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Business News/ Mint-lounge / Indulge/  Selfie 101: Atul Kasbekar’s guide to best self portraiture
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Selfie 101: Atul Kasbekar’s guide to best self portraiture

The photographer distils his 20-odd years of experience in 10 points of how to click the best selfies

While clicking a selfie, stretch your hand as far as possible. Photo: ThinkStockPremium
While clicking a selfie, stretch your hand as far as possible. Photo: ThinkStock

My dad in his infinite wisdom told me years ago that as a photographer I could have an inordinate power over people.

“Pray how," I asked? I had a vision of this guru-like me with fawning blondes, many rolls on my waist and even more purring in my garage. Perhaps even a town named after me in some American state.

Poof...back to the present.

“Simple," was the sage reply, “everyone has the weakness of vanity. That means if you take a picture of them that flatters them, they’ll be inadvertently indebted to you and hence under your spell."

So, from the prime minister to a poor man, a great portrait is all it takes.

That was circa 1990.

Fastforward to the present and photographers are dangerously close to losing out on jobs, especially portraiture, courtesy the selfie. Any day now (if it isn’t here already), passport photos, I’m sure, will be some fish face against a white background. The immigration officer will then insist that you pucker up before he recognizes you from your jet lag and lets you through.

So using some 20-odd (mostly odd) years of phototakeouting experience and an ice-cold Kingfisher Ultra later, here’s my do-it-yourself Selfie 101.

Do try it at home or anywhere else...

1. Stretch your hand as far as possible. Most phone cameras have a wide lens on camera by default that WILL cause perspective distortion, especially with your nose when your camera is too close. And since most people (read me) aren’t exactly blessed with a proboscis like Keanu, remember, further the arm. You could always crop the image later if you wanted a closer crop.

2. Most faces are at their least worst at a three-quarter view shot from slightly above the nose line. Shoot both sides to figure out if your left three-quarter rocks it or if the right is right.

3. Even the delectable Sonam Kapoor is unlikely to face the camera dead straight on. Ok, maybe just about only Sonam. Rest of the universe, with less-chiselled cheekbones, may kindly avoid this angle.

4. Experiment with lighting. Facing a flat, broad source such as a window will flatten most blemishes and marks. It will also be too safe or boring. Not the best idea for an inherently round face. A side light will make a rounder face look leaner with the shadow that results on the opposite side of the light source.

5. When the selfie lens is on, people tend to look at the screen when they press the shutter to click. That’s NOT the lens. The lens is the little dot on the side. So look at the screen and when you are happy with your expression, turn your gaze to the little dot and press the shutter. This way, you will look at the lens in your selfie and not off it.

6. If your hairline is thin and hence the forehead the size of Africa, feel free to crop into your head. Mine is, so I do it all the time. Perfectly legal in most countries, I believe. So unless you look like Jason Statham despite being follically challenged and running a transport business, consider a crop.

7. You can press the shutter many times. Especially, when there’s more than one person in the selfie. Chances are that it would take you a few to get everyone looking amazing in the same frame. And it doesn’t cost extra to fire many frames like it did in the roll-film days.

8. Delete the extras. Our phones and tablets get slow with a ridiculous number of shots that add up to useless data. Go on, make them vanish. You’re not likely to see them again anyway.

9. Download a good app to tweak images with filters. I worked on the Signature Selfies App, so this was my sort of shameless plug.

10. The fish and the duck need to be in your face and not on it. Uff...those fake pouty looks are hopelessly passé. So please drop it. Besides, you may be offending some vegetarian viewers as well.

That was the quick and dirty selfie special. Simple enough for you to follow.

Atul Kasbekar is a renowned photographer, describes himself as an Indian ‘Ari Gold’ and is a lifelong fan of Arsenal Football Club. You can follow Kasbekar on Twitter at @atulkasbekar and check out his photography tutorials on the Ping Network on YouTube.

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Published: 29 Aug 2014, 08:27 AM IST
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