How to Get Perfect Lighting for Your Selfies

There’s no such thing as an ugly person, just ugly lighting. Since it’s safe to assume we don’t have access to 24-hour diffused sunlight for prime picture taking, we have to make do with the light we have. Nothing makes a photo better than great light. Whether you’re photographing indoors, outdoors or making do with lighting at night, these tips should help you take a bomb selfie.🔥

If you’re photographing indoors…

1. Find a large window

   The bigger the better. No really, find the biggest window in the space you’re in. The more natural light you can bring into your selfie the better.

2. Just face it...

   That was a play on words, but I mean it! Make sure you face the light so the natural sunlight is beaming towards you. Giving you that glooooww.
   

3. Keep it even

   Find a spot where the lighting is even. You want full sun or full shade – no in-betweens... If you have a mixture of both you risk having unwanted shadows and editing your image will get tricky. 

If you’re photographing outdoors…

1. Find your spot

   Similar to taking photos indoors, you need to find a spot where the lighting is even with either full sun or full shade. The biggest thing to focus on is to make sure you have even light not only on your face, but on the background too!

2. Check yo’ selfie

   Before you wreck yo’ selfie... Turn on your phone’s selfie camera to check that the lighting is good. Reposition yourself until you see the lighting looks ideal. I typically keep selfie mode on and turn in a circular motion until it looks ideal - yes, you’ll look like a crazy lady.

3. That perfect angle.

   You may have found the perfect light, but how ‘bout that angle? Move around and tilt your camera different ways. There’s something about finding that angle that highlights your cheekbones and makes ya look like you’ve been to the gym more than you have.😉

If you’re photographing at night…

1. Keep your lighting at eye level

   Make sure you keep any source of light as level to your eye as possible. Any light above or below you could cause an unwanted shadow. This means you might look up toward a light on the ceiling and photograph a selfie from above for great light, or turn toward the nearest lamp.

2. Invest in a selfie light

   Sounds lame, but it works! You can find pretty cheap selfie lights on Amazon that hook up to your phone and are the perfect angle for your self-portrait. It gives off a bright illuminating glow, enough to increase the quality and brightness of your picture.

3. Find a brighter background

   So you lack light... don’t tell me you lack a bright wall too?😩 Try to find a bright backdrop for your nighttime selfie if ya can. Taking a selfie with a dark colored background will add more shade and grainy resolution to your photo, whereas lighter backgrounds reflect more light for your phone to capture.

4. How close can ya go?

   Anyone else read that in ‘DJ Caspers – Cha Cha Slide’ tune?😜 The closer you can get to a light source, the brighter your photo will be. Getting closer to your light source (especially near your face) will help focus your image.

Ready, set, SNAP! It’s time to take that fire selfie. Nothing creates a better selfie than using the light you have in the best way. Focus on these tips no matter where you are and you should be able to create some amazing content.