25 Secrets to Take a Good Selfie & Look Cute Every Time You Snap a Photo!

Anyone can go from being camera-shy to photogenic so long as they learn the right tips. We’ve got all you need to be able to take a good selfie every time.

In the world of social media, being able to take the perfect selfie seems to be the most important thing. If you take a bad one, it can make your entire profile look bad, even if you’re really an adorable person. That’s why everyone should learn how to take a good selfie.

You use selfies all the time. Everything from Snapchatting to setting up an online dating profile relies on your ability to take a great photo of yourself. If you don’t know how to do that, you can end up making someone think you don’t look anything like what you really do.

[Read: The single’s guide to flirt on Instagram and how couples end up cheating]

All the ways learning how to take a good selfie can help you

We’re not going to lie, there are more important things in life than knowing how to take a good selfie. However, knowing how to snap a great picture of yourself can actually come in handy for a number of reasons.

Like if you see your favorite celebrity and want to get a great picture. Imagine meeting them, getting a picture, and having it turn out awful because you didn’t know how to get a great shot.

It can also help you attract followers and even boost your self-esteem when you know how to take a good selfie. [Read: How to send naughty pictures without getting in trouble]

Learning how to take a good selfie made easy

There’s definitely a system to follow if you want to snap that perfect selfie. To learn how to make yourself look the best when you have to take your own picture, follow these steps.

1. Get into an area with good lighting

The light is really what’ll make the photo look good or bad. But the thing about photo lighting is that it can be tricky. You may think the best lighting is on a sunny day, but that can actually be a bit harsh.

The absolute best lighting is outside on a slightly cloudy day. You have the raw, natural light without the harshness of direct sunlight. You can also learn where your house has great lighting and just take photos there. [Read: Tips to take perfect, enviable photos of your girlfriend]

2. Wait for the golden hour

If you want to talk about good lighting, then it doesn’t get any better than in golden hour.

As the sun starts to set behind the horizon, it casts off this gorgeous, bright, dreamy orange light. Everything that falls within this last beam of light looks gorgeous, and you are no exception!

If you wait until around whenever the sun starts to set *which changes throughout the year*, your selfies will look all the better for it.

3. Look your best

You can’t take a great picture of yourself when you’re looking like crap. If you really want a good selfie, look your best.

Now, we’re not encouraging you to go out there and get all sorts of cosmetic procedures and surgeries to look like Hollywood perfection.

Just make sure you’re groomed and selfie-appropriate. Make sure you’re showered, brush your hair, fix your clothes, and maybe even style your hair a bit! [Read: How to look sexy without trying]

4. Take many photos

Thinking that you’ll be able to whip out your phone, take a single picture, and have that be the best selfie you’ve ever taken is honestly a pipe dream that we should all give up.

No matter how many of our tips you use, no one will ever be a one-selfie wonder.

So, take as many pictures of yourself as you can. Fill up your whole phone storage if you have to! You can always go back and delete the ones you don’t like, leaving the shining selfies that were taken in the process.

5. Learn which angles are your best

Everyone has angles that suit their face and body better than others. Learn what those are so you can always capture them when you take that photo.

To do this, all you have to do is keep practicing until you find an angle that looks great. Then you just have to replicate it each time.

6. Practice in a mirror before snapping the photo

If you’re having a hard time figuring out which angles are best, get in front of a mirror. Move your body and face until you look in the mirror and think, “Wow! This looks great.” That’s your angle.

7. Use great selfie apps

There are tons of apps out there dedicated to taking a great picture of you. They’re full of features and editing options that can give your selfie something extra. Just keep in mind that sometimes, less is more. [Read: The dos and don’ts of online dating apps]

8. Use props or your hands

Don’t just take a picture of your face every single time. You have to mix it up. Add some props or even your hands to give something different that not everyone sees.

The trick to learning how to take a good selfie is all about knowing when to use other objects in it.

9. Use interesting expressions

If you upload a selfie and all of them look exactly the same with the same angle and the same expression, it’ll be really boring. You have to mix it up!

Don’t be afraid to show your smile, give a winking face, and even stick your tongue out. Make it fun!

10. Try full-length selfies

Selfies aren’t just about your face. If you have a full-length mirror, then take pictures of your whole body. Changing it up every once in a while can be a great thing!

11. Don’t look at yourself

We know what you’re doing! You’re using the front-facing camera and looking at yourself on the screen rather than at the camera.

While we totally understand that you want to see what you look like to make sure you’re about to take a good selfie, looking at yourself can actually ruin an otherwise amazing pic!

That’s because, in the final product, it looks like you’re staring off into nothing. However, if you look at the camera, you’ll instantly set up a connection between you in the photo and whoever looks at it.

