Selfie bible: how to take the best selfies in the world
Selfie! It was declared word of the
year for 2013 by the Oxford Dictionary.
Studies have shown that the use of the word has increased by 70,000 per cent in the last one year. For every 10 pictures on Instagram, four are currently selfies. For most people under the age of 31, one third of all pictures they now take are selfies. The top 10 most recently retweeted tweets on Twitter have a selfie involved.
You get the drift; selfies are the super-hot 'it' thing right now. And that is rather unfortunate!
Studies have shown that the use of the word has increased by 70,000 per cent in the last one year. For every 10 pictures on Instagram, four are currently selfies. For most people under the age of 31, one third of all pictures they now take are selfies. The top 10 most recently retweeted tweets on Twitter have a selfie involved.
You get the drift; selfies are the super-hot 'it' thing right now. And that is rather unfortunate!
Distorted Nightmare
There really is nothing more annoying than a selfie. Apart from the whole narcissistic angle to it all, psychiatrists have called too many selfie posts as a cry for help and an affirmation of low self-esteem. Selfies are also the worst way to get attention.
There really is nothing more annoying than a selfie. Apart from the whole narcissistic angle to it all, psychiatrists have called too many selfie posts as a cry for help and an affirmation of low self-esteem. Selfies are also the worst way to get attention.
Think about it. Would you go up to
somebody at a party with a distorted face, your nose looking twice as thick,
holding your chin sky high, sucking your cheeks in, pouting your lips and
distorting your body at an angle and ask them what they think of you? Obviously
not, so why would you do that to yourself in a picture sent out to every single
human being you know personally? Lots of people spend a good part of their day
untagging themselves from pictures that they don't look good in, yet also keep
posting selfies in which they look much worse.
The tech of it all
There's a reason why it is almost impossible to look good in a selfie. First of all, due to the technology involved in reeling off a self image, you are destined to look truly terrible. Most front cameras have terrible optics, no flash, distort the image and angle and can't handle very bright or low-light situations.
There's a reason why it is almost impossible to look good in a selfie. First of all, due to the technology involved in reeling off a self image, you are destined to look truly terrible. Most front cameras have terrible optics, no flash, distort the image and angle and can't handle very bright or low-light situations.
Plus, the very act of taking a
selfie (hold camera as far as possible with one hand, then move the camera and
keep staring at a screen till image looks acceptable, then using the same hand
or other hand, press screen or button to fire off the selfie) makes sure that
the picture is shaky and distorted.
The only selfies that technically come out well are those taken in front of a mirror, but then how many pictures of yourself can you take while prancing and preening in your bathroom?
The only selfies that technically come out well are those taken in front of a mirror, but then how many pictures of yourself can you take while prancing and preening in your bathroom?
A lost cause
While I may rave and rant as much as I want about the embarrassing new world of selfies, I also know that I am a rare minority. The world has gone 'selfie crazy' and it is my duty to make sure that if I can't stop this frightening image explosion, I can at least try to make sure that the quality of selfies is improved. Here then is the selfie bible - best camera and camera phones to take selfies, apps that can improve your selfie-taking abilities pre and post as well as a 101 on how to take the best selfies in the world!
While I may rave and rant as much as I want about the embarrassing new world of selfies, I also know that I am a rare minority. The world has gone 'selfie crazy' and it is my duty to make sure that if I can't stop this frightening image explosion, I can at least try to make sure that the quality of selfies is improved. Here then is the selfie bible - best camera and camera phones to take selfies, apps that can improve your selfie-taking abilities pre and post as well as a 101 on how to take the best selfies in the world!
Best Camera Phones To Do The Deed
It's sad but true. Phones
today sell on their selfie-taking ability. Here then are the top snappers to
feed your narcissism.
Samsung
Galaxy K Zoom
Fantastic optics, 10X optical zoom and a Selfie mode that is truly intelligent. Mark a spot on the screen where you want your face to appear in a selfie, turn the phone around, start panning and the camera recognises you and takes the picture automatically. Plus, a Beauty mode that apparently makes you look much prettier and doesn't care if you are a man or woman.
Gionee E7 Mini
The optics are great with a 13.0-MP camera, 12 levels of Auto Beauty modes and a Phone Booth mode that adds backgrounds to your selfie. But it's the swivel camera that really makes the big difference, as you can just turn around the back camera and take a really good selfie.
Fantastic optics, 10X optical zoom and a Selfie mode that is truly intelligent. Mark a spot on the screen where you want your face to appear in a selfie, turn the phone around, start panning and the camera recognises you and takes the picture automatically. Plus, a Beauty mode that apparently makes you look much prettier and doesn't care if you are a man or woman.
Gionee E7 Mini
The optics are great with a 13.0-MP camera, 12 levels of Auto Beauty modes and a Phone Booth mode that adds backgrounds to your selfie. But it's the swivel camera that really makes the big difference, as you can just turn around the back camera and take a really good selfie.
