11 Tips for Taking the Best Selfies

This is part of a sponsored post series for Domain.ME

Love or hate selfies, they’re here to stay. Since the images we capture in that quick second can live on social media forever, it’s always important to put your best face forward.

There were no shortage of selfies taken during Mom 2.0 Summit in Scottsdale, Arizona last week. Attendees captured time with friends with quick shots shared to social media. Could it be that these selfies are becoming part of the beauty stories that title sponsor, Dove, encouraged us to share and pass down to our children as we teach them to be confident?

Of course we want embrace images of ourselves that radiate confidence and fun while reflecting who we are as individuals as we tell our stories of our lives. But sometimes we need a little boost to help us look and feel our best.

Throughout Mom 2.0, some took their selfies by holding their phones while others used the selfie sticks given as gifts by conference sponsor Domain.ME or joined me in shots with my .

From the best tools to use to capture selfies and tips from avid selfie takers who look amazing in every shot they share on social media, here’s what you need to know to up your selfie game.

Best Tools for Capturing Selfies

Selfie sticks

Yes, they’re controversial as the list of places where they’re banned from grows but for just a little bit of money, a selfie stick extends to provide your cell phone’s camera with a wider field of vision for your shot. They’re great for crowding more of friends in your shot, capturing more of an incredible background, and taking a photo from above which is often thought of as the most flattering angle for selfies. They’re also easy to use (push a button to activate your mobile phone’s camera shutter), affordable, and widely available. Just be sure to exercise discretion when using your selfie stick in public.

Cameras with Selfie Mode

Cameras like Samsung’s and (called “the ultimate selfie camera” by Mashable and pictured above) have screens that flip up to face you and your friends and are activated by a wink or a smile. Samsung’s genius Beauty Face filter is applied automatically to photos taken in selfie mode to ensure that everyone always looks their best. The NXMini and NX3000 have the ability to create a dedicated wifi connection to your phone for instant uploading and sharing on social media platforms. While more of an investment than a selfie stick, these versatile cameras take incredible shots and are highly versatile.

Tips for Taking Great Selfies

Regardless of what you use to take a selfie, here are 11 tips from selfie snapping bloggers who use selfies to document their beauty stories and always look their best.

Work it Like a Supermodel

• “Elevate the stick, keep your chin down, and look up with your eyes only,” says Jacqui Zadik from Mrs. Muffin Top.
• “Chin out (away from the neck) and tilted slightly downward,” advises Jessica Cohen of Eat Sleep Be. “That tip was given to me recently and now I don’t hate photos of me nearly as much!”

Details Matter

• Ashley Barton of Naptime Tales suggests making sure your background is interesting. “It tells a story too.”

Practice, Practice, Practice

• Janice Person is a fan of taking a bunch of group shots and encourages friends in the group to enjoy the moment and be spontaneous.
• “Practice using the selfie stick so when it comes time for “work,” you don’t have to fumble around with it,” says Emilia Cellura of Half Crazy Mama.
• “Just take them. Take them all the time,” recommends Tottums’ Stephanie Totty who defends her use of selfies in In Defense of the Selfie.

Pay Attention to How You’re Using that Selfie Stick

• “Hold it higher up, shooting down onto you instead of straight,” Kimberly Tate (Stuffed Suitcase) recommends.
• Very Busy Mama’s MariaJose Ovalle emphasizes “Do not EVER let the selfie stick show. EVER.”
• “Don’t let the stick be seen in the video footage,” advises video guru Annie Stow from Stowed Stuff.

Be Considerate (and careful!)

• “Friends don’t let friends post unfiltered selfies,” says Colorado Moms’ Emily Vanek. Emily relies on her arsenal of photo editing apps to always ensure she looks her best.
• Emilia from Half Crazy Mama warns, “Always be careful of your surroundings when using a selfie stick. My best friend may or may not have clotheslined a server in a restaurant one time.”

Need more tips?

• For additional products that are helpful in upping your selfie game, take a look at Chelsea Nicole’s 4 Selfie Gifts for the Photo-Enthused on Someday I’ll Learn.

Food for Thought

But do we measure our self worth via selfies and if so, what does this mean for our kids as they watch us capture and critique our images? There’s an article in The Times called Smartphones and selfie culture: what are you teaching your child? that’s great food for thought about whose technology use we really need to worry about. Maybe it’s ours instead of our kids’.

This post was inspired by Domain.ME, the provider of the personal URLs that end in .ME. As a company, they aim to promote thought leadership to the tech world. Domain.ME was a sponsor of Mom 2.0 and paid my travel and lodging costs as part of my work with them. And they happen to really like selfies too. Amazon Affiliate links included in this post. I am a Samsung Imagelogger and receive great cameras like the NXMini and NX3000 as part of my involvement in the program. All opinions are my own but images speak for themselves!