The Art of Selfies

With more and more people having smartphones with built-in cameras or low-cost point and shoots, selfies -- photos of the person taking the photo -- are officially on their way to becoming a "thing." Most selfies are quickly snapped, involve either just the phone's owner or the owner and a friend or two, have little in the way of posing or attempts to use composition techniques and may involve the dreaded duckface. However, selfies can be more than a poorly shot self-portrait. With a bit of creativity, you can show a lot of attitude without having to contort your body or your face. 1) Prop your feet up on the railing and capture the scene in front of you. While technically this isn't a "selfie" in that your face isn't in the photo, it is a great way to show something you're very passionate about (such as sports) without missing anything. It can also make it seem like you're more laid back and relaxed about the activity even if you're actually keyed up and excited. All in all, it's a good way to show two events without any awkward posing. 2) Lift your chin and extend your neck. This will help your face look thinner and will get rid of any excess chins you may have. 3) Wear accessories such as a hat, scarf, funny glasses, etc. So many selfies just have the people or ball caps. Stand out from the crowd and do something a little different. 4) Crop the entire photo down so it's framing your portrait. 5) Use an unusual masking technique. Get in a tub filled with bubble bath and water. Take a selfie on a rollercoaster. The sky is the limit here so do something original and amazing! -- da Bird