Oppo
N1
It is built from the ground-up to take selfies. This too has a swivel camera but goes two steps further. A Bluetooth remote control to click pictures, plus the back of the phone is touch-sensitive thus enabling you to snap a picture by tapping behind.
It is built from the ground-up to take selfies. This too has a swivel camera but goes two steps further. A Bluetooth remote control to click pictures, plus the back of the phone is touch-sensitive thus enabling you to snap a picture by tapping behind.
LG
G Pro 2
This one uses street smarts to ensure your selfie is well lit and has uniform lighting. As soon as you use the front camera for a selfie, it illuminates the outer edges of the screen with a very bright light, which has enough of a throw to brighten up everything right in front of it.
This one uses street smarts to ensure your selfie is well lit and has uniform lighting. As soon as you use the front camera for a selfie, it illuminates the outer edges of the screen with a very bright light, which has enough of a throw to brighten up everything right in front of it.
Sony
Xperia Z2
Great optics, plus the BIONZ mobile image-processing engine takes good pictures in low-light conditions and eliminates blur. Plus, it's waterproof, which means this may be your only choice in getting your first swimming pool underwater selfie.
Great optics, plus the BIONZ mobile image-processing engine takes good pictures in low-light conditions and eliminates blur. Plus, it's waterproof, which means this may be your only choice in getting your first swimming pool underwater selfie.
A
Promise and a Request
Lots of other manufacturers are adding selfie-friendly features like a wide angle front camera lens and even voice command picture clicking. But the whole selfie ecosystem needs more than just camera phones to stop the nightmare of distorted pictures that keep appearing around us. Cameras, apps and tips to become the best selfie photographer in the world shall make their appearance next week. Till then, don't you dare click another selfie and frighten the world even more!
Rajiv MakhniHT Br, May 18
Lots of other manufacturers are adding selfie-friendly features like a wide angle front camera lens and even voice command picture clicking. But the whole selfie ecosystem needs more than just camera phones to stop the nightmare of distorted pictures that keep appearing around us. Cameras, apps and tips to become the best selfie photographer in the world shall make their appearance next week. Till then, don't you dare click another selfie and frighten the world even more!
Rajiv MakhniHT Br, May 18
The Controversy
I’m going to kick things off by acknowledging that last week’s column and part one of this Selfie Bible generated great controversy. Eventually, Twitter and Facebook started off a huge debate about how creative photography was being killed off by the ubiquity and easy accessibility of cameraphones.
How the very fact that everyone now has a camera in their pocket, ready to fire at any time, is resulting in brain-dead images all over the world. While that wasn’t the purpose of the column, I do agree with some parts of that thought, and, this is something I will explore in a future column.
The Other Contenders
The second huge reaction was about some of the typical smartphones that have a rabid fan following but didn’t make it to my list. Let me explore those here but do keep in mind that the criterion is that the phone should have a significant technological leap forward to take better selfies.
First off is the iPhone 5S (I was super fire-flamed for not having it in my list). This phone does have a great camera, good optics, a true-tone flash and does a fantastic job in semi dark shots, But all of those are reserved for the back camera. The front camera (1.2 megapixel) is pretty much a Face Time optimised camera and doesn’t pull off good selfies at all. You will have to use add-on apps (check below) to get a good selfie.
Then, there is the Nokia 1020, arguably the best camera phone in the world and yes, it can pull off fantastic selfies as you can turn the camera around and shoot at will and then crop down to the best selfie part with no loss of quality due to its amazing megapixel count.
The HTC One (M8) too is super selfie friendly with a 5.0-megapixel wide-angle front camera so that more of you and other selfie narcissists can fit into one picture.
There are also standalone cameras (notoriously bad for selfies) that fit the ‘professional selfie’ profile and the one that stands out is the Samsung NX Mini with a 180-degree flip-around screen, interchangeable lenses and WiFi enabled to get that selfie onto your social networks with some nice face-touch up-software.
The ultimate selfie wearable device could well be the Narrative Clip, a small clip-on camera that automatically shoots two pictures every minute and creates a Lifeblog of all that you did.
The second huge reaction was about some of the typical smartphones that have a rabid fan following but didn’t make it to my list. Let me explore those here but do keep in mind that the criterion is that the phone should have a significant technological leap forward to take better selfies.
First off is the iPhone 5S (I was super fire-flamed for not having it in my list). This phone does have a great camera, good optics, a true-tone flash and does a fantastic job in semi dark shots, But all of those are reserved for the back camera. The front camera (1.2 megapixel) is pretty much a Face Time optimised camera and doesn’t pull off good selfies at all. You will have to use add-on apps (check below) to get a good selfie.
Then, there is the Nokia 1020, arguably the best camera phone in the world and yes, it can pull off fantastic selfies as you can turn the camera around and shoot at will and then crop down to the best selfie part with no loss of quality due to its amazing megapixel count.
