The Art of the Selfie
Story and Photos By: Keith Foster
So much has changed with photography since
I started taking pictures. From waiting days
to know if you got the shot right to instantly
knowing you messed it up. From shooting
an expensive roll of 36 to having the ability to
take as many pictures as you have memory
cards for.
One thing that hasn’t changed is in order
to get a good picture you need light. The
better the light the easier it is to take a good
picture. The fastest way to become a good
photographer is to learn to “see the light”.
“Seeing the light” just means that you pay
attention to where the light is coming from
and the effect it is having on the subject. In
a “selfie”, you are the subject. So to take
better pictures of yourself you need to pay
attention to light. Professional photographers
spend a lifetime learning about light. Light
is constantly changing. Few people become
masters of light. So let’s say you have no
interest in spending your life trying to figure
out how light works or how your camera deals
with it. You just want to look better in your
“selfies” and maybe improve the pictures you
take of your family and friends.
Two years ago I had not heard of the term
“selfie”. Ten years ago I couldn’t imagine
someone could take a picture with their phone.
The camera I was shooting then needed film
and a little time in the darkroom in order to be
able to see a picture.
Today, most of us can hardly imagine not
being to take pictures or even shoot video with
our phones. It is great that we can document,
with our phones, so many more “once in
a lifetime” moments than anyone thought
possible just a few years ago. Everyone takes
pictures now, and one of the most popular
shots to take is a picture of ourselves, now
branded as the “selfie”.
One simple change in how you position the
subject is going to transform your life. Okay,
not your life but at least your “selfies” are
going to be better.
Make sure your subject facing the light. Put
the back of the camera, or your cell phone,
toward the light. Many times people know
to go over to a window or doorway to take
a picture. Everyone who has tried to take a
picture in a dark place knows how badly the
pictures turn out. But when they get to the
window they put the subject in front of the
window at the subject’s back, step away and
take the picture. The resulting picture is better
than the one taken in the dark but still isn’t
what you wanted. The problem is the light is
behind the subject. There is more light hitting
the back of their head than is hitting their face.
You end up with a picture like this:
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