Tag: selfies

5 Easy Tips for Taking a Selfie Like a Pro

On July 17, 2020

Having a presence on social media is something most people put a lot of stock in. If you are trying to land a larger following, putting out new content on a regular basis is imperative. When trying to interact on platforms like Instagram, you need to ensure you have plenty of visual content. Pushing your personal brand is easy if you invest time and effort in developing great-looking selfies.

A recent study found that over 93 million selfies are taken on a daily basis. With all of the different selfies, it can be hard to garner attention on social media. This is why your main goal should be to take selfies like a pro. Luckily, there are a number of useful selfie tips that can help you up your selfie game. Below are some of the things you need to do to make your selfies look more professional.

1. Invest in a Bluetooth Remote

Getting a professional-looking selfie is a lot harder than you probably realize. Rushing through the selfie-taking process can result in a number of mistakes being made. Having the right equipment is imperative when attempting to get a great looking selfie. The main piece of equipment you need to accomplish your selfie goals is a Bluetooth remote.

These remotes allow you to control exactly when the selfie is taken. This means you will have plenty of time to adjust your shot to ensure it is appealing. If you want to avoid buying a Bluetooth remote, you need to explore the timer feature on your phone. Many modern smartphones have these timers. However, each one is different. This is why taking the time to practice with your timer is so important before attempting to use it for a selfie you publish on social media.

2. Learn How to Hold Your Phone

Newcomers to the world of selfies fail to realize that the way a phone is held during the picture taking process makes a big difference in how the picture comes out. If you fail to hold your phone correctly, your selfies will look blurry and low-quality. One of the most popular methods used by selfie enthusiasts is to hold their phones at a 45-degree angle. With this angle, you will be able to hide any unsightly chin fat that may be present.

You also need to focus on bringing your phone closer to your face. The further your phone is from your face, the harder it will be to get a high-quality selfie. As time goes by, you will find your selfie sweet spot. The key to finding this sweet spot is practicing as much as possible.

3. Telephoto Lenses are a Great Investment

One of the biggest problems you could encounter while taking selfies is photo distortion. In some cases, this distortion is unavoidable due to the quality of the camera on your phone. If you are constantly dealing with low-quality selfies, you need to consider investing in a telephoto lens for your phone. These lenses are both affordable and easy to use.

With the right telephoto lens, you can take advantage of the shallow depth of field they offer. The shallower this depth field is, the lower the likelihood of blurs occurring will become. Before buying a particular telephoto lens, look at the reviews it has. Generally, you can tell a lot about a particular lens by looking at the experience others have had with it.

4. Getting Your Lighting Right

If you want to create professional-quality selfies, you have to get your lighting right. Taking a picture in light that is too bright will wash out all of the color and definition. On the other hand, selfies taken in low light are hard to see and very unappealing. If at all possible, you need to use natural sunlight to bring out the definition in your photos.

There are also a number of standalone lights that are available for cell phones. The money invested in this equipment will be worth it considering the increase in selfie quality they will provide.

5. Get Your Selfies Noticed

Taking a professional-looking selfie is just the first step in getting noticed on social media. You also need to focus on properly tagging your photos. The tags used in your social media posts will dictate how much traction they get. Using unique captions and popular hashtags can help you reach a wider audience. Finding the right captions and hashtags will require lots of research. If you don’t have time to do this type of research, hiring a social media professional to assist you is a good idea.

Start Snapping Selfies Today!

Now that you know more about how to take professional-looking selfies, it is time to get to work. The more selfies you take, the easier it will be to create unique and appealing photos.

Wendy Dessler

Wendy Dessler is a super-connector who helps businesses find their audience online through outreach, partnerships, and networking. She frequently writes about the latest advancements in digital marketing and focuses her efforts on developing customized blogger outreach plans depending on the industry and competition.

Gen Z: When Real Meets Digital

By Mars Salazar

On November 6, 2019

In From The Nixplay Team

The next time you point to millennials as the masterminds behind a new slang word or a viral online trend, you might want to inspect another group: Gen Z. These are the people born between 1997 and 2012 and thus, have never known life without the internet.