The HTC One (M8) too is super selfie friendly with a 5.0-megapixel wide-angle front camera so that more of you and other selfie narcissists can fit into one picture.
There are also standalone cameras (notoriously bad for selfies) that fit the ‘professional selfie’ profile and the one that stands out is the Samsung NX Mini with a 180-degree flip-around screen, interchangeable lenses and WiFi enabled to get that selfie onto your social networks with some nice face-touch up-software.
The ultimate selfie wearable device could well be the Narrative Clip, a small clip-on camera that automatically shoots two pictures every minute and creates a Lifeblog of all that you did.
Apps that do the trick
There are thousands of these that claim the perfect selfie features. Some that stand out are Selfie Studio, which uses the front screen as a flash and adds special effects and colours through smart use of the screen backlight. Frontback that takes a picture with the front and back camera simultaneously to give you the ultimate dual selfie.
Perfect 365, which is literally the first augmented-reality selfie app to hide skin imperfections, make you look thinner, add make-up and change your hairstyle or the colour of your eyes. In fact, it’s scary what all it can do. FaceSnap uses room scanning technology to tell you where to take the perfect selfie by analysing light conditions and recognising you and clicking the selfie handsfree.
CamMe which has a live photobooth feature, fun shots and a guide that hand-holds you on how to get Selfies that truly shine (it’ll tell you what to do with your hands and hold a posture). MomentCam which will transform your selfie into a surprisingly accurate cartoon character with extra add-ons.
Aviary, which can whiten your teeth, generate awesome memes but its forte is adding actors and celebrities into your selfies like you actually had your arms around them. I could go on – but then some of the best fun you can have is discovering the madness as well as the innovation that is creeping into selfie enhancement apps.
There are thousands of these that claim the perfect selfie features. Some that stand out are Selfie Studio, which uses the front screen as a flash and adds special effects and colours through smart use of the screen backlight. Frontback that takes a picture with the front and back camera simultaneously to give you the ultimate dual selfie.
Perfect 365, which is literally the first augmented-reality selfie app to hide skin imperfections, make you look thinner, add make-up and change your hairstyle or the colour of your eyes. In fact, it’s scary what all it can do. FaceSnap uses room scanning technology to tell you where to take the perfect selfie by analysing light conditions and recognising you and clicking the selfie handsfree.
CamMe which has a live photobooth feature, fun shots and a guide that hand-holds you on how to get Selfies that truly shine (it’ll tell you what to do with your hands and hold a posture). MomentCam which will transform your selfie into a surprisingly accurate cartoon character with extra add-ons.
Aviary, which can whiten your teeth, generate awesome memes but its forte is adding actors and celebrities into your selfies like you actually had your arms around them. I could go on – but then some of the best fun you can have is discovering the madness as well as the innovation that is creeping into selfie enhancement apps.
Tips to take a good selfie
* There are far more bad selfies than good ones and that is a universal fact. Taking a selfie doesn’t mean that you forget the basic 101 of photography. So let’s keep this simple.
* Shoot it in good light No harsh light behind you for sure, know your face angles, hold absolutely still when you press the shutter button.
* Don’t pout or suck your cheeks in It’s obvious and makes you look duck faced.
* Take more than one shot Don’t be boring, don’t be serious, have a reason to take a selfie.
* Do something interesting Don’t stick your tongue out or make strange faces for EVERY selfie, take it in an interesting area or background.
* Be creative This is the most important one. After taking the selfie, add some fun elements and filters by using a good after-selfie app.
* The world of selfies is growing at an alarming rate. New derivatives of thematic selfies are the next big thing with photo-bombing selfies, most awkward place to take a selfie, before-and after-sex selfies, Scotch-Tape-your-face selfies and even identify-what-part-of-my-body- is-in-this-close-up selfie!! It’s a mad, mad, mad world of selfies – be part of it with the right tools, equipment and weapons.
* There are far more bad selfies than good ones and that is a universal fact. Taking a selfie doesn’t mean that you forget the basic 101 of photography. So let’s keep this simple.
* Shoot it in good light No harsh light behind you for sure, know your face angles, hold absolutely still when you press the shutter button.
* Don’t pout or suck your cheeks in It’s obvious and makes you look duck faced.
* Take more than one shot Don’t be boring, don’t be serious, have a reason to take a selfie.
* Do something interesting Don’t stick your tongue out or make strange faces for EVERY selfie, take it in an interesting area or background.
* Be creative This is the most important one. After taking the selfie, add some fun elements and filters by using a good after-selfie app.
* The world of selfies is growing at an alarming rate. New derivatives of thematic selfies are the next big thing with photo-bombing selfies, most awkward place to take a selfie, before-and after-sex selfies, Scotch-Tape-your-face selfies and even identify-what-part-of-my-body- is-in-this-close-up selfie!! It’s a mad, mad, mad world of selfies – be part of it with the right tools, equipment and weapons.
Rajiv Makhni HT Br May 25
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