Being the social media generation, it’s safe to say that we can all appreciate a good selfie.

Because, well, we sometimes need to humblebrag. Not sure what humblebragging is? Here,you’ll know after watching this video:

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But we also know how freaking hard it can be to actually take a decent selfie.

I mean, it’s really, really hard.

Sometimes you can be having such a good hair day, or a good skin day, or a good makeup day, or you know, just a good day in general and you think to yourself…

Hmm, better take a selfie while this is happening because heaven knows I’m gonna look like a troll in a couple of hours…

But then no matter what angle you contort both yourself and your camera into, that selfie looks horrible and no amount of VSCO cam editing can fix it.

Since we all know how important it is to be able to take a good selfie, especially since those sweet spot moments where you look bomb AF can be so few, here are 10 ways that you can take a better selfie!

1. No Exposed Light Source

Lighting can seriously make or break your selfie.

Taking selfies next to small and/or exposed light sources will cast unwanted shadows or end up overexposed.

That means no selfies in direct sunlight.

An ideal lighting would be an area with big diffused lighting. Long, cylindrical lamp shades are the best.

And if you don’t have that? Find an area that is well-lit but not harshly exposed to light. It should be an area with light coming from one direction only, diffusing across the whole big space.

And this seems duh, but always face the direction where the light is coming from.

But if you really want to up that selfie game?

Invest in a good quality ring light for the back of your camera, or even a collapsible reflector!

2. Never use your front camera, please

We all know that selfies started blowing up when the quality of front-facing cameras on phones started having better and better quality.

So the front camera can often be our go-to when we are trying to take a nice selfie. But that’s where your mistake is!

The back camera on your phone is actually going to give you a better selfie result because the back camera is always going to have better quality.

This means your picture will be less grainy and the colour payout will be good (making you look better)!

3. Parallel lines are your best friends

So this has to do with lighting again.

And parallel lines really are your best friend when it comes to lighting.

This very simply means that the lighting for your selfie should be at your eye level.

Lighting above the eye level will cast shadows under your eye, giving you panda eyes so you pretty much wasted all that under-eye concealer.

Lighting under the eye level will make you look like you’re auditioning for The Exorcist.

So, don’t.

4. Everything about angles

Yay, angles!

And no, we aren’t talking about the ones that haunted us in math class.

Angles are super important when taking a good selfie.

If it is too low, you’ll look like you got a bazillion chins. Too high and you’ll see your eyes rolling back like you’re some possessed hantu.

Perfect angle would be placing your camera at eye-level and then tilting the camera slightly downwards.

Slightly.

5. Background plays a part too

Yes, your background plays a very important role in your selfies too!

Selfies taken against backgrounds with pale and soft hues will look the best.

If you take a selfie against a harsher coloured background like vibrant reds, greens and blues, what will happen is that the light will reflect that colour back on your face, giving your face a tinge of colour.

If that’s the look you’re going for, great!

But if not, softer coloured backgrounds will make you look the best!

6. Your face itself

No, no, this isn’t meant to be anything rude. But how you look at the camera is everything!

Especially when you don’t look like the Kardashians/Jenners.

Life can be so hard.

So instead of just smiling at the camera, try to up your selfie game with these tricks.

Relax your mouth and exhale so that air comes out through your lips. This will make you achieve the perfect model pouty look.

Try to move your head away from your neck to create an extension between face and neck! This will give you a super glam longer neck and sharper jawline!

Slightly raise your eyebrows so you look happier and your eyes will look larger!

7. Doing an outdoor selfie

It is quite inevitable that when we’re travelling or spending the day out, we might need to take a selfie on-the-go.

And you can’t really waste time trying to look around for the best lamp shade or indirect light.

Sometimes you just want to be able to take a bomb selfie outdoors.

So, just one trick for you to get that selfie!

Make sure that the sunlight is directly behind you.

And stand a little to the side so that you occupy 1/3 of the frame!

8. Photobombs

This one is a very simple tip but usually overlooked especially when you’re in a rush.

When you’re taking a selfie, just make sure you’re not being photobombed.

Or politely tell someone standing in the background if they would be so kind to please step out of frame just for a quick second.

Be polite, courteous and aware of your surroundings!

Eliminating photobombs from your selfie will make it look more professional and well-taken. You’e no idea how many good selfies were spoilt by photobombs.

9. Selfie sticks

I know this sounds kind of lame, but having a selfie stick (and using it) can be a real gamechanger.

Invest in a good quality one to remove the ‘selfie arm’ from your pictures.

Selfie sticks can also include more of your background, which is especially awesome if you are somewhere super insta-worthy!

10. Finally, editing apps

It’s no lie that most celebrities and insta-famous people edit their selfies.

You don’t need Photoshop; with apps like VSCOcam, FaceTune, Lightroom etc, it’s getting increasingly easier to edit photos.

Some apps work better for Apple users and others work better for Android users so play around with the different apps to see what works for you.

You might like something that allows you to edit the finer details, or you might like something more fuss-free.

My advice? Explore everything.

Just don’t edit yourself into someone unrecognisable!

Play around with exposure, contrast and even saturation/temperature settings to give your selfie the extra pop!

And have fun!

Love it or hate it, selfies are part of social media so it doesn’t hurt to pick up some tips and tricks on taking a good picture!

We hope this helps you and your selfie game!

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