Since their earliest years, Gen Z had been conditioned to polish and prime their online presence in order to become the most presentable version of themselves. Their selfies, for example, go through a painstaking selection and editing process before being posted online.

It’s not just the selfies

This habit of zooming in to every detail to project a picture-perfect life extends beyond selfies. Nearly all photos that make it to their social media accounts, from family pictures to food shots to travel snaps, are subject to the same stringent curation process. And they certainly wouldn’t mind going out of their comfort zones for a jaw-dropping photo.

Unclear but Present Danger

However, maintaining a Pinterest-worthy online presence has its perils. The more we rely on technology to improve our lives, the more accessible our data becomes. The laptops and mobile phones that we can’t live without could easily be used to spy on us. Everything from your location to your passwords and financial details, as well as mundane things, such as what you had for dinner last night, can be uncovered online. Data privacy is—and will always be—an ever-pressing concern, and Gen Z, given the speed at which they adopt the latest apps and trends, are the most vulnerable.

Here at Nixplay, we use the most modern physical, managerial, and technical safeguards that are designed to improve the integrity and security of your photos, videos, and other personally identifiable information. The servers on which personal information is stored are kept in a controlled environment with limited access, and your data is encrypted and protected using the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol. Nixplay is also GDPR-compliant, and we will let you access and even delete your data that we store, upon your request.

Your online safety and privacy is our priority. With Nixplay, you can ensure that you’re sharing your moments safely and securely.

Mars Salazar

Marianne is Nixplay’s Web Content Editor. Her hobbies include exploring new places, playing table tennis, and cuddling puppies. Send her a message at marianne.salazar@nixplay.com.

How To Improve Your Selfie Game This 2019

By Nixplay Team

On February 18, 2019

In Photography

We’re almost two months into 2019—time just flies, huh? That said, have you changed your profile pictures already? While it’s far from being a necessity, it’s a nice way to edit and reevaluate your social media presence. The easiest way to do this is to take a selfie and get on with your day, but it has to be a really good selfie to be considered profile picture-worthy.

So, how exactly can you take a selfie that’s majestic enough to be featured prominently online? Read on for some easy tips. Don’t forget to display your best selfies on your Nixplay frame!

Use the rear camera.

While the front camera lets you examine how you look while you’re taking your pictures, the lens’ resolution is admittedly less clear. The rear camera has a higher resolution compared to the front camera, resulting in clearer, more defined images. Using the rear camera also forces you to look at the lens instead of your phone’s screen, letting you engage with your selfies’ viewers in a better way.

Find your light.

The key to looking great in all your photos is to look for the most flattering light source and face it. But choose your light carefully. Harsh, fluorescent white light can be extremely unflattering, so opt for natural light as often as possible. Take your selfies outdoors or near windows, when the sun isn’t so high up in the sky. The few hours after sunrise and before sunset, in particular, can bathe you in a beautiful golden glow. If there’s no source of natural light, opt for warm yellow indoor light instead.

Mind your background.

Look for pretty wallpaper, vibrantly hued walls, colorful tiles, or picturesque sweeping views. These seemingly small details will go a long way in making your selfies more interesting and more worthy to be a replacement for your current profile picture. But before you take that photo, don’t forget to check your background first. Look for wires, mess, or trash that you can take out of the frame. And if you’re taking a selfie at a particularly beautiful bathroom—for the love of all that is photogenic, please keep the toilet bowl out of the frame!

Don’t over-edit!

It’s okay to do minimal edits to your selfies: minimize eyebags, neutralize red spots, and adjust the lighting to achieve a great glow. But don’t go overboard and start resizing your nose and shaving your jawline! Too much editing will make you scarcely recognizable, turning you into a completely different person. You want to still be recognizable in your selfies, not to look like a cartoon version of yourself.

Angle away.

You probably have at least one friend who always looks good in all her photos. Either your friend is just really good-looking, or maybe he or she just knows all the most flattering angles. Practice your poses in front of the mirror, and try different angles and smiles until you find the perfect angle: One that elongates your neck, conceals your eye bags, and just makes you look like a better version of yourself.