what is a selfie

selfie of feetFeet Selfie

The what is a selfie photo question used to be a question only being asked by a people who were not acutely tuned into the online world of Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and other social networks. 

Now the selfie photo question has become: who doesn't take selfie photos?

Whether this is good or bad thing is a topic for another article. For now, it's suffice to say selfies are here to stay, at least for a while. So, what is a selfie photo?

The Oxford Dictionaries declared "selfie" as the official word of 2013, because of its meteoric rise in use.

Here are a couple of selfie definitions to consider and have a little fun with:

definitions of selfie photo

1.  A photograph taken of yourself used to brag about where you've been, whether it's the beach, the Grand Canyon, or at the MLB World Series.

Courtesy of travelmonitor.com.au/

2.  A picture taken by you with your favorite celebrity, or perhaps a bunch of celebrities.  It's your chance to brag about who you've spent time with.

Celebrity PhotobombCelebrity Selfie Photobomb

As it turns out celebrities and bloggers have been taking selfie portraits for quite some time. Perhaps that's why they have so become mainstream with an increasingly larger segment of the general population. 

3.  A creative self portrait that doesn't reveal your identity

shadow selfieSecret Selfie Portrait

We could label this type of portrait as the Shy Selfie or Secret Selfie.  This is a way to explore your creative self through photography without broadcasting your secret identity to internet surfers.

4.  The definition of selfie as described by urbandictionary.com:  An act carried out by girls aged 12-21, usually taken of oneself by posing. If the act is carried out by a man, he is usually seen as gay.  I can't even comment on the absurdity of this one.

5.  The typical definition of selfie:  a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and shared via social media.

Now that we've got an understanding of several of the definitions of selfies, let's turn to what naturally follows. Let's face it. We've all seen some pretty bad selfie portraits.  How can we change that? Take charge and be proactive in getting better.

how to improve your selfie photos

Why not grab a few techniques to improve your images? Try these 5 tips for stepping up your game with your selfie photography.

  1. VIEW THEM. Look at other people's' selfies. You can copy the idea without copying the actual photo.  Get inspired to try a few Creative Selfie.  A
  2. Here's just one FaceBook page dedicated to creative selfie ideas.
  3. COMPOSITION. Most of your selfie shots will have you as the main subject, but it wouldn't hurt for you to brush up on some basic composition tips.
  4. SHARPEN. Get a few tips on avoiding blur. The biggest disappointment with selfie photographers is that their photos are blurry. Read up on avoiding blur in your photos.
  5. LIGHT IT UP. The second biggest shortcoming when it comes to shooting selfies is that the lighting sucks. Sorry to be so direct. You can improve your selfie photography-and all of your other photography-by learning just a little about photography lighting.
  6. READ THIS.  You know my initial criticism of shooting selfies has changed a lot. Now I'm guilty of taking them too. In my defense, I usually just take them to improve my creativity, not to draw attention to myself

more articles related to what is a selfie

What You Need to Know About Selfie Sticks. Which are the best and what features are important for you to know about.

Selfie vs. Self Portrait.  There really is a big difference between the two, or is there anymore? Yes, and which one you should be taking.

Monopods. They can be used for your self portraits as well as your photography of wildlife and sports photography.

Female biking selfieCreative Location Selfie

I hope you enjoyed this light-hearted look at what is a selfie portrait.  Please share it with a friend using one of the share buttons. My own personal selfie practice:  it's usually only for the sake of sharing a photography related tip or relevant information for the readers of the Better Digital Photography Tips website.

I must confess it to be a bit of fun to take pictures of my wife and I and certain venues and share them in a limited way to social media.  Uh oh, am I getting dragged into the narcissistic culture?

Shoot more selfie photos. Shoot better selfie photos.

Article published by Bruce Lovelace

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