Ever take a photo of yourself using your smartphone and it just doesn’t come out right? Either there’s too much head space, you get those red eyes or you snap just half of your face? We’ve all been there. But here at BeautyStat, we left it to a professional to help give us some tips on taking the best photo of ourselves using a smartphone. Photographer Linda Farwell gives us some smartphone-photo-taking pointers, like what is the best type of lighting to take a photo in and some of the best places to take your self-portrait — it’s all about the angle, ladies. So, go on! Snap away!

1) Which type of angle should you take your self-portrait photo? Same level as their face? From a higher angle?

A little higher then eye level is always good. This tends to show off your cheekbones better and gives more of an angle to most faces.

2) How far away should you take a photo of yourself?

A little closer than arm’s length. When you’re at arm’s length, your hand becomes unsteady and you start to strain your arm and neck — this usually makes for a very stiff picture. An up-close shot can be very fun, too — like just getting your eyes or mouth.

Look at BeautyStat’s Yevy Yelkina looking fierce!

3) What type of lighting is best when taking a picture of yourself?

To me, lighting is the number one factor you need to keep in mind: it sets the tone of the image. For women, I suggest looking for light that will fall flat and evenly on your face. You can use window lighting or look for lighting that is in most bathroom mirrors also does the trick. Keep in mind that your background will affect the exposure of your smartphone. So, if you are standing in front of a gray wall you may also look a bit gray. I aim for getting the camera to over-expose me a bit. So, if you stand near a window and have a darker background behind you, the camera will try to expose for the darkness and this will over-expose you and leave behind any flawed skin tones.

If you are outside, I would look for diffused lighting like under a tree. Also, make sure there is a glimmer of light in your eye, rotate your head to when the light catches your eye. There are also times when the sun is lower in the sky for taking a direct sun shot. The only problem is the shadow of your hand on the phone.

4) How should one pose?

Being relaxed is the best. So, if you’re leaning against something or sitting in a comfortable spot this will give you the best shot.

5) What should you focus your eyes on?

Looking at the lens is usually the best. It tells the story of who you are.

6) What should one remember when using a smartphone camera?

Linda Farwell has a magical eye that has captured everything from a mother adopting a baby in China to advertising for Pfizer. Her other clients include Glamour, Seventeen, Fisherprice and Women’s Day to name a few. She lives in New York City with her filmmaker husband Doug Sadler and their nine-year-old son, Emery. www.farwellphotography.com

So, will any of you lovely readers be following some of these photo-taking tips? Let us know by commenting below, which will automatically be posted to our Community Forum (click here to check it out!) where you can find other beauty related discussions! Don’t forget to also submit a photo to our Photo Of The Day (click here!) feature, where a new photo will be picked daily. Your photo just might be selected, so get going!

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