InstagramTaking the Perfect Selfie Just Got Easier Thanks to These Tips From Your Favorite Instagrammers!

Sona Gasparian, Makeup artist, Founder of Pérsona Cosmetics, & YouTube beauty guru

Tip No. 1: "Make sure you have an idea of how you want your photo to look before you take it. Lighting and composition are essential for a great picture, so make sure to have a good set up before snapping your picture. As long as you have good lighting and composition, your iPhone is great for taking Instagram photos! Whether you’re showing off a makeup look, make sure that your picture is high quality. I usually take lots of pictures so that I have options and can pick out my favorite!"

Tip No. 2: "For that perfect Instagram selfie, you can use a wide variety of photo editing apps. VSCO is one of my favorites! I’ll usually apply a filter, then adjust the filter strength, add contrast, decrease exposure, and add clarity. I also use Snapseed, Darkroom, and FaceTune to bring out details in my jewelry and makeup."

Christine Andrew, Founder of Hello Fashion and ILY Couture

Tip No. 1: "I feel like natural light is always best for selfies and beauty pics so you can see the true colors of your makeup look."

Tip No. 2: "I try to limit filters on selfies and beauty shots, but if I do use a filter I’ll use one of my Hello Fashion Presets in Lightroom. 'Life In Color' is my go-to preset. It brings that rich color to every photo, making any color come to life!"

Jen Selter, @jenselter

Tip: "Find good lighting Hint: sun helps!"

Ashley Alexiss — Plus-Size Model, @ashalexiss

Tip: "My main tip is NATURAL SUNLIGHT! It makes you look like an absolute glowing goddess and gives you all the fierceness the perfect selfie needs."

Brooke Adams, Pro Wrestler @realbrookeadams

Tip No. 1: Lighting — "For me I love natural light like going outside and getting sun-kissed! Sunrise and sunset is the best time. The perfect lighting helps get rid of wrinkles and dark under eye circles. Be careful too much light will ruin your perfect selfie.

Tip No. 2: "Avoid shadows which cause us to look a lot older than we are. Who wants that???!"

Tip No. 3: Know your angles — "In my personal opinion looking directly into to the camera is a no-no. Turn your face just a tad to the side and keep your chin down. It slims your face and gives you that beautiful model face."

Tip No. 4: "Take a lot of selfies! It takes a lot to get one perfect shot. Sounds ridiculous but think of a photo shoot. Since when does a photographer take one shot and say 'we got it!'? Let me tell you from experience, next to never.

Tip No. 5: Do not over edit — "Some flaws are imperfectly perfect and are REAL. People love seeing the REAL you. Not the overly Facetuned face where your whole face is smoothed over and overly filtered photos."

Tip No. 6: "Pay attention to your backgrounds. Yes, it’s a selfie but the entire photo is important. Make sure it’s neat and clean. Or if it’s for a purpose that you’re capturing the right angle behind you like the skyline or sunset while showcasing your face."

Emily Jackson, Founder of The Ivory Lane

Tip No. 1: "Lighting is everything!! Use natural lighting whenever possible."

Tip No. 2: "Have options! Every time I take a selfie I take close to 50. Maybe I shouldn't admit that, but I like to have options so I'll tilt my head different directions, switch up the background or change my smile slightly."

Annie Vazquez, Founder @anniethealchemist and blogger @thefashionpoet

Tips: "A good selfie is all about good light, being yourself, and finding the right colorful backdrop that can make your picture pop. Outdoor selfies always come out the best because of light and backdrops that aren't busy with people so you can always stay as the focal point."

Kindly Myers, Professional Smokeshow @kindly

Tip: "I use the Lumee case on my phone because good lighting is key."

Tip No. 2: "Get a good angle. I usually take selfies holding the camera above me facing downward."

Tip No. 3: Take several photos and choose the best one. I sometimes like to take my selfies using Snapchat because the filters are great. Save them and post elsewhere."

Katie Sturino, Founder of @megababe and blogger @the12ishstyle

Tip: "Find your 'good side.' It's a thing… everyone actually has one!"

Bianca Cheah, Wellness and beauty expert, model, activist, and Founder of Sporteluxe

Tip No. 1: "Opt for shade or a soft afternoon light that shines light directly front on onto the face rather than from above. Light from above creates dark shadows on the face and can be highly unflattering."

