We all love a good selfie not to mention a group shot of us with all our friends. However, there are some definite dos and don’ts when it comes to how we should go about taking those snaps we upload for all to see. Here are some of my top tips on how to get Instagram ready in no time!
Makeup on fleek
When posing for Instagram pictures, you have to remember that the phone doesn’t pick up every detail, so we have to give ourselves a little help in the makeup department—more than we usually would.
Use products that help to sculpt and highlight to give the face definition, especially as phone photography can sometimes be a little flat. Also, using a white eyeshadow under the brows and in the inner corners of the eyes can really brighten your look and make you look more radiant.
I love using a full coverage foundation such as Mac Studio Sculpt as it really hides all imperfections before we even get to the filter stage. As my personal account is makeup based, I find the bolder the better as it’s a great way to try out new looks, so don’t be afraid to experiment.
Front Cam vs Regular Cam
Here’s a pro tip for you: While front cam is more convenient and is probably the one we all go for, it’s not as high res or sharp as the regular camera we have on our phones.
One way to get around this is to shoot selfies in a mirror with your phone screen turned away from you. Using the mirror, you can see where to hit the red button, giving you a much sharper image quality.
Of course, if you can get someone to take the picture for you using the regular cam, this is all the better as you can concentrate on the pose and not taking the actual picture.
Lighting
Before the camera and the action, it’s all about the lights! When taking selfies, especially if you want to highlight your makeup, try for the best light you can.
Natural light works great when outside, but if you are indoors, try to have the light facing towards you as opposed to away from you.
If you want to take high-tech selfies of makeup in particular, you can purchase a camera light or lightbox to use with your SLR camera, and then email the picture across to your phone. The results will be ultra professional and are a great way of showing off your skills.
Background
It’s something we all forget in the heat of a moment, but make sure your background isn’t too messy and worse still doesn’t contain anything you wouldn’t want publicly broadcast!
For selfies, I always think that a clean minimal background works best so that the focus is on you and not what’s behind you.
Camera Angle
It’s true that getting the right camera angle can make a huge difference to the outcome of your Instagram pics. For selfies, shooting from above can help to slim down features and generally is more flattering than face first angles.
For group shots, try to make sure everyone is in the frame shooting from an angle that is at body height; whatever you do don’t crop anyone out!
The one thing you should always avoid is shooting the camera from below pointing upwards towards the face. Try a test shot of this to see what I mean if you are unsure (just make sure you don’t accidentally upload the picture!).
Filter Control
While filters are a great way to highlight and enhance certain features, make sure that the filter is right for the look you are going for. Valencia is a great choice for brightening up the light and enhancing skin tone, and X-Pro II is great for those really artistic shots, so choose wisely.
Sometimes filters can come across as particularly obvious so what you are looking for is a filter than doesn’t look like you have used one, but just highlights the picture in the right places.
Cropping
Remember that all art has a focal point, and this is no different with Instagram. Use the crop tool to your advantage to highlight what you want to celebrate, and crop out anything in the image that just isn’t necessary such as too much background.
For the crop tool to work best, start with an image that isn’t too small so that when you crop into it, there will be no pixilation. It also gives you options about what content you want to keep.
Smile for the camera
Perhaps the best tip I can offer you is to smile! While we all love to rock a fierce selfie every now and then, smiling in photos is great to embrace our more vibrant side.
If you are showing off a bare face, or even if you’ve just had a workout, nothing brightens and lifts the face more than a smile; it’s also a little less try-hard than regular pouty selfies, so give it a try if you’re not comfortable with the poses that are typical of Instagram.
Remember laughter and happiness are infectious, so it’s a surefire way to brighten up your feed and show people your human side. Have fun with your selfies, and try not to take them too seriously!
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