How to take the perfect selfie

If you’ve reached peak boredom, or wanting to venture into need-to-know-how-to-take-a-nice-photo-of-myself mode, we’ve collated some top tips to get you there!

Find natural light 

It’s best to face a source of natural light so stand by a window. Indirect light— light caused by light— is better than direct light from sunshine. The perfect light avoids harsh, bold shadows and doesn’t make you squint.

Don’t use a flash

It’s not a great look when there are flash sparks in your image, especially for attempts at professional looking selfies, so best to switch it off and aim for natural light.

Stand in front of a plain white background

White is best for a clean background and reflects the best kind of natural light! Don’t forget to check what’s behind you— move any clutter out of the way. You don’t want your dirty laundry visible!

Hold the phone at eye level

Avoid the supermodel high angle style (or keep it for your own Instagram) or the feeling-cute-and-looking-down style (hello, double chins!) so you’re not looking up or down into the lens. Imagine giving eye contact professionally and mimic that.

Position your body right

Slightly angle your body to the phone and turn your head to face the phone, rather than face it dead on. A slight angle will enhance the natural feel of a selfie. Extending your head away from your neck helps to create the look of a longer neck and sharper jawline. You can also push your shoulders down to make yourself look more relaxed.

Relax and smile!

Use the old trick of relaxing your mouth, and exhaling air gently through pursed lips if you don’t want to do an outright grin. Thinking of something that makes you happy or genuinely laughing will cause you to smile naturally.

Take lots of shots!

You’re not Kylie Jenner so you won’t get the perfect selfie on shot one. Take multiple options in different positions, and different facial expressions. Be you!