5 pieces of advice to achieve a good selfie

For time immemorial, we have called it a self-portrait and this art form was limited to renowned artists. Henceforth, with the arrival of the smartphone, one no longer needs a professional photographer to achieve such a shot, admittedly a little narcissistic, but which has become essential in embellishing our existence on the social networks. However, there are selfies and then there are selfies. With a little additional advice, you should achieve a photograph that won’t make you blush on Facebook or other networks.

Ghislain Bruyère nurtures a veritable passion for portraits and more especially for those taken “on the spot”, when the person in question least expects it and can reveal all its natural beauty. One of the advantages of calling on this professional photographer is that he will not hesitate to discreetly repeat the camerawork, in order to obtain the shot that will give you the impression of being the star of the moment. But, we can all agree, it isn’t always possible to have a professional photographer – and even less so Ghislain Bruyère – on hand when we wish to immortalize our face, be it for posterity or our next Facebook post. This is where the wonderful invention that is the selfie sensor on our smart phones comes into play. And it is also here that our advice will come in a timely manner to avoid the experience becoming a disaster.

Our smartphones include numerical sensors. This implies that the perceived light is reworked artificially. The luminosity you experience will therefore not be the same as the result you see. If you are in an environment bathed in a strong light, of varying intensities, you run the risk of ending up with a skin tone that is more orange or greener than the one you actually have. The scandalmongers will say that this sometimes allows us to tone down certain flaws, but this is not our aim here. You would prefer to take your selfie in the light of day, and here again, you will be careful to not be in full sunlight in order to avoid, once more, some distortion of the colors. If these precautions are not possible, remember that many smartphones also allow you to manually adjust the balance of the white tones.

Put your best side forward

By definition, a selfie is a shot of your face (or of a group of faces) taken, at arms’ length, with the smartphone held out in front of you. You can also widen the scope by using the aptly named selfie stick. But the main thing stays the same : you will be the main subject of the photograph with, in the background, the place you are located in.

Of course, there are selfies that you rightly take to immortalize your presence in a specific spot. These do not require that you take precautions. But there also are all the others. Those whose sole aim it is to freeze their own face in time or that of the people with them at that moment. And that is when it is important to look what you have behind you. In this manner you can avoid those backdrops which could steal your thunder through their beauty or those where someone is doing something ridiculous. The background can also be an asset for your photograph. In this way, when in front of a library, you will highlight your love of literature whereas a beautiful tree will be a sign of your love of nature. As a general rule, when the selfie is only about you, it is preferable not to have anyone behind you.

Keep your distance

To be sure, not everyone has a telescopic arm which allows you to keep the smartphone at a reasonable distance from your face. It is probably for this reason that selfie sticks were invented. Indeed, selfie sensors are more often than not wide angle, the result often being deformed. If you are taking a shot of your face, there is a good chance that you will only see your nose on the final picture, which was probably not your initial intention. The advantage is that you will mostly find arm’s length to be sufficient in avoiding those annoying deformations. But do not hesitate to equip yourself appropriately if you have narcissistic tendencies.

Choose the ideal angle

You are aware that the angle with which a picture is taken greatly modifies the perception one has of it. It is not without reason that some declare always wanting to be photographed under their best angle. As a general rule, it is preferable to hold your smartphone slightly above your face. You will take the opportunity to look up. This will have the effect of avoiding the revelation of a double chin, even if it is only produced as the result of an ugly grimace. Correctly choosing the angle of the photo allows you to erase certain faults. Therefore, do not hesitate to make various attempts.  

Touch up the picture

Nobody asked you to be perfectly honest when you take a selfie. Many apps will offer you more or less amusing filters, to enrich your selfie with effects which can be embellishing, or will make you completely unrecognizable in a fun way. But you can also use certain apps to improve the picture after it has been taken. This can be important when you take a selfie whose specific aim does not coincide with fun.