Taking the Perfect Selfie – blogged by: @proudlylauren

I never quite understood the importance of a good selfie until Kim Kardashian published an entire selfie book, that people actually spent their cash on. If simple selfies can make it to actual publication, think about all of the other possibilities that can come from the perfect selfie: bae’s in the dm, sponsored opportunities, or the perfect screenshot for those hating ass females who keep you in their group thread. Whether you want to publish a book, or catch the attention of your IG crush, you must first understand the fundamentals for the perfect selfie

Lighting: Natural sun light is the best lighting for selfies, it helps capture the perfect amount of natural pigment in your skin tone, catches unique details, and is free. If for some reason you don’t have unlimited access to natural lighting, or if you want to ensure that your pictures are popping 100% of the time, rain, snow, or shine; there are photography lights that help achieve the same flawless photo. A ring light, is one of the options, and is a very bright ring of light that provides uniform lighting, and helps eliminate unwanted shadows. Another option is a soft box, type of soft light that creates an even and diffused light. Both can be found pretty inexpensive online, and will ensure the perfect lighting without fail.

Angles: When taking selfies, you always want to capture the most flattering angle for your face. The worse angles for selfies, are underneath your chin, too far above your head, or anything too close to your face; no matter how beautiful you are, underneath your chin will never work. The best angles depend on the structure of your face, if you have nice cheek bones, holding the camera slightly above your face, will allow the light to catch the detail of your cheeks. If your best feature are your eyes, hold the camera directly in front of your face, making your eyes the focal point of the photo. Play around until you find the right angle for your face type.

Background: Nothing is more annoying than being distracted by someone’s selfie because there are dirty clothes, empty liquor bottles, and random people in the background. Selfie fundamentals teach us, the background is just as important as the subject in the forefront of the photo. If I can’t help but to stare at the dirty underwear on your floor, I wont be able to notice that fleeky cat eye you mastered; make sure the background is clean, and clear of random distractions.

Corrective App: Think about how flawless every photo of your favorite celebrity is. Yes, they probably are the closest thing to perfect in your eyes, but they have imperfections just like you. So when you see a flawless photo of them, you should know the photo has been edited and corrected to erase those imperfections, and create a perfect image. Why can’t you do the same? There are tons of cheap apps (Facetune is my favorite) that allows you to smooth blemishes, make enhancements, and even color correct. You don’t have to completely alter your image, (even though you can if you want) but you can smooth out those unwanted bags, and ugly red eye, in the snap of a finger.

Outfit Selection: Again, the details in a selfie are just as important as the main focus of the photo. Therefore, you should care about your outfit, just as much as your makeup. Nobody cares about your perfect brows when your old tattered high school t-shirt is stealing the show. It doesn’t have to be anything extravagant, but wear a flattering color for you, or an outfit that accentuates your favorite features.

The fact that Kim K can publish an entire book consisting of selfies, and sell more than 40,000 copies, should tell you how powerful a good selfie can be. No you may not be the next Kim K, but you can definitely take perfect selfies like her. Pay attention to the above Selfie Fundamentals, and serve perfect face, every time!