SELCA : The art of camwhoring

Do you know what SELCA is? You've actually probably have done it before just didn't know the name. It is litterally Self Cam, but it's taking cute/lovely photos of yourself but there are certain "rules". As a vain, and shameless person I take a lot of these in the name of my blog but actually I just take them and find away to incorporate them into a blog post.. kind of like right now.

example

These poses are quite common amongst korean ulzzang. Some kpop stars have taken SELCA pictures and been criticized because the pose wasn't right. So onto the rules.

1. Make sure you're presentable. Okay, that sounds kind of obvious right? But it's missed a lot. Check to make sure you don't have stray hairs in your face unless that's the look you're going for, or like food in your teeth. Lighting also is important in looking presentable. Take a few test shots and see how the light hits your face. More light? Defused light? Is the light is hitting your whole face?

2.  Dont do a straight on face. Your face isn't that pretty... No actually your camera will always do some sort of distortion because of the lens. It will create a bubble effect. So if you look straight on like you normally do with the camera, It will create a weird vacuum on your face. 

How Do I Avoid A Fat Face? This is what i do to avoid the fat face look:

• Angle my camera. I make sure that my camera is from a higher angle. It slims down the face and opens my eyes. It's using the bubble to an advantage. Its a very "cute" look. Practice with this because too high is this weird gaunt ugly thing, and too low and back to bubble face.
• Tilt my chin. Okay so sometimes my arm gets tired from all the high angle photos. So I hold the camera eye level and tilt my chin an inch down while pressing my shoulders down. It creates a more natural look than the angled camera but its more difficult, if the tilt isnt right its back to fat face or alien forehead.
• not every shot has to have my face, facing the camera.  I  move eyes face and chin to find a flattering side .
• If you INSIST on doing a picture thats not looking up at the camera. Do the pose and then make sure you tuck your chin in. So, stretch your neck and then angle your chin in a bit. its flattering when done right. MAKE SURE YOUR NOSE IS CLEAN!

3. Have fun. Show personality. Photos represent you, so have fun with it. Smile, dont smile, dont look at the camera, use a prop, play with your hair  accessorize, clothing. These photos reflect you so make sure your in control of what the photos say.

4. Practice. So practice. Practice the fuck out of this. Be shameless. If youre looking good take pictures. Don't care about where you are. Restaurant, Family time, car ride, going to the bathroom, eating, before bed, waking up. People will probably laugh, scoff, call you vain, or something else not nice. Who cares though? the people that like you like you and the people you dont know opinions of you shouldn't matter. Even if you dont look good, practice. You will learn what angels make you look the best!

5. INVEST!! I'm talking all forms of investment. Camera, photoshop, time it take to learn how to edit photos, and skin care/makeup. Selca is meant for flattering photos so make sure you have a good camera that is clear. Also, photoshop. So you take a pretty picture. but oh damn there is a zit. or a whole bunch of zits or scars on your face. or the lighting isnt quite right. you can fix it with PS. And skin care and makeup. photos dont pick up all your makeup but seem to pick up all your skin flaws. So take care of your skin and cover up the redness. As for camera a good compact is the canon powershot, and for a DSLR canon rebel.

 Good Luck, and be vain!

Love,

-Nikki