I would like to introduce you to Christine. Christine is an amazing person and truly talented blogger over at Whine and Cheese, who also runs her own company Ms.Pixel that offers boutique WordPress and Graphic Design services. Christine resides in British Columbia and spends her free time riding her mountain bike on some pretty crazy trails. I would like to say I can relate, but the closest I have come to mountain biking was helping my husband load up his bike years ago when he was trying his hand at our little hills here in the Ottawa Valley.
I had the absolute pleasure to capture Christine for some new Head Shots while attending the Blissdom Canada Conference that was held at the Blue Mountain Resort in Collingwood, Ontario. Almost every time I capture people who spend a lot of time in Social Media, we get into a conversation about selfies. Selfies have become quite the norm, people have their phones with them almost everywhere and it is very easy to capture and share an image of you enjoying something fun.
After a brief conversation with Christine, she told me I should share a few things about taking your very own selfie. Just a few things that can make a difference on whether or not you share that image or just on how you can make sharing that image just a wee bit better.
First I feel I must put it out there that a selfie from a phone should never replace a professional head shot. Selfie’s are fun to use on your personal facebook page or instagram, however, if you are promoting You and your business, leave it to the professionals to capture your best you to share, that is what we do.
Here are my 5 tips for taking a better Selfie with your phone:
1. Wipe your camera lens. Phones get handled all the time and you would be shocked to realize that they smudge just from being thrown in your purse or pocket. Take a quick second to wipe the lens with a soft cloth (I usually use my tshirt or top that I am wearing). And remember to wipe both lenses, the one on the front and the back of your phone. Just a quick wipe and you will see instant results on the clarity of your image. If you keep getting blurry shots or shots where the lights are looking like stars, chances are your lens is dirty.
2. Don’t stack the people. If you are more than three people chances are someone will have to be behind another person, but if you are three or two people, stand beside each other. Why do I mention this? When you stack the people, the people closest to the phone will appear bigger than the ones farther away. It will not matter if you are identical triplets, whoever is closest to the phone will appear bigger. This one thing alone can make a huge difference on how a person feels about their image in a photograph.
3. Don’t do the turtle. What on earth is the turtle? That is when you automatically shift your head back so that your chin is pulled back and you end up looking like you have 5 chins. This happens when you lift the phone up and you shrink back. Take that extra moment to elongate your neck. Don’t lift the phone up so high that you are pushing your head back. Many people believe the look slimmer if you hold the phone up above your head, however, it can actually be the opposite. Hold your phone at eye level or just above, elongate your neck, and tilt your chin down just a wee bit. Play around with it for a minute you will see the difference right away.
4. Look at the Lens. We automatically look at ourselves on the camera phone, the same way we look in the mirror. This is great when you are setting up the selfie, however just when you (or the person taking the picture) is ready to hit the record button look at the lens on the camera. You will get more direct eye contact in your selfie, thus resulting in a better connection to the people viewing it.
5. If it’s not flattering throw it away. My final tip! If it isn’t a flattering photo of yourself, toss it! Don’t keep it, don’t share it, hit that delete button. Although I don’t take selfies often, I do a few here and there, showing a place I am visiting or hanging out. If I don’t like how I look in the picture, I don’t share it. And once in a blue moon, I do share one, but that is usually relegated to moments that had to do with my family. If I don’t like how I look but we are in a moment that cannot be replicated, I will keep it. I may not share it or I may, but I don’t let it define me, I know it was a moment and that is ok with me. This tip is for Selfie’s, and sometimes you cannot control what other people will share in selfies they took with you in it. All you can do is prepare yourself to look the absolute best in the moment that you can. Follow these tips and I guarantee you will look and feel fabulous in selfies you and others share of you.
And I will leave you with one more BeYou(tiful) image of Christine in her signature hat. I have known Christine for a few years now and we only see each other online except for the odd meet up at a conference. She radiates beauty with her smile and her warm heart. And even though we do not see each other often, I am blessed that I have had the chance to spend time with her. Thank you Christine.
