Aren’t we lucky to be alive in a time where our smartphones have the most amazing technology? Just think: not even five years ago could we take such high quality and professional photos! As a makeup artist or influencer, having the ability to generate stylish photos on demand isn’t just a great skill to have, it’s a necessity. If you’re curious about how to take good makeup selfies to fill your feed with fabulousness, you’ve come to the right place. Here are five tips you can try right now to level up your content game.
You’ve probably heard us say this before but the key to good photography is the right lighting. It’s what will help set the mood and tone for your pics and it’s worth taking the time to get right. Pay attention to what lighting source you’re using – natural sunlight is usually the best option if available but there are benefits to using artificial light, especially if you’re a vlogger.
Where possible, use natural lighting. The best part about using the sun as your light source is that it changes throughout the day, which can give your photos a bit of variety, even if you’re wearing the same outfit. However, daylight can be unpredictable so you might want to check the weather forecast ahead of time to make sure you know what you’re in for.
For the best of both worlds, invest in a quality ring light because LED lights actually mimic natural light. When you’re looking to photograph your artistry on your phone, the Cosmetic Clip-On Duo Ring Light takes the stress out of having to search high and low for the right lighting. It clips onto a desk or table and has a holder for your phone, freeing you up to strike the right pose. Ring lights are the preferred lighting for many makeup artists for so many reasons, so if you’re committing to taking your career seriously, it’s a worthwhile investment (for your selfies AND your portfolio).
Every smartphone has built-in settings for the camera, so navigate your way through the General menu and see what it's currently set to. You can change the resolution of your videos, front camera and back camera. Image quality is key to taking better photos because the higher the resolution, the more pixels (and details) will be in the resulting snap. Jack up the resolution and see what a difference it can make to the overall quality and clarity of your images.
Most smartphones have a front and back camera, but the front camera typically has a lower resolution. So it makes sense then to use the back camera for a better quality photo (it often has a bigger lens). To go the extra mile, consider clipping on either the Beauty Ring Light Duo or Beauty Ring Light to your phone. This handy selfie ring light can flip easily between your front and back camera to give you that beautiful, even and glowing light that ring lights are famous for.
One of the things that many MUA forget in learning how to take good makeup pictures for instagram is to clean the camera lens. The last thing you’ll want are a stack of blurry or misty photos that make it hard to see your makeup creations. Pick up a lens or glass cleaner, spray some onto a cloth and give your camera lens a little TLC. You might be surprised with how much of a difference this will make!
Try not to focus on getting THE perfect photo – take a whole bunch of photos so you have options. You can experiment with different types of lighting, whether indoors or outside, warm or cool, happy or atmospheric – because you’re using a digital camera on your phone, you can always delete what you don’t like later when you start editing.
As a bonus tip, plan your shoot ahead of time. Make a list of all the possible outfits and props you’re going to need and get everything ready before you start taking those glamorous shots. When you take a little extra time to prepare, you can really get your creative juices flowing when it comes time to get in front of the camera.
Now that you know how to take good makeup photos on the phone, follow @luvostore and tag us in your best pics on Insta with the hashtags #luvofam and #luvostore. We can’t wait to see you try these tips and fall in love with selfies even more!
