Tips on how to use your iPhone.

Now everyone does them even when we don’t like admitting it. The dreaded selfie! Here are a few tips to help you on the way to capturing  great images of your family and some good selfies too.

Here are a few starting selfie pointers.

Avoid direct full sun. Few people look good while squinting and plus its unflattering too. Shows all your little lines, lumps and bumps. I don’t know many  people who  can pass off the squinting selfie  pose but I think you will agree Jason Momoas’s  has the smouldering (not squinting) eyes down to a T!

Be aware of your background. Make sure there are not things lurking like lamp posts, tree trunks, washing lines sprouting out of your child’s head.  Is the background distracting, or does it add to the image?

Try and avoid low angle selfies. On the whole us mere mortals just can’t cope with this angle.  Makes our lower bodies look huge and makes your head look too small for your shoulders! Im sure you have seen every teenage girl holding their phones above their heads pouting while merrily clicking away. Well they have nailed it, with the angle I mean, not the pouting. Its never ok to pout! haha

Stay away from the dark! look for soft flattering light. By a window is normally a safe bet, reflected light can work wonders too. I’m not talking about carrying round a mini reflector. just look around you. A white table cloth, white wall anything that reflects light back  will help fill in the shadows . Little bits of bounced light will help your selfies or family iPhone shots look great..

Don’t group your family in front  of what you are trying to photograph. Place them at the sides, low down in front, anything but not covering it up. If you can and its not a National heritage piece get them to sit on it. Jumping off it etc. ( Don’t say I said you can do this to the nice Policeman. If its a subject you are allowed to stand on great, if not don’t!)

Get some life into your photographs. Have them cartwheeling, jumping and use your zoom to get in nice and close. Try shooting through things to help make the images more exciting. leaves, ornaments, all sorts of things can work. Think outside the box. Don’t just take a picture at eye level. Move around, shoot on an angel etc.

Show where you are. Thats the great thing about your  I phones. They are with you all the time so you can be creative. Have things leading you to the subject i.e. fences, paths, sign posts. Have a side of a face looking into the image. You will find where the subject is looking you will look too.

Don’t always be on the widest angle. Use the zoom to create better perspectives.

Last but by no means  least. Make sure YOU are in the pictures. We need to exists too. One day our children and families will look for pictures of us. What will they find?

True fact… Did you know the Western eye first looks at a picture from the left entering the image circling round?