How to Take a Great Selfie: 12 Techniques

The selfie is important because being visible is important to our sense of self. To our identities.

As we travel solo we are not visible to those who count in our lives. We are evolving without being seen by family and friends-those who are the witnesses to our lives. While this is, to some degree, the reason for traveling solo, being seen by those same people is also important.

When we return home with photos of ourselves in front of a waterfall we’ve just hiked to, with a new friend we’ve just made, or at one end of a landmark bridge we're about to cross, we have the goods with which to make the witnesses to the rest of our lives witnesses to our growth as solo travelers as well.

Essentially:

1. With a selfie, the important people in your life can witness a more complete you.
2. A selfie is a great, weightless, inexpensive souvenir.
3. As you're taking a selfie it becomes evident that you're traveling solo so you may meet new people as a result.
4. Friends and family want to see pictures of you more than of pretty places. They'll happily view your photos with you.
5. Selfies help complete the record of your life. Looking back through travels, selfie photos will be more meaningful than those without you.

How to Take a Great Selfie

Fewer people, unless for professional purposes or because they are photography enthusiasts, carry cameras when traveling these days, opting instead for the increasingly great picture capability of smartphones. Here are my top tips for capturing a great selfie on your journeys.

1. Don't use the wide angle lens as it distorts faces. Use 1 – 2x crop and stand back if possible. This can be a challenge as you likely want the background/context to be clear. See tip #2.
2. Use the rear camera on your phone when possible as it produces better quality photos. This is easier if you use a timer, watch control, or voice shutter, depending on the abilities of your camera.
3. When you use the front camera on your phone so that you can see yourself, do not look at yourself. Look at the lens of the camera.
4. Choose your light carefully for the most flattering results. The golden hours are 1 hour after sunrise and 1 hour before sunset. If you're inside, stand beside a window, never in front of it. If it's mid day and you're outside, find some shade.
5. Angle your camera or phone from slightly above eye level for a better jaw line and because it causes you to open your eyes wider.
6. Turn your head on a slight angle with your forehead slightly towards the lens.
7. Portrait mode can be good but keep the blur to moderate.
8. On your phone, tap on your face so the camera will adjust exposure to your skin.
9. Make sure that there are no objects such as smokestacks or flowerpots positioned above and behind you so that they don't appear to be springing out of your head in the photo.
10. Don't be shy to send a big smile into the camera. So what if people around are looking at you oddly? You're happy and your photos should reflect that.
11. Edit lightly if you want. Over processing removes the moment from the photo.
12. Take multiple photos; choose the best and delete the rest.

Still not sold on selfies? You might want to try something like Flytographer for a professional photo shoot at your destination. You might also enjoy Tracey's story of finding another way to have a visual memento from a trip: A Creative Solution to My Selfie Problems.