By Nishall Gabala

Taking a selfie is a unique and fun way to show everyone your personality, confidence and fashion sense, it was coined in 2005 as a way to describe a special kind of self-portrait. Almost everyone is taking selfies these days, whether it is an Award Winner or a Senior Politician. A selfie isn’t usually a carefully composed image of the photographer in his studio, taken with a tripod mounted camera on the timer setting (though it can be). “Selfie” usually refers to an image that is much more informal that is, generally taken with a digital camera or smart phone held at arm’s length, snapped on the fly and usually destined for Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or some other form of social media. Taking a selfie is the easiest thing in the world; you just have to point the camera at your face and take a shot without much planning (sort of). However, this doesn’t mean that your selfie is going to turn out well. In fact, it may actually be very unflattering. There is an art to taking an excellent selfie that grabs everyone’s attention, and in today’s blog I will give you a few tips to take the best selfie you will ever take!

Choose a good angle

Rather than taking photos head-on, you should experiment with facing the camera at various angles. Your features don’t look flat if you turn your head a couple of degrees to your left or right and holding the camera a bit higher than your head makes your nose look smaller and your eyes look bigger. Take photos of your face’s symmetrical and more balanced side.

Show off something different or new

If you are taking a selfie to show off something new or different like a haircut or earrings, you should frame the photo in a way that the new feature is highlighted.

Pay attention to the lighting

When you are taking any kind of photo, it is essential for you to have a solid light source. If you take a selfie in a room that has fluorescent lighting or is dimly lit, it won’t turn out so good. The most flattering kind of light is natural so try taking a photo outdoors or near the window. To take the best shot, you should keep the light source like the sun in front of you and above the eye level. Your features will appear distorted or shadowy if the light is behind you or on the side. Try not to use flash as it creates some glare and distorts your appearance.

Go for an interesting expression

Smiling is the best expression you could choose for taking a good selfie. You may feel a little silly when you are smiling randomly, but it definitely brightens up the picture. There are different smiles you can experiment with such as a close-mouthed smile or a wide, laughing grin. It is undoubtedly charming, but you can also opt for a cool and collected expression if you wish.

Highlight one feature

If you are trying to take a close-up of your face, consider focusing on and glamming up one feature while you downplay others. This works especially well when you highlight the feature that’s most pleasing or it is your face’s best feature.

So these are my tips to take a good selfie! Why not take a selfie now? I always say that anytime is a good time to take a selfie!