To Use Natural Lighting For Selfie Photography?
Making the most of natural light is key for great looking selfies. Different qualities of light can either flatter your features or create undesired shadows. Know how to work with the lighting conditions available.
Strong, direct sunlight is usually too high contrast for self portraits and introduces unwanted shadows. Soft, open shade or overcast skies provide the most smooth, even lighting.
Is The Best Lighting For Selfies
The most flattering type of natural illumination comes from diffused, soft light. Early morning or late afternoon sunlight falling through trees is perfect. Overcast days deliver soft, shadowless illumination too.
Harsh midday sun should be avoided, as it creates unflattering shadows under the eyes, nose and chin. Instead, position yourself to have the light source in front or to the side of you.
Is The Best Time To Take Outdoor Selfies
For natural light selfies, the golden hours of early morning and late afternoon can’t be beat. The lower sun angle casts a warm, soft glow with minimal harsh shadows on the face.
Experiment with selfies taken in open shade too. Large trees or building overhangs provide diffused light without the high shadows of direct sun. Even on sunny days, shaded areas work well.
Indoor Lighting Be Optimized
Most indoor room lighting is too harsh or dim for good selfies. Use a lamp, overhead light, or near a window. Angle it to spread light evenly across the face from the front or side instead of from above, which creates unflattering shadows.
Bouncing light off a ceiling or wall with a reflector, such as a piece of paper can soften it. Examine results in real time and make lighting adjustments as needed until the softest, shadowless effect is achieved.
To Do In Low Light Conditions
When light is low, boost it by staying near a source like a window or open your phone’s flash settings. Clean lens, steady hands and tap to focus can help brighten shots.
Soft lights like lava lamps, string lights or candles add warm, flattering illumination too. Using a flash as a fill light instead of main helps maintain a natural look despite darker conditions.
Background Tricks For Selfie Photography
The background behind you in selfies should be carefully selected to look its best. Both plain walls and busy backgrounds can detract from your appearance if not chosen right. Strategically place yourself to flatter your look.
Simple experimenting with different locations will help you learn which backdrops and positioning work well. Pay attention to how backgrounds affect lighting on your face too for ideal selfie results.
Makes A Good Background For Selfies
Clean, uncluttered backgrounds allow the focus to remain fully on your face and outfit. Dull or uniformly colored wall areas work particularly well without distractions. Texture like wood panels can also be aesthetic.
Bold or busy backgrounds may overpower your appearance in selfies. Avoid patterns, posters or objects right behind you. Distinctive backgrounds that say something about your style are best saved for full body shots.
To Choose A Flattering Background
Test out selfies against different backdrops to see how they affect overall lighting and composition. Natural elements like trees and greenery often look great. Structured backdrops like brick or siding add visual interest too.
Softening strong backgrounds by shooting in front of them helps balance the frame. Make sure colors complement your complexion as well. Through trial and error, find backgrounds that enhance rather than compete with your look.
The Background Be Blurred
Blurring backgrounds is a popular editing technique used to draw focus solely to your face. It works especially well for close up self portraits taken near a backdrop.
Simple apps allow choosing how much of the background to defocus for a dramatic shallow depth of field effect. Use blurring selectively like this for artistic selfies against blank or plain walls.
To Take Selfies Without Backgrounds
When the goal is concentrating only on yourself and expressions, try selfies against solid color backdrops or in open spaces without visual elements behind you. Large blank walls, ceilings and outdoor skyscapes allow complete focus on your look.
Solid colored scarves, sheets or other materials can also act as backdrop when positioned carefully. Consider simple digital backgrounds too through apps with templates of plain colors to block out scenery.
Editing Selfies With Phone Photography Apps
With photo editing apps, it’s easy to tweak selfies and improve lighting, skin or backgrounds right from your phone. Familiarize yourself with core tools within popular apps to perfect pictures of yourself.
Simple fixes can make a big difference in how polished photos of yourself look online or printed. Spending a few extra moments editing captures your best angle and features.
Editing Apps Are Best For Selfies
Leading options for editing selfies taken on phones include Facetune, Lightroom and Snapseed. All allow adjusting lighting, color balance, applying filters and touching up details.
Instagram and Snapchat also include basic built-in tools. For Android phones, Camera+, PicsArt and Photo Editor are worthwhile editors for self portraits. Most are very user friendly.
