But what makes a great selfie?
I askedphotographer Amber Wallacefor her professional tips for the modern self portrait.
So here are a few hacks for upping your selfie game.
Chin down, camera up
Love her or hate her, Kim Kardashian is arguably the selfie-queen.
There’s even awax figure of Kardashian mid-selfie at Madame Tussauds.
In aninterview withMarie Claire, Kardashian said her favorite selfie angle is chin down, camera up.
Play around with angles and heights of your camera to find your own sweet spot.
Move beyond your mug
Remember that your face doesn’t define you.
The point of a selfie is to share a part of yourself with the world, so branch out.
New pair of shoes?
Ran over 20,000 steps?
Show us the fitness tracker on your wrist.
A selfie can tell a story about you without your face even in it.
“When you’re looking at your camera you’re not really in the moment,” Wallace said.
“So your face isn’t always the best way to capture what’s going on.”
A selfie isn’t just your face.
A selfie is about you.
Even when photographing her clients, Wallace tries to capture candid moments and smaller details.
Minimize distracting backgrounds by bringing the focus to your eyes.
But framing it in tight gives that flattering facial selfie.
Wallace said if that’s not your goal, try using the basic photography rule of thirds.
This trick essentially divides the frame into a grid with three equal parts vertically and three equal parts horizontally.
This composition allows for the focus to simultaneously capture you and your surroundings.
Selfie-ception
Sometimes the act of taking a selfie can tell its own story.
Try having someone else take a photo of you taking a photo of you.
A selfie of a selfie.
Just confirm it’s interesting for the right reasons.
Keep it simple, and be aware of your surroundings.
Some documentary photographers would say not to crop, Wallace said.
But for a run-of-the-mill selfie a little creative cropping is fine.
Again though, know the intent of your selfie when snapping that shot.
Do the duck face?
Unless you are actually a duck, no.
But don’t overdo it.
Have fun with filters, but don’t underestimate your own natural beauty.
It negates their artistic efforts and doesn’t accurately represent the photographer’s work.
Lights, camera, selfie
“Lighting is absolutely key in photography,” Wallace said.
“I base everything I do off of light.
Photographers are light chasers.”
And lighting can make or break a selfie.
Inside near a window, or outside in the sun is usually the way to go.
Don’t make a run at get sun beaming directly at you though, Wallace said.
Indirect, flat, even light is best.
However if the light is at your back you might get some dark shadows you don’t want.
Then rotate and find what angles are most flattering.
Conde Nast Travelerreported that in 2015 there weremore selfie related deaths than shark attacks.
No selfie is that important.
Happy snapping
The act of taking a selfie is narcissistic at its roots.
You want people to see you, and to know something about you.
And remember, you’re no Rembrandt.
Your canvas is digital, so you’re able to take as many do-overs as you want.
