Today I come with a series of tips so that you can take the best selfies with your mobile. If you want to delve deeper into the portrait, I recommend that you read the mega guide that 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 for taking self-portraits, or selfies, whatever you want to call it. For me a selfie is to the portrait as fast food is to gastronomy. Ok, sometimes it serves fast food, and it is 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 muddle through to a proper self-portrait. These 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 silly is essential to take better selfies with your mobile. It makes the difference between a well-done portrait and one like Sara Montiel with a bad filter to hide wrinkles. If you don't want to have a diffuse layer of smoke and haze in front of your face, wipe the lens with the cloth. See the difference. What a wipe is capable of!
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 ordinary mortals' mobiles 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 with the front camera. You see the difference?
It may be tiny, like in an Instagram feed, barely noticeable, but if you want to print, enlarge, etc., you'll notice the difference. And to make it better, you just have to turn the camera around! Easy, right?
To be able to take pictures 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 doesn't have to be the typical huge tripod for SLR cameras or similar), you can place your mobile wherever you want and photograph yourself close-up or full-length.
I have this mini tripod that I reviewed at the time and it is highly recommended. It also comes with a remote shutter release, 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 that's it. In that case, the following trick will be essential for you.
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 in which you can see the toilet paper, or the meaningless toothbrushes give me sore eyes. It may be that I am a lover of prettyness but I don't see any grace in it. If at least there was an intention, but if it is due to absolute laziness or neglect, believe me, nobody is interested in them.
Let's see a comparison of funds, which do you think is better?
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, nor the objects that come out behind. Be it a street lamp, a roll of toilet paper, a trash can or a face that crosses.
Look for smooth backgrounds or that contribute something to your self-portrait, but that do not take away your prominence or make the image ugly. Obviously, the wider the shot (half length or full length), the more important the background becomes. Below is an example of a background that adds 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 beautiful tiles.
6. INSIDE THE HOUSE, LOOK FOR THE LIGHT TO TAKE THE BEST SELFIES WITH YOUR MOBILE
Run away from the bathroom, but already! Don't you have more mirrors at home? Outside of kidding... to take the best selfies indoors, get closer to light sources. If it's daytime, to a window. If it is 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 to your eyes it may seem that there is the same light in the whole room but the further you get from the window (or from the lamp), in reality there is less light and that is what the camera of your phone captures.
7. LIGHTING TO TAKE BETTER SELFIES WITH THE MOBILE
Speaking of light... you should know that it is very important from which direction the light comes from, a side light is not the same as an overhead light (from above), that's 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 appropriate light for portraits is usually soft or diffused light, which is more homogeneous, as it is more flattering to the face. Also, mobiles tend to work better in diffused light than in hard light. If you want to know more about diffused light or lighting in general, in this mega guide you will find all the tricks, tips and inspiration.
And if you want a pro level as far as selfies are concerned, there are Beauty Dish-type flashes, ring-shaped for mobile phones. For example this. The light from these flashes is much more flattering for portraits.
8. DRAMATIC PORTRAITS
However, diffused light is not the only one you can use. Hard light also has its moments and that is if you want more dramatic or creative portraits, you can resort to it.
Let the shadows play with your face in both artificial light and natural light.
9. CREATIVITY
Just because we're talking about mobile selfies doesn't mean you can't 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.
10. INTENTION
A good self-portrait is not only intended 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, do not leave them out. Take care of all these aspects.
On the other hand, it is also important that you are clear about what you are taking a self-portrait for. Is it to tell your mother that you're okay? Is it to remember tomorrow that you were on this site? Do you want to frame it and put it in your house? 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 convey must also be.
And if you want advice for these specific cases of curriculum 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, don't be afraid to run your self-portrait through an editing program, and by this I don't 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 to your hair, if you feel like it or if you want, or remove the treacherous grain that came out 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 .
Keep in mind that many of these tips also help 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 do not want to say goodbye without leaving you with a gift, the best photography applications .
