How to take Instagram Selfies

You guys can thank Gina for the bonus post this week! And I honestly and truly mean that in the most sincerest, happiest way possible! I am still over the moon excited that she FINALLY joined Instagram, and not only that, but she planned the surprise launch on my birthday! The least I could do was put together a proper post about how I take my selfies. She mentioned this "tutorial" I did for her in her post, and she's absolutely right - I would be horrified if she shared it with the world. Her Secret Outfit Files post has nothing on the bathrobe photos I texted her! 

I feel a little silly posting about this, but apparently there are a few requests out there for this and google, for once, produces no results. OK, so without further adieu, here is the magic behind my Instagram selfies.

THE INFAMOUS TOP DOWN SELFIE

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1. I had the husband take photos of me as I was taking the selfie on the right so you can see my exact positioning.

2. I use the self facing camera so that I can still see whether or not my body is in the frame. Plus, it's easier for me to get to the shutter button. I use the front bottom button of the iPhone for the shutter, not the volume buttons - whenever I use the volume buttons, the picture is shaky and out of focus.

3. Your phone really doesn't have to be as high over your head as you would think, it's really all about the angle you hold your phone.

4. I normally like to post the top down view in a collage next to my front facing selfie, and I've found that proportionally - leaving the screen at the normal portrait size (vs. modifying the screen so it takes a square photo) is the best. However, if you are planning to ONLY post the top down view in Instagram - make sure you change your screen setting to square first and foremost, vs relying on being able to crop it into a square later - just trust me on this. 

5. I personally find that it makes my photos "prettier" if I position the selfie from the mouth down so you can see my lip color. Lips at the top corner, feet near the opposite bottom corner - you will be at a slight diagonal.

6. Take 5 photos and then take 5 more. Seriously. The beauty of the digital photo is that you can delete what you hate. So take a ton, pick the best, and delete the rest.

THE "FROM WHERE I STAND" SELFIE

1. This is more of a straight down view verses a diagonal/isometric view like the first pose. Again, the husband took photos of me at the same time the selfie on the right was taken.

2. I use the outward facing camera for this pose, and I will normally just use the square screen setting for this as well. It's pretty difficult to collage this pose with any other photo and still be able to fit within an Instagram square parameter, so I just post this on its own.

3. As you can see- you kind of have to lean forward a bit, otherwise, you'll only see your stomach and no shoes. Which is funny because if you look at my selfie, you really can't tell that I'm not standing completely upright.

4. I hold the phone low enough so I can make myself out in the screen and know whether or not I'm in the frame, but high enough to still catch as many details as possible-- like my necklace and the graphics on my shirt. 

5. Take a ton, pick the best, and delete the rest.

THE APPS I USE

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(I put a yellow dot at the corner of the IG related apps I use so you can see the icons)

1. InstaCollage: This is exactly as it sounds. It gives you multiple options for collage layouts, and the end result is always a square. What I love about this is that you can make frameless collages, which work perfect for the mirror image selfies I will explain later in this post.

2. Aviary: I've mentioned this one before here. I use it for photo editing, which I'll go into more detail on later in this post.

3. InstaSize: If for some reason you just cannot get your photo to fit in a square without losing too much detail, then just use InstaSize - it will make any photo fit to a square so that there is some "leftover" space that just ends up being white.

4. PicJointer: This is very similar to InstaCollage except that there are other rectangled sized collages you can make - not just square. Unlike InstaCollage though, you can adjust the frame width, but you can't go frameless. So, this one doesn't look as nice for the mirror image selfies.

EDITING YOUR SELFIES

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The photos above are the same, they're just a before and after look at a non-edited and then post edited photo. The left pic is ok, the right is just better in my opinion, because it's brighter. This is what I use the Aviary App for. When you open the app and select the photo you want to edit, scroll through the bottom menu until you find "adjust" (marked in yellow below.) From there, I modify the brightness, saturation, warmth, and contrast (in that order). You can see how much I've adjusted each setting below. Once you're done, simply hit "apply" and "done" at the top right of the screen. The last time you hit "done" the new photo will be saved to your camera roll.

COLLAGING YOUR PHOTOS

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Now that your photos are nice and edited, you can collage them! InstaCollage is my favorite for this since you can make them frameless. I do NOT suggest going frameless if you are stacking photos on top of each other. I mean, who really wants to look like they have a foot for a hand? Case in point:

To be honest, I understand the logic of wanting to do a collage from the top down - meaning, you put your shoes at the bottom of the collage, but I just think it causes weird optical illusions like the one above. I would choose a thin frame to separate the photos and position your shoes up top so there is a clear distinction between photos. Isn't this better?

Mirroring is also a very fun effect. And, it's a great option vs. using the "InstaSize" app to force fit your photos to a square. When your photos are force fit to a square, your photo is "zoomed out" so to speak. You can maximize the size of your selfie by simply posting the exact same photo next to each other. (i.e. two tall rectangles make a square!) And then to add even more interest, you can mirror your photos from each other, using the InstaCollage app. Below is a series of screen shots so you know what to expect when using this app. My "selections" are highlighted in yellow.

(Move all settings above to the far left to make it frameless.)

(Tap anywhere in the photo screen for this menu to pop up and select "camera roll" to choose your pictures)

(Tap anywhere in the photo screen for this menu to pop up and select "adjust grid" to change the proportions of the grid)

(Tap anywhere in the photo screen for this menu to pop up and select "rotate/mirror" to mirror the selected photo)

The final product - mirrored selfies

That's it! Those are all my Instagram selfie secrets. I can't believe how long this post is - I promise it's not as complicated as it seems, nor is it time consuming. But, I'm a firm believer in little details and tweaks making big differences. Ultimately, if *you* like looking at your end product, other people will, too! 

Oh, and in exchange for this wealth of knowledge I have bestowed upon you, the only thing I ask in return is that you follow me on Instagram if you're not already! Yes, that's a shameless plug :)

I really really hope this was helpful! If you have any questions, let me know - or if you've got any other awesome tips - please share in the comments!

UPDATE June 2016: If you're reading this, I also created an update to my technique in this Instagram top view outfit selfie tips and tricks post here. It's evolved over time!

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