92 million selfies are taken around the world every day. And the usual thing is that few succeed well (or we don’t like how they look). In fact, a study conducted by an American mental health center, The Florida House Experience, concluded that it takes 48% of women and 58% of men between 2 and 5 tries to find the perfect picture; and about 3% make more than 26 before they are satisfied. What needs to be considered so that it comes out the first time? Lighting, framing and posture are critical.
The light, better of course
The experts agree: you have to avoid direct sunlight or artificial lighting; The natural and soft variant is best suited for a good selfie. And if it’s early in the morning or at sunset, much better. The reason for this is that with this type of light, the face is naturally illuminated, shadows are reduced and unfavorable effects such as bags under the eyes are avoided. For the same reason, in addition to avoiding spotlights and fluorescent lights, you should also refrain from using flash. A very simple trick is to turn the brightness of the screen to the maximum in dark and poorly lit environments, so that the face gets some light.
And when artificial light is the only option, it’s important to pay close attention to the direction it’s coming from: the zenith (from above) creates a lot of shadows and is unflattering, the front shows more detail, and the side gives the impression of more volume.
The frame
The angle at which the camera is placed completely changes a selfie: remember that placing the camera overhead creates the effect of big eyes; the “piggy nose” effect can occur from below…
Although selfies are usually taken with the hand or a stick with the smartphone, the framing obtained this way is not always the best and it is not aesthetically pleasing to see parts of the arm in the picture or on the stick itself. For this reason, it’s very useful to use a mini tripod or whatever nearby object (from a rock to a can or paper cup) to support the mobile, freeing up your hands and allowing you to create a more artistic composition. In this case, it is interesting to choose the wide angle whenever the mobile allows, use the timer and even turn the mobile upside down to create a low-angle effect.
Pay attention to the posture
We must pay attention to posture, both the posture of the body and the gestures of the face. Ideally, appear relaxed and don’t stiffen or raise your neck (or lower it to avoid the double chin effect): stay straight, spread your legs and arms slightly, turn sideways, and only face the camera. These are some tricks. It’s also flattering to narrow your eyes a bit so as not to give the impression of a scared face or to avoid a forced smile, looking “into infinity”…
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