12. Keep the editing simple

People can tell when you heavily edit your photos and it won’t look good. If you do choose to edit your features or add a cool filter, keep it as natural looking as possible. People will get annoyed if they can tell you’ve added a lot of effects. [Read: Signs you’re an attention seeker even if you can’t see it]

13. Don’t rely on filters

Every few months, a new filter gets released that grabs everyone’s attention for its realism, each of them getting harder and harder to detect.

While using filters in your selfies can be fun, it can also be really harmful to your self-esteem if you start thinking that you’re flawed for not looking like the filtered version of you.

So, if you use filters for a lot of your selfies, mix it up and take one au naturel! You have nothing to hide.

14. Avoid awkward poses

You know the ones we’re talking about – the duck lips, the peace sign, and sticking your butt out are all poses that have been overused.

They’ll get old really quickly and make you look like you don’t know what you’re doing. Be unique and your selfie will stand out. [Read: Sexy and sweet Snapchat ideas to improve your relationship]

15. Keep moving

When you take a selfie, you might default to one or two standard poses and hold them until you’ve taken the picture that you like. But that might be the reason all your selfies end up looking stiff and awkward.

When you hold a pose for longer than a second, the muscles in your face and shoulders start to tense and your eyes become tired and lackluster.

To avoid that from happening, stay mobile! Move between poses, try different facial expressions, and even snap pictures of yourself while you’re talking candid-style.

You want to look free, relaxed, and comfortable in your photos. So don’t stiffen up and instead move about! Even models move about during photoshoots.

16. Use the back camera, not the front

We know what you’re thinking! You think the front camera is meant for selfies. While that may be true, it doesn’t mean it’s the best camera to use.

The one that’s on the back of your phone is actually a better camera all around. Therefore, you’ll get a better selfie.

Plus, the front camera is known to distort your face, making it look longer than it is, especially when it’s held close to your face.

17. Speaking of cameras—clean yours!

How are you expecting to take a great photo of yourself if your camera lens is struggling to focus on you through fingerprint smudges and dirt? Give your camera a good wipe-down beforehand so that you can be captured in perfect clarity.

Also, if you’re going to use a mirror in your selfie, clean that too. Nothing ruins a mirror selfie more than unsightly mirror streaks—except maybe items in the background that were never meant to be shown!

18. Moisturize before snapping

Phone cameras are getting more HD by the year, which is great… Until you go to take a pic of yourself and your camera picks up on all the details of your dry skin.

To look fresh-faced in your photos, apply moisturizer beforehand. It will help to minimize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, cakey makeup, and skin texture, and it will leave you looking glowy and youthful.

19. Snap selfies with your pets and friends

Everybody loves a selfie with an animal! If you have pets, take a picture with them and upload it. You can also take selfies with your friends to increase the quality. The more, the merrier. [Read: 32 fun sleepover ideas for a fun night with friends]

20. Learn the current selfie trends

These trends are always changing. Remember when making duck lips was really big?

Going on social media and checking out the selfies everyone else is uploading can help you figure out which trends are the biggest. Then you can replicate them for your own selfies.

21. Pay attention to which photos get the most likes

This is just something anyone should be doing with all photos. Find out which ones are getting the most likes and take more selfies like those ones. People like it for a reason. [Read: 26 ways to get a guy’s attention on Instagram without using your body]

22. Smile

There’s a time and a place for grumpy-looking selfies, but everyone loves to see you happy and smiling. No matter what, having a genuine smile when you take a selfie can make it SO much better.

So if you’re having a hard time and are unsure how to take a good selfie, smile and you’re halfway there.

23. Smile with your eyes

When we say smile, you probably immediately go to move your lips. But real genuine smiles aren’t just focused on the mouth, they spread across the entire face.

The best way to make a fake smile look genuine is to think about your eyes.

Squint them a little bit, or even just imagine the happiness spreading from your mouth, through your cheeks, and up to your eyes. That will make you look more authentically happy rather than awkward and stiff.

24. Say a funny word

Smiling on command can be hard. Smiling genuinely can be even harder! Forcing a smile is usually obvious from a mile away, especially in the tensed muscles around the eyes and mouth.

So, to relax your face and make your smile appear more genuine, say a funny word. You’ll make yourself laugh, and that laugh will translate into a beautiful, genuine smiley selfie. [Read: 52 happy habits and ways to find happiness within yourself and feel better]

25. Stick out your chin

If you haven’t figured it out by now, the key to a good selfie is happiness from within. Why do you think we gave you so many tips on how to smile?! To look good, you have to feel good… or at least look like you do.

to really stun people with your selfies, all you really need is confidence. So don’t hide that face in awkward shadows—stick that chin out and show them who you are!

[Read: 55 secrets and self-love habits to build confidence and realize your worth]

Learning how to take a good selfie isn’t something that you’ll pick up right away. It can take time to figure out which angles make you look best. Keep practicing with these tips and post those selfies!