By Izza Datinguinoo
and Geneve Joyce Lungay
Layout by Neil Dominic De Luna
Looking through Urban Dictionary.com, “selfie”
means “a picture taken of yourself that is planned
to be uploaded to Facebook, Myspace or any
other sort of social networking website and that
the person holds out the camera“. Many say this
is an indication that the person does not have
any friends to take pictures of him/her, so he
resorts to the “self” to shoot his angle and that the
kissy face is landmark of the act. But how exactly
did this selfie thing begin? Selfie is a coined term
from the word, “self-portrait” and “a picture of
yourself.” This does not work for an instant. It’s a
simple second click. You can post or share it on
Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and on any other
social networking site. If you take your phone out,
aim at yourself, tilt it up, and pose, then you got
the selfie.
Who can actually be a selfie-er? Can anyone
take tons of selfie? They say that you become
a legitimate selfie-er if you have uploaded -500
plus photos in your smartphones. The Philippines
is experiencing this kind of epidemia of selfies
in every timeline of different social networking
accounts.
Here are just some of the self-acclaimed
selfie-ers
we
have
interviewed
regarding this trend.
“I take selfies because I know my
angle”
-Kale Austria, student
“I don›t have personal photographer,
kasi eh. I have no choice to do #selfie.
Hehe” -Kevin Balot, beauty queen
“Sometimes, there’s just no one else
around to capture the moment for
me. With most selfies on my page, the
real subject is the background. Just to
show where I am, or they are makeup
tutorials.” -Rhian Ramos, actress
“Pag nagse-selfie ako, feeling ko
Why take selfies? That’s a tricky question, right? ang ganda ganda ko. #GGSS!” –Izza
But what do we have in mind when we post Datinguinoo, this article’s author
selfies on social networking sites? It’s either of
these: gain a large following; score so many
“likes;” or have huge followers.
Here are some practical tips on how to take a good selfie:
Thou shall find light. It is very important to have some light in your photos. You don’t want to
look like a white lady, instead of a pretty lady on your photos. Find a nice well-lit spot and
make sure that the light do not go against your photo.
Thou shall put make-up on. A bit of makeup would not hurt. Put on some lip gloss and puff on
some pressed powder to look extra eye-catching.
Thou shall find your angle. This is the hidden armor of all selfie-holics. They know which side
they look good. Look back at some old pictures and decide which angle is pleasant for the
selfie. If you think your nose is much higher and nicer when you tilt your head to the right then,
that it follows that this is your best angle.
Thou shall check your teeth. It’s not so nice to look at a selfie with stuck meat in the middle of
your front teeth right?
Thou shall find good camera apps. To achieve that pretty amazing selfie, your phone must
be armed with lots of great apps that will filter your photos. Camera360, BeautyCamera, and
LINE camera are just some.
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