Editing Tools Should I Use
Most useful selfie editing tools smooth skin, brighten eyes, slim faces and whiten teeth. Small adjustments through these features can subtly enhance your appearance.
Don’t overuse tools though or it will look unnatural. Lightroom is best for lighting and color corrections. Facetune excels at skin smoothing and reshaping. Snapseed offers versatile tools across adjustments.
To Brighten Selfies Without Looking Washed Out
Raising exposure slightly or just in certain areas like under eyes is a simple way to counter low lighting effects. The brightness slider in editors allows this.
Be careful not to increase too much though or it will bleach out features. Masking brightening to only certain areas keeps an even, natural appearance rather than looking blown out. HDR filters can also help brighten photos naturally.
To Smooth Skin Without Looking Fake
Gently applying skin smoothing or noise reduction in editors can subtly even out minor imperfections without over-processing. Zoom in close to ensure it still looks like your natural skin texture from a normal viewing distance.
Blurring aggressively or using the clone stamp tool risks a plastic, artificial look. Subtlety is best for believable results rather than trying to completely conceal all spots or blemishes.
Can Selfie Sticks Improve Phone Selfie Photography?
Selfie sticks let you extend your phone outward at variable lengths to easily fit more people or scenery into photographs of yourself. This solves limitations of relying solely on phone cameras alone.
Getting used to framing shots from a removed vantage point takes slight practice but selfie sticks overall make photography of yourself much more flexible. They can also help ensure clearer shots without fingers blocking lenses.
Selfie Sticks Help Improve Selfies
Selfie sticks make capturing group photos of yourself effortless by extending the phones higher and outward on a flexible arm. This allows including more context like full backgrounds or landscapes.
Precisely positioning the shot from a removed vantage conveys a different visual feel than an arm’s length selfie too through a changed perspective. Selfie sticks nicely augment phone cameras’ capabilities.
Features To Look For In A Selfie Stick
Bluetooth connectivity allowing phone operation through a linked app is ideal for ease of use. Adjustable lengths from short to extended based on needs is convenient as well. Grip designs that won’t slide out of hands are important for stability too.
Folding mechanisms make sticks much more portable. Spinning phone mounts enable portrait to landscape orientation switching on the fly. Some offer mini-tripod feet when placed on surfaces for steady shots.
Is A Selfie Stick More Convenient Than Timers
For large groups, tricky angles near or far, or getting full environments in shots, selfie sticks completely remove the limitations of arm’s lengths. They provide precision over composition that phone timers alone can’t offer.
Timers work better for close up self portraits or when a phone can simply be propped up to include yourself fully within the shot area without much adjustment.
Are Grip Helpers And Wireless Remotes Worth It
For some, additional accessory attachments like extendable grips or wireless remotes provide a worthwhile benefit over basic selfie sticks. Grips enhance grip security which is key for long selfie sticks fully extended.
Wireless remotes let setting up the perfect framing from a distance before remotely triggering the shutter, which timers don’t offer. For most use cases though, standard selfie sticks capture great photos without need for extra additions.
Frequently Asked Question
How Can I Take Flattering Selfies In Low Light?
Being near a light source like a window, using the phone’s flash settings, or positioning yourself near softer lights like candles can help brighten shots.
What Photo Editing Tools Should I Use To Touch Up Selfies?
Apps like Facetune and Lightroom are useful for subtle adjustments like smoothing skin, brightening eyes and slimming faces. Remember not to over edit photos.
How Can I Include More Of The Background In My Selfies?
Using a selfie stick allows rotating the phone to landscape orientation and extending it away from your body to fit more context around you into photos.
Should I Blur The Background Of My Selfies?
Blurring the background with a photo editing app can help draw attention to just your face for artistic self-portraits, especially when shot near a plain wall.
What Camera Settings Are Best For Low Light Selfies?
In dim conditions, try tapping to focus on your face, enabling the flash as a fill light rather than sole light source, and steadying your hands to prevent blurry shots.
Conclusion
How to take good photos with phone of yourself does not need to be difficult or time consuming. With some basic photography knowledge of proper angles, lighting and backgrounds, anyone can learn to take stunning selfies with the device always in their pocket – their smartphone.
Mastering your phone’s camera is truly only limited by your creativity. Keep exploring new photo ideas, editing approaches and ways to showcase your personality through pictures of yourself. Above all, remember that confidence is the most attractive element visible in any self-portrait. By feeling at ease in front of the lens.
