Top tricks for taking smartphone selfies

Top tricks for taking smartphone selfies

 No one wants to appear clueless as if they are playing pranks with the camera lens./Shatterpics.com

By MUSYOKA NGUI

In this new age era people are looking for validation.  They are in dire need for being told they are okay. Better still they want to be liked, commented on and stand out. Whether that is genuine or not is a question for another day.

A senior colleague in the media industry admitted using an app that multiplies the likes on the colleague’s Facebook page when a friend or even a stranger clicks on him. You hit him and the likes flies in tens.

Do you feel happy? I asked. Yes I do. He said.

Any wonder that users are updating their profile and cover photos right left and center looking for the elusive validation. For others, it is a psychological  thing; the fear of missing out. They imagine that others are having better times than yours truly and they feel the urge to catch up so overwhelming like a scratch at the back.

Nowhere has the practice of finding visibility been toyed with more than in the selfie industry. Global smartphone makers are producing selfie phones exclusive for this purpose and customers are spending arms and legs to acquire the devices. Of course to show off. Consumerism that Pope Francis would condemn for its emphasis of physical Pharisee it is.

Taking a selfie is an art that amateurs get wrong and pros never quite master. Thus you’d see photos taken off angle and others obstructed.  To avoid this, use a timer and a selfie stick which prepares you for the photo opportunity.  No one wants to appear clueless as if they are playing pranks with the camera lens.

Let the tall photo subject hold the phone while taking selfies since they are better positioned to take the fullest view possible.

The background also matters. Busy background draws attention from the main men and women.  Choose a simple background that says “I was here” rather than the unintended venues you’d rather caught dead hanging around. Crop out objects which do not help tell the story. Remember you are looking for 1000 words, nay, 1000 likes and 1000 comments.

Photo editing software come in handy for polishing the rough edges. While they cannot entirely recreate an ugly face, they will improve the good looks that God gifted you. Keep clicking.