Where Do I Hold My Camera To Take A Good Selfie

It's fun to make fun of selfies, and fifty-fifty more fun to make fun of the people taking them ( particularly if they're holding a selfie stick). But, permit'due south face it, forepart-facing photos are hither to stay, then y'all might too make them look as good as possible.

That can be a challenge. For one thing, your arm is only and then long (hence the popularity of the sticks). Then in that location's the awkwardness of trying to printing or tap buttons while holding your arm steady and non blocking the lens. Oh, and lighting? Unless you lot're standing outside during daytime, selfies oft plough out night or dirty.

Granted, newer phones are making these snapshots easier, cheers to features like wider-angle lenses and front end-facing LEDs or even screens that pull flash duty. Just in that location are several ways to improve the quality of your front-facing photos regardless of which phone you take. I'll share my five favorites; you hit the comments and add your recommendations for selfie salvation.

Friends hanging out at large exterior music festival, in the sunset.
Klaus Vedfelt, Getty Images

ane. Angle up

Your arm, that is. When you hold your camera at eye-level or below, you increase the risk of chins. And chins are selfie enemy no. 1. And then when you stretch out your arm, make certain information technology's above your head, angled downwards toward your face(s). That way you'll take to tilt your head(south) up slightly, which easily and finer solves this "chin-justice."

2. Use the self-timer

Information technology'southward hard enough to agree your arm steady when information technology'due south outstretched. When you add the pressing of a button or tapping of the screen to fire the shutter, a little camera-shake is all but inevitable. Result: blurred selfies.

Thankfully, most photographic camera apps include a self-timer choice, and while that may impale a little of the spontaneity, it'll assist reduce the shake. That'due south because you can focus on holding the telephone steady without the acrobatics of pressing the shutter-release. Added bonus: The extra few seconds gives everyone time to think to await at the actual camera lens instead of staring at the screen or (y'all know who you are) Dwelling house button.

3. Add together a flash

Efanr

If you don't have an iPhone 6S or i of the handful of phones that has front-facing LEDs, you demand a way to illuminate your confront. Especially for those indoor/nighttime/clubbing/haunted-house shots. More than low-cal equals better pictures, menstruation. (I know there are exceptions, but yous take hold of my drift.)

Android users tin effort an app-based solution like Selfie Light, which merely blasts light from the screen. And all users tin can spring for a rechargeable, cocky-powered LED fill lite that plugs into your telephone'southward headphone jack.

Simply hit upwardly Amazon and eBay and search for "selfie wink." There are a number of identical-looking products that have 16 LEDs and rechargeable batteries, though some have the added benefit of three brightness settings instead of simply "on" and "off." These range from $iii to $nine depending on whether they're shipped from China or the US. (Yous can find them for around £2 in the UK or AU$3 in Australia.)

Either way, it'south an awfully cheap fix for depression-light photos. And, of course, you can spin the LEDs effectually to add light to your rear-photographic camera photos too.

4. Make your phone easier to grip

Simply flip your hand over for a more secure, comfortable selfie grip. Lazy-Easily

One reason selfie sticks are then popular is they relieve you of the uncomfortable claw-like grip that's typically required to concord your phone at arm's length. But at that place are other options for easier hand-holds, namely Lazy-Easily and Ninja Loop.

Lazy-Hands adds a gear up of finger loops to the back of your telephone. This not only helps you grip it more than securely (and operate information technology 1-handed more hands), just also gives you a more than comfy way to hold the phone during selfies. Instead of gripping it at the edges, you tin can slide your fingers through the loops. Prices start at $ix.99 (around £6.fifty or AU$fourteen).

If you want something a little less beefy and obtrusive, Ninja Loop affords a similar finger-powered telephone grip. And that wasn't even a gene when I suggested it might be the best six bucks y'all could spend on your smartphone.

5. Hang your phone on a wall or window instead

Look, ma, no hands! NanoHold suctions your phone to any non-porous surface. Selfie-time! Eoseek

Forget the selfie stick; how well-nigh a self-sticking phone instead? That's the idea behind NanoHold, which started out on Kickstarter merely is now a shipping product.

For $6 (about £iv or AU$8) you get a specially designed glutinous-pad that adheres to the back of your telephone or flat case. Then you can just magically attach it to just well-nigh any flat, nonporous surface (such as a window or whiteboard). Presto! Now yous tin can use the same self-timer (or an app similar CamMe) for hands-free, zip-shake selfies.

The NanoHold isn't designed to stick your phone to a wall for hours, merely it can certainly hold it there long enough to snap some photos.