It has happened to all of us. We’re off on some amazing vacation, oohing and ahhing at everything in sight, when we decide we want to take a few photos of ourselves to remember the moment. Problem is, there’s no one to take the photo and we’re too scared of being robbed to ask any of the hundreds of strangers walking by. Sigh, what a fail.
Just think of how many memories live only in our minds because no one was around to help? Well, those days are a thing of the past. This year we’re upping our game and learning how to take our own ‘Gram worthy photos is the perfect place to start. You don’t need to be a professional photographer or social media influencer to take great photos of yourself – you just need to know how to think like one.
Content creator, influencer and reigning selfie queen Gloria Atanmo knows a thing or two about capturing the perfect self-portrait. After traveling to nearly 100 countries, most solo, she’s become known for capturing images that look so good, you’d swear she traveled with a personal photographer. From breakfast by the pool in Bali to hot air balloon rides in Cappadocia, Gloria has taken the ‘selfie’ to a whole new level and even teaches other women entrepreneurs her secrets during her popular Sisterhood Circle Retreats.
ESSENCE caught up with the Nigerian rebel (Her mom is still trying to understand what she does – parents!) to get her expert tips on how you can take photos of yourself that look picture-perfect every time.
Invest In A Good Tripod
While you might get away with propping your camera up on trees, chairs, and windows, there’s nothing like a sturdy and mobile tripod that you can fit in your day bag. I love the brand Manfrotto. It also allows you the freedom to not burden your friends to take 50 photos of you when they don’t get the right angle, lol.
Get Low
If you find yourself in a busy plaza or street and want to minimize the number of people in your shot and you don’t have a tripod with you, then prop your camera really low on the ground and angle the camera 90 degrees towards the sky. You’ll also appear taller and your body will look elongated because of it. It offers a different perspective than the standard point and shoot view photos we’re used to.
Create Movement
Instead of cheesing and posing for the shot, try jumping forward and laughing out loud to the right. In that motion, you create a scene where your hair is mid-toss, your smile is mid-laughter, your clothes are mid-air, and there’s this illusion that there’s a crazy moment in time being captured. It might take some getting used to, especially if people are staring and you’re taking photos on auto-timer (hashtag, shameless), but the best shots come from movement!