What is the Perfect Selfie?

Had a friend ask me about writing a blog for the perfect selfie.  Thought that was an interesting idea, so here goes mine.

Current State of the Selfie

Let's face it, most selfies I see are nothing special really, from a photography standpoint.  People have been shooting photos of themselves for decades or longer.  They put their camera on a tripod, set a timer or grab a remote shutter, go get in place, and shoot.  To me, the term "seflie" is just a new fad name.  Although, I guess they do tend to be facial closeups.

Why Shoot a Selfie?

A selfie is just another photo, no more, no less.  Just like any photo, the first question is: "What do you want to accomplish?"

• Do you simply want to put your face on social media, such as Instagram, Facebook, Google+?
• Do you want a nice portrait?
• Do you just want family and friends to see a recent photo of you.
• Do you want to be funny?
• Do you want to capture a moment?
• Do you want some sort of response and reaction and what?
• Do you want something outside the norm, special effects, be different?

The Approach

To me the approach to taking a selfie is no different than shooting any other photo.  Want a nice selfie, think it through a little.  You don't need to use a professional type approach, unless you want to.  In fact, I recently posted an article: Three Easy Casual Photography Tips that apply to selfies as well as any other photo, so go check that out.

Also, try to be creative, so the response is more than, well there's another selfie.

Different Spins on Selfies

Self Portrait

To me, this isn't really a quick selfie like those you commonly see.  Get a nice clean scene or backdrop.  Set your camera on a tripod.  Use a camera timer or remote shutter release.

Casual Snapshot

Hey, just fire away, but try to make the photo somewhat interesting.  Maybe add something cool or different.  Nothing fancy here.

Funny Photo

Remember, funny is subjective and in the eye of the beholder.  So, don't be offended if you don't get the response your were looking for.  MAYBE, one way to be humorous is to do a composite, pasting two photos together.  Again, everything is subjective.  This one is VERY subjective. LOL

Special Effects

The above photo definitely fits into this category.  But here's a few more ideas.

Reflections

Long Exposure

 

Props

Of course, the main idea is to have fun. :-)