Tip No. 2: "Find a great angle of you. Most people have their favorite side haha. Mine is my left."

Tip No. 3: "Make sure your face does not take up the whole screen. Instead, try to opt for the 1/3 rule. Place your face in 1/3 of the frame. This then creates a balanced image and will tell more of a story rather than your whole face taking up the whole screen which can also be unflattering. I like to take selfies with a great location in the background."

Tip No. 4: "Smiles always attract more likes. So smile, but naturally!"

Tip No. 5: "I always take a handful so I have a variety to choose from. I then go in and edit my favorite image in Lightroom. I grade the image using the White Balance and lighting setting. If dark, I always up the shadows and reduce the highlights. I always add more yellow to the image. This gives a golden look. And then I sharpen. Then apply a fade and a grain effect. The fade and grain effect soften the image. Boom — then I add to Instagram."

Vi Ho, Model @missviho

Tip No. 1: "Place your phone at eye level or above eye level!"

Tip No. 2: "And use a ring light or have natural light! Lighting and positioning is EVERYTHING!"

Rebecca Louise, Fitness trainer, wellness expert, creator of BURN by Rebecca Louise

Tip No. 1: LIGHTING — "Natural lighting is the best! Go to a window where there is some light some light coming in. Face out to the light and hold your phone up, move from side to side to catch the best light and snap away."

Tip No. 2: HAVE GOOD HAIR — "Seems like a small detail, it makes all the difference from me. You don’t need a lot of make up or any in fact, natural is beautiful. Have your hair washed and styled to take that perfect selfie."

Tip No. 3: LOOK AT THE CAMERA — "Selfies are all about your face and a connection with your audience. So look at them, give a little smile and make sure you look at the actual camera on your phone, not you in the screen."

Tip No. 4: ANGLES — "We all have our best side, so find out what angle you like best on you. Avoid taking shots from down below. Aim the camera at eye level or slightly higher for the most flattering look."

Tip No. 5: EDIT — "So much can be done with a photo in the edit. There are many apps you can use that play around with the highlight, contrast and saturation. Enhance the colors and soften the image for the perfect selfie!"

Emilie Sobel, @emiliesobel

Tip No. 1: Natural Lighting is key — "Know the time of day you get the best lighting in your apartment. I always try to take my selfies in my bedroom around 6:30 p.m., during ‘golden hour.’ It gives my skin a nice natural glow and you won’t need to use any filter or editing because it’s just so good. Most of my selfies on my Instagram are taken on my iPhone during this time of day and they always get the most engagement."

Tip No. 2: Know Your Angles — "It sounds silly but everyone has a good side. My selfies come out best when I’m angling my face towards the left. I’m not sure why, and it’s a totally personal decision. Practice with your phone camera and see which pictures you end up gravitating towards to help you define your angle. It makes a huge difference in selfies and in pictures with other people."

Tip No. 3: Find Your Filter — "Play around with apps on your phone like VSCO, FaceTune, or Snapseed. Once I take a selfie, I know exactly what filters to use to enhance my face, edit out any imperfections and really stand out on my feed. These apps are free and are super easy to use. Once you find your routine with them, it becomes a natural habit."

Cody Andrew, HelloHis.com and @codywestonandrew

Tip No. 1: Lighting! Lighting! Lighting! "Lighting makes the biggest difference when taking a higher quality selfie. Good lighting will fully expose your face eliminating shadows, allowing your front camera to take a higher quality picture. So next time you want to take a selfie stand in front of a window, face a computer screen, or even go outside and snap that perfect selfie."

Tip No. 2: Use better filters! "Social media apps don’t have the best filters, they usually downgrade the look of your photo and cause them to blend in with everyone else's pictures who are also using them. Instead, download a photo editing app such as Lightroom and use filters from other social media influencers or better yet, make your own."

Tip No. 3: Less is More. "When taking a selfie we can overtake/edit pictures only causing us to not be satisfied with any. I don’t allow myself to take more than 10 selfies and only give myself five minutes to touch it up. This allows me to flow through it and I tend to always end up with a great selfie without overdoing it."