Fancy taking your own travel snaps of yourself? FujiFilm’s Warwick Williams has some tips.
Lens
A mobile phone camera has, compared to the human eye, a wide-angle lens, so it distorts your features. It is possible to lessen this issue by moving the phone further away from yourself but the average human arm, even if extended by a selfie stick, is really not long enough to avoid this issue altogether.
Arms
Speaking of arms, avoid shooting down the length of your arm. Remember that holding the phone at higher angles naturally increases shoulder size, not always desirable! Selfie sticks can avoid this issue.
Angle
Why people shoot pictures from low angles mystifies me – it always looks like there is something nefarious going on, but if you want that Blair Witch style, go for it. Ladies generally should not do this as it exaggerates the neck and jaw and makes you look more masculine.
Lighting
Avoid backlit scenes that will result in your face being heavily shadowed and the background being blown out. What is the point of a selfie that shows nothing of where you actually are when the picture was taken?
Flash
Flash can be used to overcome dark shadowing but the average phone simply doesn’t have the flash power to achieve this effectively, so generally speaking, try and avoid flash altogether.
Editing
While a little rotation or cropping can enhance the appearance of your picture, Photoshopping changes the truth of your photo. I remember sitting on a tour bus in Jamaica while the woman in the next seat used her tablet to edit every single image of herself shot during the day – slimming her waist, increasing the size of her bust, enhancing her eyes. What a shame she couldn’t just enjoy the photos of a wonderful trip!
Use a camera
Fujifilm’s X-A5 and X-T100 cameras have flip-around screens that offer the quality of a real camera with the ability to take great selfies. Better still, you can control your camera via your mobile phone when it is sitting several metres away from you! No more distorted faces, arms in the shot or half cropped friends! A camera will always take a better photograph than a phone.
Attitude
The final rule is to be original and have fun. While sitting on a beach on the Isle of Pines recently, I was amazed by a couple who spent two entire hours on this beautiful beach shooting individual selfies, not photos together. Aside from missing out on having fun as a couple in this gorgeous tropical location, they didn’t look happy either. Give the camera a smile, or, if like me, you feel a bit uncomfortable shooting yourself, develop your own selfie style.
Safety first
However you choose to shoot your selfies PLEASE be aware of your surroundings. Watch for busy roads, cliffs and other people as you compose your perfect shot.
