Selfie Gallery 101-How to Take a Good Selfie

It sounds obvious, but the first rule of selfie-ing at a selfie gallery is to pay attention to your lighting. You need good lighting. 

AVOID SHADOWS

 Whether you’re selfie-ing indoors or outside, stay away from harsh lighting, like bright white kitchen lights or direct sunlight. That said, make sure there’s enough light – otherwise your photos can come out blurry and no amount of photo editing later is going to be able fix that. 

Angle your phone slightly up, down or to the side or keep your totally phone still and tilt your head slightly. You can also try tilting both your phone and your head, in which case you’ll look rather silly for a few seconds until you nail down your own winning combo of phone + head + tilt. 

Whatever you do, taking a selfie straight on is probably not going to result in your best shot and it has nothing to do with your beautiful face. 

We’re drawn to the eyes of any photo we see. Even though a lot of communication happens via email and iMessage today, we’re not robots. We’re still searching for that human connection in someone’s eyes.

So, the point is: to take a compelling selfie, focus your eyes on the camera. Directly at the camera, not the phone area in general.  

 A good selfie connects whoever is looking at you, to you, and it’s critical for taking a great selfie.

  The front-facing "selfie" camera was not intended for taking high-quality photos. Although modern smart phone cameras have come a long way, the front camera is still not nearly as precise as the back camera. The front camera works fine in a pinch, especially when you want to be able to see what you look like (since the front camera is used in selfie mode and allows you to see what is in the shot).

 But a few things to remember are that (a) the photo quality in selfie mode is not as good, and (b) the image produced is a mirror image of what you really look like. This is especially problematic if you have text on your clothing or gear, since the text will be backwards in the picture. 

So, although using selfie mode on the front camera is a bit easier since you can see yourself, you will get a better photo if you use the back camera. The best way to use the back camera, in my opinion, is to set up your phone for taking the picture, set the timer, hop into the frame and take the picture. If the top of your head was cut off or you weren't in the center of the shot, reposition the camera and try again.   

 If you nearly always post your selfies to Instagram, shoot in square mode instead of photo, which will eliminate one step in the editing process. (When you click on the camera app, you can select the square mode at the bottom of the screen.) 

 Simply hold down the shutter release button and your iPhone/Android will take ten photos per second. When you’re content with the number of selfies you’ve shot, pull your finger off the button. If you have one of the newer iPhones, the camera app will then suggest which one(s) you might like best. Choose your favorite(s), then delete the rest. 

 Flash a real smile and no image will look bad. Don't contort your face into a grin that's too big or forced. Natural smiles are always better. On the other hand, if you're going for slightly more serious selfie, try smiling with your eyes. Practice in front of the mirror until you get it right. You'll get the hang of it! 

It can be awkward to pose for a picture. It is especially awkward when you can hear the timer counting down and you feel pressured to get in the perfect pose just before the picture is taken. It's actually really hard to look natural in that circumstance. when you're not sure how to pose,  record video instead of taking photos. 

Then, just move fluidly from one pose to another, pausing for a second or two in each pose. There is no timer counting down. No pressure to get in the right position at just the right time. And somehow, removing that pressure makes me feel more comfortable, which allows me to move more naturally. Then you can use whatever editing software you have to basically snag a screen shot of the pose that you like best. 

However, if you are using an iPhone, you can simply pause the video and capture a screen shot directly from your phone's video library. 

The resolution of screen shot mages will not be as good as actual photos, which is something to keep in mind. However, if you are using the photo for Instagram (or perhaps for a YouTube thumbnail) where the image is very small, the resolution does not matter as much. 

Before you take your selfie or self-video, you should check the Camera app’s settings to make sure that the app will work the way you want.

 Tap Settings in the upper-left corner of the Camera Viewer screen 

The Camera Settings screen for the front camera has three options that are different from what you see when you change settings for the back camera:

• Picture Size (Front): This option allows you to change the front camera’s picture size and resolution.
• Gesture Control: If you don’t want to push the Camera button on the screen, tap this option so you can take a picture by holding your hand out with your palm facing the camera. After the Camera Viewer indicates that it has recognized your palm, the Camera app takes your selfie after two seconds—just enough time to move your hand out of the image.
• Save as Horizontally Flipped: Tap this option if you want your selfie to appear as if you were looking at your reflection in a mirror.

You may notice that the Video Size option is missing. That’s because you can’t change the front camera’s video size. To change the picture size and front camera resolution, tap Picture Size (Front).

Because the front camera has fewer features, the Picture Size (Front) screen  gives you fewer options for changing the picture size and camera resolution, compared to the available settings for the back camera. The following table shows the options for the front camera. The lower the resolution, the smaller the file size of the photo.

Picture Size: 2.0M (default) 

Screen Resolution (Pixels) 1600 × 1200 (default)

Picture Size: 1.2M

Screen Resolution (Pixels) 1280 × 960

Picture Size:0.3M

Screen Resolution (Pixels)640 × 480

 Try Valencia [Instagram] filter. It's the dreamiest of all filters and it makes everyone look gorgeous. We also recommend the Afterlight app for editing camera-phone photos. If you're really serious about selfies, we recommend the  selfie mode. It makes everything easy. When taking  a picture it automatically airbrushes your face and it brightens it. There's no shame in editing a photo of yourself before posting it to the 'Gram. We also love Facetune, which lets you subtly blur, shape, morph, and define certain areas of your face. Other great apps are Perfect365 and Adobe Photoshop Fix. Don't like your under-eye bags? Blur them away! Want to whiten your teeth? Go for it. A subtle trick on Facetune is to "detail" your eyes, which makes them look bright and sparkly. What's on the Internet lives forever, after all. 

 While we're all for editing and filtering, don't adjust your selfie to the point that it looks unnatural. When editing, use a really light touch. It's easy to get carried away. Only touch up the areas that are glaringly obvious to you — those little lines around your eyes make you look human. If you're using a filter, you also have the option to not use it at max capacity. Instead of just selecting a photo filter on Instagram, click on the filter itself (Amaro, Valencia, etc.) until a sliding bar comes up. Then you can reduce the severity of the filter, making the photo appear a little less edited. 

Rule of thumb: If it looks like something a teenager on MySpace circa 2004 would have done, you shouldn't be doing it. No one needs to do that Kim Kardashian duck-lips face. It might give you killer cheekbones — but it's time to retire it.

Should you find yourself overwhelmed by the urge to throw up some sort of faux gang sign…put down your iPhone and do not let yourself near any other camera until the urge subsides. 

Most of the time, people rely on those poses because they feel uncomfortable. If you feel a little stiff, walk away and then step into the frame again and snap quickly. You'll have less time to be self-conscious. Our Selfie Gallery helps you get the creative content you want.