How To Take Better Selfies

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It’s OK

not to have

selfie control.

-Anonymous (usually a woman)

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Curating fun and varied social media posts can be a full-time job for the dedicated (unlike me.) Whether you’re sharing life at home or adventures on the road, try these easy tips for more engaging selfies with the help of your smartphone’s timer. Handier than a portable tripod, my phone’s leather folio case makes it easy to prop it up on any available surface to compose a shot. It also keeps credit cards and cash tucked conveniently inside its flap while protecting the phone’s screen from nicks and cracks when dropped.

Perfect the Pose.  Point toes of one foot toward the camera to elongate the legs, roll shoulders back for elegant posture, then stretch the chin forward and down to minimize the double chin. Before asking someone to take your photo, show the person a sample of what you want included in the shot first to give them an idea of your composition.

Capture the Mood. Make-up and better outfits definitely elevate a picture, but the one thing that makes a moment stand out is the feeling and memories it conjures. Aim to catch an emotion whether it be joy, a pensive mood, chutzpah, etc.


It’s All In the Eyes
. If the camera is held below your eye level, keep your gaze slightly above it to catch some light. For a genuine smile regardless of how you feel about your teeth, always show them anyway and let the twinkle shine through the crinkle in those eyes.

 
Easy on the filters. Less is more with photo edits. When the lighting is good on the face, I simply lessen shadows and add a touch of contrast.  Cloudy days can use the pop of a brightening filter which will need minimized color saturation. If the best available light is tungsten yellow or some other funky color, go close to the light source for the best contrast then see how the photo looks in black and white. 


Curate and print, print, print! No matter the size of your iCloud storage, your grandkids will not scroll through your digital pictures as they would enjoy flipping through printed pictures in a box or album. Make a habit of emailing your best shots to yourself with descriptive words on the subject line to make them easy to find for a print run–say, your Top 10 favorites each year.


Go Pro.  To mark a milestone occasion, honor someone you love or simply celebrate life, find a photographer who shares your aesthetic and makes you feel comfortable with your preferences. You want someone who is organized and dependable, someone who makes your life easy by planning ahead for outfits, concepts, and logistics.  Even better if they print and matte the best of your collection for you!

I wholeheartedly agree with the saying that the best camera is not necessarily the biggest or the fanciest but the one that you keep handy and actually use. I am a big fan of the convenience of the iPhone camera which does its best job with full sun. In low light and less than ideal lighting conditions, it still has a way to go to catch up with the picture quality of a full frame DSLR or mirrorless cameras.

Click on “Leave a Comment” (tope left) to share your most memorable selfie moment.

xoxox

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xoxox

Give the women you love the most unique gift

of elegant and timeless portraits with a

Powerful Goddess Gift Certificate

for a most memorable photo shoot for up to three people!

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© Sharon Birke

Managing Member, DoubleSmart LLC

Text 201 697 1947

www.PowerfulGoddess.com

Glamour Portraits of the Goddess in Every Woman

5 Simple Tips for Earth Day

 

I like to take out the recycling trash bin

because it makes me feel like

I’m actually doing something for the planet.

Mike Quigley

 

Earth-Day-Spring-bloom-Sharon-Birke

How can we love our one and only planet? Let us count the small ways…

Double duty. For your party giveaways, choose something beyond lovely to behold. Make it useful and–even better–reusable!  Decorate each with flowers and/or a candle and group these together as the table’s centerpiece. No guest ever goes home empty handed and nothing goes to waste.

submerged-flowers-floating-candle-centerpiece-party-giveaways

Photo from Google Images

Beg, steal or borrow.  In the age of technology that seems to have forgotten reading as a pleasurable pastime, I have had to give in to my son’s “only if it’s a new book” rule and, of course, little sis had to follow his example, creating her own towers of dust collectors. I’m relieved to report that last week, we celebrated her first trip to borrow books from the library. Finally!

antique-books

Photo from Google Images

Bring your own bags when shopping at the mall or at the grocery, picking up books at the library, etc. LLBean canvas totes are indestructible and forever my favorites. They can even hold each person’s  gift under the Christmas tree and save you from gift wrapping. Mix and match your favorite colors.

LL Bean canas totes

Style by recycle. It took me awhile to get past a bias against “used” until I realized the world has turned inexorably plastic. Find real wood and quality materials in furniture, home decor, clothing, accessories from antique, consignment and vintage shops. And, no, you need not buy the entire set…

antique-french-furniture-11

Photo from Google Images

Shorten the shower. 25 gallons for every 10 minutes. You do the math.

Click on “Leave a Comment” to add how you care for this planet that feeds us.

xoxox

Flower photo at top of page © Sharon Birke

201 697 1947

Sharon@PowerfulGoddess.com

www.PowerfulGoddess.com

Glamour Portraits of the Goddess in Every Wife & Mother

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