Today I come with a series of tips so that you can make yourself the best selfies with your mobile. If you want to delve deeper into portraiture, I recommend you read the mega guide we have with all the tips and tricks. And if, let’s talk about portraits or any other type of photos, mobile photography is your thing, this other mega guide will come in handy. In this article I am going to focus on the self-portrait with the smartphone.
Beyond the typical selfie with a photo (or duck face), your mobile is an excellent tool to take self-portraits, or selfies as you want to call it. For me a selfie is the portrait like the fast food to gastronomy. Ok, sometimes fast food is served, and even enjoyed, but it has nothing to do with a good dish. That is what I want with this article, that you go from fast food to a dish worthy of a great restaurant. That is, from a selfie to get out of trouble to a proper self-portrait. Here are the tips to take better selfies with your smartphone:
- clean the lens
- Use the rear camera
- use a tripod
- Activate the timer
- take care of the background
- Inside the house
- Diffused light
- dramatic portraits
- Creativity
- Intention
- Edition
Let’s see them in detail.
1. Clean the lens
This step that seems like bullshit is essential to take better selfies with your mobile. It marks the difference between a well-done portrait and one like Sara Montiel with a bad filter to hide wrinkles. If you do not want to have in front of your face a diffuse layer between the smoke and the fog, pass the cloth to the lens. Look at the difference. What a cloth can do!
With dirty lens With clean lens
2. Use the rear camera to take better selfies with your mobile
Except for a few high-end mobiles designed for selfie lovers, the front cameras of the mobiles of common mortals are worse than the rear ones. Let’s see an example, same person, same place, moment, lighting, etc… On the left with the rear camera, on the right front camera. You see the difference?
iPhone 6 rear camera iPhone 6 front camera
It may be small, like in an Instagram feed, hardly noticeable, but if you want to print, enlarge, etc., you will notice the difference. And to improve it, you just have to turn the camera upside down! Easy, right?
Use the rear camera for your mobile self-portraits and you will notice the difference
To be able to take photos with the rear camera, the following two tips will help you.
3. Use a tripod
If you place your camera on a mini tripod (it does not have to be the typical huge tripod of SLR cameras or similar), you can place your mobile wherever you want and photograph yourself in close-up or full body.
I have this mini tripod that I reviewed at the time and it is highly recommended. It also comes with a remote shutter, which is a plus. But there are many more options for mini tripods and also other types of mobile tripods.
And if you don’t have one, you can place the phone on any stable surface and you’re good to go. In that case, the following trick will be essential for you.
Self-portrait with tripod and self-timer activated
4. Activate the timer
Any phone has a timer or firing delay that can be 2, 3, 5 or 10 seconds, depending on the mobile model. They usually offer at least two or three time options. To self-portrait is most useful.
5. Take care of the background
I don’t know about you, but those selfies in the bathroom where you can see toilet paper, or toothbrushes without any meaning give me eye pain. Could it be that I am a lover of niceness but I don’t see any fun in it. If at least there was an intention but if it is due to absolute laziness or neglect, believe me that nobody is interested.
Let’s see a comparison of funds, which do you think is better?
Plain Background Background Shower Curtain
And it is that the background is very important if you want to take better selfies with your mobile. On the one hand, because the background cannot be distracting. In a portrait, the center of interest is the self-portrayed person, not the mobile phone, nor the objects behind it. Be it a lamppost, a roll of toilet paper, a trash can or a crossing face.
Look for plain backgrounds or backgrounds that add something to your self-portrait, but that do not detract from the limelight or affect the image. Obviously, the wider the shot (half-length or full-length), the more important the background becomes. Below is an example of a background that provides context to the image.
Background that provides context to the image
A trick to improve the background when it cannot be changed is to modify the shooting angle. A sky can always give a good game, or even lie on the grass or on some pretty tiles.
6. Inside the house, look for the light to take the best selfies with your mobile
Run away from the bathroom, but now! Don’t you have more mirrors at home? Kidding aside… to take the best selfies indoors, get close to light sources. If it’s daytime, to a window. If it is at night, to a lamp (never under the ceiling lamp). Table or floor lamps are more recommended because they affect your face in a more flattering way.
And it is that for your eyes it may seem that there is the same light in the whole room but the further you go from the window (or the lamp), in reality there is less light and that is what the camera of your phone captures.
come closer to the light
7. Lighting to make better selfies with the mobile
Speaking of light… you should know that it is very important from which direction the light comes from, a lateral light is not the same as an overhead light (from above), that is why I told you about running away from the ceiling lamp. Because this light that comes from above is not very flattering. The front shows more details, and the side adds volume.
On the other hand, the most suitable light for portraits is usually soft or diffused light that is more homogeneous, since it is more flattering to the face. Also, mobiles tend to work better in diffuse light than in hard light. If you want to know more about diffused light or about lighting in general, in this mega guide you will find all the tricks, tips and inspiration.
And if you want a pro level when it comes to selfies, there are Beauty Dish-type flashes, in the shape of a ring for mobile phones. For example this. The light from these flashes is much more flattering for portraits.
Ring-shaped flash for very flattering photos
8. Dramatic portraits
However, diffused light is not the only one you can use. Hard light also has its moments and if you want more dramatic or creative portraits, you can use it.
Let the shadows play with your face in both artificial and natural light.
9. Creativity
That we talk about selfies with the mobile does not mean that you can not leave room for creativity. I recommend that, whenever it is appropriate according to what I tell you in tip 10, you try to do something original and creative.
Use reflections, shadows, double exposure, natural frames or even mobile lenses to expand your creative possibilities.
creative selfie
10. Intent
A good self-portrait not only aims to show your face as others see it, they already do that without the need for you to click with your mobile or whatever camera. A good self-portrait should tell something about your personality, it should tell the world who you are. Your clothes, the context, your gestures, will say a lot about you, don’t leave them out. Take care of all these aspects.
On the other hand, it is also important that you are clear about why you are taking a self-portrait. Is it to tell your mother that you’re okay? Is it to remember the day after tomorrow that you were in this place? Do you want to frame it and put it in your home? Is it maybe a photo for a resume? Or a portrait for your social networks?
First answer this question and then plan your self-portrait, because they are very different reasons and, therefore, self-portraits and what they transmit must also be.
And if you want advice for these specific cases of resume or social networks look in the magnifying glass (in the menu, top right), because in the blog we have dedicated an article to each topic.
11. Edit your selfies
Editing is the final phase of your photography, do not be afraid to pass your self-portrait through an editing program, and by this I do not mean that you leave your skin like that of the baby above, which is made of plastic, but that you adjust exposure, contrast , intensity, that you add texture in the hair, if you feel like it or if you want, or remove the treacherous pimple that you have this morning. A mole or a wrinkle is part of you, a pimple is just an annoying visitor that won’t be there in two days, why should it be immortalized in your photo?
Well, that, the level of editing or retouching depends on you, or what you want the selfie for. And there are options to bore. Here are a few alternatives to Photoshop to edit your photos.
Editing selfie in Pixlr X
Keep in mind that many of these tips also serve you not only to take better selfies with your mobile, but for any portrait you take, it does not have to be of you, it can be of your partner, your colleagues or any member of your family. And why not…? to your pet!
We have reached the end of this article but I don’t want to say goodbye without leaving you with a gift, the best photography apps.
I hope you found it useful, if so, please share it. Spread the word so we can end bathroom selfies once and for all 😉 Thanks a million!