Nailing a selfie at night is such a pain. It can be extra frustrating if you're at a party or festival with lots of changing lights. Your camera has no chance of focussing on the right thing. Not to mention, you really don't want to be blinded by the flash or look like the devil with red eyes. We've got you covered with everything you need to know to take a great selfie in the dark.
Bring your own lighting
One of the biggest issues with night-time selfies is the lighting. Usually, you've got two options. The first is taking a selfie so dark and blurry that all you see is some eyeballs and maybe the tip of your nose. The second option is to flip your phone and use the flash. This means you'll be half-blinded, so even if you manage to aim right, you'll look totally insane.
The solution to these problems is to bring your own light.
This doesn't mean you have to walk around with a bedside lamp in your hand; selfie ring lights are now super acceptable and really discreet. Pop one in your bag and whip it out when it's selfie time. Cute, flattering lighting is yours whenever you need it.
Tap on your face
Weird lighting means bad focus. Bad focus means a blurry face. When you take a selfie during the day or in good lighting, your phone will automatically focus on your face because it can see it. At night, your phone tries to focus on anything it can, so give it a hint by tapping on the bit you want to focus on. In most cases, your own face. This means your phone will adjust for the light hitting your face, not whatever is flashing behind you.
Keep it steady
You can get away with a shaky hand in the day because your phone can focus on more things and still capture a great moment. That's why when you're laughing or dancing, your phone can still get a great shot. However, because there are no points of reference at night, a shaky hand or some movement can easily make a great picture into nothing but a blurry mess. Keep it steady and smooth, or your photos will be as blurry as your memory after too many tequilas.
Multi-colored lighting
If you want to switch it up a bit, why not play with lighting? During the day, you don’t have much control over lights—the sun is pretty overpowering! But at night, you can get creative, and you don't even need fancy gear. Try doing an image search on your laptop for a color. Sit in front of the screen with all the colors on and you'll be covered in a beautiful glow of whichever color you chose. Rosy pink glow? Nailed it. Funky, vibrant green? beautiful!
Night selfies are so difficult. Bright, flashing lights are a nightmare for getting a selfie that looks good enough to post online. But, if you’re prepared and know what you are doing, you can get some epic shots.
