O’ what is a selfie if not for vanity? For our generation is now a well documented chronicle of the happenings within our own personal timeline. With the burst in accessibility for hand-held cameras (mobile phones, digital cameras and other devices), the term selfie and wefie has become a household word. And like all other new-age practices, you got to make sure you get it down right in style!

Here’s our guide to taking that perfect self portrait shot.

So what makes a good Selfie and Wefie? First off, it’s communicates pure, unadulterated fun! Secondly, it exudes your personal confidence, what’s currently going on with you (people, places and things) and it appeals to your own individual branding.

Let’s get the obvious out of the way first… A selfie is a self portrait whereas a wefie is the plural form where multiple people are within the shot.

Different Strokes

There are several means of taking a selfie, most notably is by having it at arms length. This is ideal mostly for vanity shots. But you could also always use a mirror for that. Other alternatives are monopods and the increasingly popular selfie stick.

Leverage on Lighting

Selfies and Wefies, like any other sort of photography requires good lighting. Take two aspects of lighting into consideration, #1 is whether it’s an indoor or outdoor shot, and #2 is your use of filters.

Indoor Vs Outdoor

Natural light is always best, as opposed to the indoor harsh fluorescent lights or yellow indoor lights. It shows off colours better and gives you a more complimentary look. As a general rule, keep the light source in front of you slightly above eye level. This softens your features without distorting your look with unsightly shadows.

If you don’t have good lighting and NEED to take that shot, most modern cameras and smart phones have an automated colour correction feature that’s just fantastic. But don’t use your flash if you can, especially when up close. The light bounces off your skin which creates glare and an unflattering glow. It also distorts your surroundings which would be a strong part of your selfie.

Filters

A lot of cameras and apps nowadays have filters that gives your photos various effects. We say go easy on it. Authentic shots are often best and your audience would focus more on your content and quality over an artificial tone. That being said, filters can also be a useful feature if used correctly. On Instagram, try ‘Sierra’ for a nice all around glow, ‘Hudson’ for a cool tone or ‘Willow’ for that black & white effect to get a more artsy approach.

Look The Part

Don’t be shy. In the world of Selfies and Wefies, it’s alright to act it, but not actually be it. Be confident in your shots. A sincere smile goes a long way, and if you want to go for that more serious look, you could always ‘smize’! A smize is term coined by Supermodel, Tyra Banks, which refers to the art of smiling with your eyes.

But before that and above all else, be confident. It’ll pop out past the camera and right to your viewer, because confidence shines.

There’s still  a little bit more on perfecting the art of taking Selfies and Wefies. Check out Part 2 of Super Selfie | Wonder Wefie right here!

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