Social media has created an abundance of interest in cameras and photography.
Let’s face it, we photograph absolutely everything. You’ll be out for dinner, and think to yourself wait, I haven’t taken a picture yet before you actually dig into the food.
You’ll also take pictures of you and your friends before a big event to commemorate the moment and remember it forever.
We also take soooooo many selfies. For example, Google reported in 2019 that its Android devices alone take 93 million selfies per day. The average person takes over 450 selfies every single year, to find those perfect pics to post online.
So, how do you take the perfect selfie, and are you meant to look at the camera when taking a selfie?
That’s what we’re here to find out. But first, let me take a selfie!
Do You Look At The Camera When Taking A Selfie?
Taking a selfie is an art form, and one that is difficult to perfect. So, how do we do it?
When we take a selfie, particularly when we are using a smartphone to take the picture, we tend to look at the phone screen itself to see our reflection, or what the image will look like.
But sometimes, this makes it look like we are not engaging with the camera, and are only focused on our own selves rather than what the actual image will turn out like.
The eyes are the mirror into the soul, so you will want to be looking at the camera so that you can engage with the viewer.
So, you should be looking directly into the camera when taking a selfie, as your eyes will be meeting the viewers. However, you don’t have to look directly at the camera if you want to go for a different look.
When taking a selfie, you can look wherever you want. You may even want to look to the side for a more natural, candid appearance. It’s entirely up to you.
But, most people will want to look at a selfie where the person is looking right into the camera lens, and looking right back at them.
Should I Look At My Phone When Taking A Selfie?
Whenever you take a selfie, it can become all too easy to start scrutinizing the way you look and staring into the screen for minutes until you are actually ready to take the snapshot.
You can look at yourself when taking the photograph for so long that you’ll just start worrying about your personal appearance.
Take our advice, stop looking at yourself and worrying about what you may look like, look into the camera lens and smile. You’re beautiful.
When you spend too much time panicking about how you appear and looking at the phone, you’ll be too afraid to be yourself, and just smile for the photo. This can make you appear awkward, uncomfortable and unnatural.
You want to be able to establish eye contact with the viewer.So, look at the camera, don’t worry, and smile!
How To Take The Perfect Selfie
Okay, so let’s get to the good stuff. How do I take that perfect selfie to post to my socials? We’ve got you covered. First of all, it’s all about the angles.
Remember to hold your phone/camera a little bit higher up than normal, and keep the lowest part of your phone/camera at the same level as your eyes. This will slim down the face, trim the body and make your eyes and facial features appear bigger.
You can also try holding the phone with both hands as this will give you a steadier image.
Holding a camera up in the air at a high angle for a while can make your arms and hands shake, so you will have blurry selfies, which nobody wants!
The key to a good picture is always the lighting. Without good lighting, your images can turn out dark, blurred and of a lower quality. However, you can also manipulate lighting to change the way the image looks.
For instance, when it comes to selfies, you will want natural light if possible, as this can fully illuminate your face and all of its beautiful features.
You will not want a light that comes from behind you, and you may be in shadow, and you will not want lighting that casts unsightly shadows on your face, as this can distort how it looks, or make the picture appear harsher.
You don’t want the shadows to make it look like your nose is bigger, or for the light to be under your chin to make your face look haggard.
If you haven’t got the right natural light, then you can always try a ring light to perfect your selfie game:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08B3X7NXC?tag=photography-lighting-20
This one also comes with a clicker so you don’t have to take the shot yourself, and you can pose.
Make sure you know your ‘good side’ too, as this can help you pose for selfies and get that lovely snapshot you want. Look right into the camera, and gaze into the eyes of the viewer.
If you want to look at yourself when taking a selfie, then you can still do this to see which poses, facial expressions and angles look best, but when it’s time to take the shot, look into the lens! Depending on the style of the photograph, you can look to the side, or even close your eyes for artistic effect.
To get the best selfies, you’ll just have to play around with the angles, pose and look until you find the right image to suit your preferences and personality!
What Are The Best Selfie Angles?
To find some great angles, we recommend turning your face slightly to one side, but not completely.
This can showcase your features. You can also try lying down and holding the camera above your face, or even holding the camera with two hands for a more balanced image.
Many people prefer to point the chin slightly downwards, and look up at the camera as this can slimline the face or make the features appear more prominent.
In addition, we recommend that you look straight at the camera, and keep your arm that’s holding it slightly elevated to give you a good, flattering angle.
You’ll have to practice and try out a few different angles to find your good side, and the angles that work best for you. It’s not a one size fits all kind of situation! Everyone has their bad angles, and we all have our good angles, you just have to find yours.