Find your light Turn toward the light source and get close enough that you are sufficiently illuminated. If your back is to the light, your image will be dark in comparison. The LuMee smartphone case ($49.95, lumeecase.com), favored by none other than the selfie-loving Kardashian clan, eliminates this problem by illuminating its subjects with LED lights placed directly into the phone case. The strategically positioned lighting instantly brightens any face, ensuring superior selfies every time.
Know your angles Everyone has a good side and an even better side. Discover your best side and most flattering angles, and stick with them. These can be interchanged with various facial expressions to create a myriad of combinations, but this way you will ensure you are always putting your best face forward. You can use a smartphone app (see “App magic”) to invert the picture to make it appear that it was taken from the opposite side, which will add variety to your selfie portfolio.
Flip the script Newer smartphone models have a lens located on the front of the phone which can be enabled for a mirror-like effect so you can see yourself on the screen. Using this feature allows you to see your facial expressions and easily control the end result. Now all of those bathroom poses can be put to good use in the form of a lasting image.
Dress the part Make sure your styling—hair, makeup, accessories, outfit—reflects the image you want to portray. For instance, a face free of makeup, adorned with hat and glasses, may be perfect for a beach shot. But for a more versatile portrait, indoors or out, a full face of makeup and a smashing outfit go the distance. Make the effort to look extra-polished. What seems like overkill in real life translates to an attractive, more youthful-looking you on screen.
App magic Create selfie art with the limitless phone apps available for download. My go-to apps are Camera360 (free) and Afterlight ($0.99) for total photo retouching; YouCam Makeup (free) to add lashes and makeup and to adjust skin and eye color; Pic Stitch (free) to create collages and add text and props; PEP-Fotolr ($2.99) to create customized, artistic effects via overlays, and Real Cover (free) to turn any finished product into a magazine cover. Retouching is about balance. You want to put forth a believable yet highly attractive version of yourself. From there, you can add the artwork to desired effect.
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