It's easier than you think!

When we get older, selfies become more and more challenging it seems. If you look on any social media you see these selfies taken by gorgeous young people and you try and its.... just not quite the same! here are a few tips to nail those shots.

1) Make sure you have staged a background or have something interesting behind you. Since we are in Colorado, get outside, take a selfie in your garden, in front of some graffiti on a city block wall, find an interesting textured wall, something with color! If you have to do it in your home, find a spot that reflects your aesthetic and DECLUTTER!

2) Selfie yourself (is that even a sentence?) doing something you love doing - hiking, fishing, boating, cuddling your dog, knitting... something that gives the viewer an insight into who you are. TOP TIP - check your surroundings for... ummm..... things you don't want in your selfie. We have all seen THOSE photos online. Don't be a statistic unless you want to go viral for the wrong reasons.

3) Flatter your face. Tilt your head up towards the camera to smooth out any double-chin action, look into the lens directly, tilt your head around until you get what you think is your most flattering angle. Often if you shoot straight on, your nose becomes the centerpiece, which is not always a good look. If you are completely stumped, get your partner/tween-teenage children to give you pointers (this can be a very humorous family interaction).

4) Light. This makes or breaks a good selfie. Do not shoot with the sun in your face or directly overhead - you end up squinting and get terrible face shadows. Find a spot of full shade if you can, or shoot with the sun behind you. If all else fails, wear sunglasses and go for the 'active outdoorsy' vibe.

5) Have fun with it. Don't think of it as a chore to be done, involve your friends and family, your pets. A selfie is designed to show who you are, and give your viewer an insight into your life.

I don't use filters, or an editing app on my phone, but if you want to get selfie-serious, smooth out some of those wrinkles, remove blemishes or add some trendy color filters, check out the FREE Lightroom for Mobile app and download a few presets. here are some links to some inexpensive, but fabulous presets (make sure you download the ones for Lightroom for Mobile):

  1. https://lemonandlacepresets.com/
  2. https://createcrewco.com/
  3. https://www.greaterthangatsby.com/mobile-lightroom-presets/
  4. ETSY always has a massive selection - check out this search and find your vibe: https://www.etsy.com/search?q=mobile%20LR%20presets