Ahh the selfie. I think we can all thank Paris Hilton for it’s introduction. *Turns camera on oneself, thus avoiding amateur photographer on the the other side of the lens. Our camera rolls (and our egos) would never be the same. Thank you, Paris.
The Art of a Good Selfie
Of course there are concepts like lighting and angles, but I really think it comes down to the pose. A good pose makes a good selfie. You can crop & edit the photo with presets, add filters or adjust the settings. In my opinion, you nail the pose & you’ve nailed the photo.
You can’t undo a bad pose. So whatever pose you snap, that is what you’ve got to work with. So, let’s teach you how to work it girl!
Pose 1: Hand on the Hip
Probably the most common selfie pose (other than duck-face, and no we aren’t doing that one today lol) would be hand on the hip. However, if you look at the photo of me posing below you will notice one key element of my hand placement.
My hand is crooked behind my hip. The only visible finger is my thumb. This change in hand placement allows me to wrap my natural waist. This gives me an hourglass shape and shows of the sleeve of my dress.
If you have been doing hand-on-your-hip pose by immediately plastering your hand to your side and giving the pose no other thought, you’ve been doing it all wrong. We aren’t cheerleaders. We’re selfie queens, thank you very much.
Pose 2: Hand by the Face
Hand by the face is great for showing off accessories like earrings and sunglasses. It works well with movement, like tucking your hair behind your ears.
This pose brings a confidence to your selfie by first, highlighting you and then drawing the eye down. To me it says, here I am AND here’s my outfit. Bam!
Pose 3: The Ponytail Grab
Probably the most obvious part of this selfie is that you need to wear your hair in a ponytail.
Ponytail grab gives a playful look to your selfie. It also doesn’t take a lot of thought and therefore, serves as my go-to pose when I really just don’t know what to do with my hands. Or when I’m on day 3 hair 😉
I find it looks best when you only grab the end of the ponytail. You could easily add a braid or a bubble braid to your ponytail for more depth & style.
Pose 4: The Side Step
Turning your body to the side immediately elongates the body. With this pose, proper foot placement is key. Send one foot out front and angle the rest of your body backwards. Body weight is rested on the back foot. Point your front toe to create a long line.
Tip: If you are wearing sandals, don’t stress the point too much or it could look potentially strained. Think long elegance, not stiff front leg.
This pose is perfect for modeling monochromatic outfits and full length looks like maxi dresses. It’s also perfect for showing off a handbag. This brings me to my final pose:
Pose 5: The Handbag Hold
While the title of this pose is all about the handbag, this pose is really about the full ensemble. Your hands find themselves with two jobs: One hand on the camera and the other hand on your bag.
By pacing your hands evenly on either side of your body, you center the look of the photo. Every hand is busy, but there is no clear attention grabber here. Your hair, outfit and accessories are all featured equally. The viewers eye can go where it pleases.
Which of these poses would you like to try? Be sure to follow me on Instagram for more selfie inspo.
