The 3 Secrets To Taking The Perfect Selfie

A lot of times, I hear people (mostly guys) ask why girls do all kinds of things in selfies. Well, regular pictures are boring. 

If you can't nail a perfect selfie, don't worry. I got you Baby. With a few simple steps, I'll teach you how to take great selfies even in your sleep...

Nailing The Expression - You can smile, pout, stick out your tongue, do the cute, clown, mean, silly, do-not-mess-with-me or whatever-else facial expression. It doesn't matter what your preference is but don't ever do nothing. You'll just look bleh in the picture and that's just boooooring! I have a handful of friends who say they don't like taking pictures because they never look good in them. I used to be very insecure about taking pictures too. In fact, every now and then I still get bouts of insecurity but who doesn't? My friend Phire thinks I'm crazy anytime I fret over how I appear in a picture. Ha ha!

I like to smile in pictures. My Dentist makes a ton of money off of me (well, my place of work) so I deserve the right to show off my teeth. I actually used to smile with my mouth closed - no teeth, until when I was sixteen and of my brothers said to me - "show your teeth when you smile, your smile will be much prettier". I took his advice and started showing my teeth when smiling. It was awkward at first so I tried doing it in front of a mirror to  make sure it looked right. (If it's an issue with your teeth that prevents you from smiling with your teeth showing, try and get it fixed. It's probably not as expensive or complicated as you might think). I thought I had the smiling thing all figured out until 2011 and the MBGN (Most Beautiful Girl In Nigeria) pageant. Just before I went to camp with the other contestants, another brother (these my brothers though) said I should learn to smile with my eyes and back to the mirror I went. I had to learn all about smizing from America's Next Top Model and since then, I haven't looked back! Grab a mirror and try out all kinds of expressions. Figure out the ones you like and practice! Imagine yourself as a model and do what you think a model should. That's right! You have to get into the spirit.

Getting The Right Body Angles - You'll need a full-length mirror this time. Practice different poses and angles while sitting and standing. Think of celebrities on the red carpet and how they almost always have the same pose each time they walk the red carpet. Find your signature pose and own it. Practice, practice, practice - suck in that tummy, draw your shoulders back and lift your chin (you don't want to look like you have no neck). Of course, all of this will be much easier if you're fit, healthy and loving your body. If you are missing any of these elements, now's a good time as any to get working on it.

Faking It Until You Make It - Don't be deceived. For every really good picture you see, there's a million and one not-so-good ones lurking in the dark. Take hundreds of pictures (again, you have to be in the spirit) then pick out all the good ones where the pose/angles, the lighting and everything else feel just right and ... delete the rest! With a professional photographer, the upside is that you get to select the pictures you like and they get rid of the rest, so you're covered. If you're taking group selfies, try to be the one in charge of the camera or the picture selection and wipe all the bad pictures before everyone gets a copy. Your friends might hate you for this, but the good side is you won't have terrible pictures of you displayed all over Facebook, Instagram or BBM! All pictures of you everywhere and anywhere will be nothing but awesome!(Well, except for the bad ones you already have out there. I can't help you there, sorry!)

How well do you take pictures? Is there something I've missed? Share in the comments and don't forget to drink lots of water.

xoxo...

Girlfriends