Selfies: The best tips for self-portrait

Selfies are not the only trend at the Oscars. We show you the best eleven tips for your successful smartphone self-portraits.

The best tips for good selfies

"Selfies" was voted Word of the Year in England in 2013. It is on everyone's lips now. Selfies - the self-portraits taken with a smartphone - are among the most common photo forms on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook & Co. But it is not easy to take yourself on the outstretched arm. Use these eleven tips to improve your snapshots:

1. Looking up: It often helps to hold the camera up a bit so that you don't stand in the shade. Because mostly the light comes from above. This perspective is also advantageous because your face looks slimmer than when photographed from below.
2. Avoiding conflicts: Not everyone likes to be photographed. When taking selfies in public, watch out for people in the background who may be suspicious of what you're doing.
3. Hold your breath: blurred pictures never look good. So it's best to hold your breath. This will help you take a rigid pose. In particular, try to keep your outstretched arm still with the smartphone.
4. Don't tense up: If you concentrate too much, your smile will look artificial. Your smile looks prettier when it looks natural. Think of something that made you laugh last.
5. Pay attention to the environment: Of course, spontaneous selfies are fun. Still, you may not want to share a messy table or cabinet content with the public. The best thing is still a smooth, monochrome background. Beware of mirrors and unwanted rear views.
6. Use front camera: Although the main camera of your smartphone has more megapixels: the front camera is enough for a selfie. The advantage is that you see the detail of the picture when you take the picture and you have more control.
7. Full-body selfies in front of the mirror are out: The quality is mostly bad and blurred due to the mirrored flash. Rather ask a friend to take a picture of you. Even if the result is actually a cheat "selfie".
8. Avoid laughing numbers: The network is already full of embarrassing selfies. Don't contribute to that either. With funerals - keyword Obama / Cameron-Mandela funeral - or catastrophes - keyword Georgina floods - no grin selfie fits. To the "Oscars" rather, as the 2014 award showed.
9. Change trigger: Some smartphones offer you the option to change the trigger button so that you can take photos using the hardware button. This can noticeably improve the selfie quality.
10. Think before publishing: Sharing embarrassing selfies with friends can be fun. But with the whole world? There are recruiters who study their candidates' social media profiles before hiring. Then drunken selfies are not necessarily beneficial.
11. No tape selfies: These are trendy, but they definitely don't make anyone look good.

Another practical tip tells you the five best tips for panoramic photos.