Taking the Perfect Group Selfie

It’s hard enough to take a decent selfie of yourself (it certainly is for me), but taking the perfect group selfie can be downright challenging. You guys have probably learned by now that I LOVE taking LOTS of pictures of me and the gals during our girls’ day adventures. And a good portion of those are group selfies. 99% of the time, I’ve got a selfie stick in hand, trying my best to corral the group and get the perfect group shot to commemorate the day.

And let’s face it, the selfie, whether alone or in a group, is here to stay. According to the folks over at Photutorial, 2.3 billion photos are taken each day, with 92 million of those being selfies.

That’s 92 million selfies taken per day! An awful long way from the first selfie ever taken, huh?

Honestly, with so many selfies being taken every day, you wouldn’t think taking the perfect group selfie would be all that difficult. But…sometimes it certainly seems to be.

As much as I hate to say it, I do think we’ve become a bit of a narcissistic, selfie-obsessed society. But, I also believe there is a time and place to take the perfect selfie, too. In my mind, it’s a balancing act between taking selfies for the sake of seeing yourself on camera to taking selfies to commemorate family, friends and events. You know, to document those memories.

I am in no way a professional photographer, but over the years, I’ve learned a few things that seem to help when it comes to the group selfie.

Light is Your Friend

Let me rephrase that – light is your friend unless it’s directly behind you – then it creates those weird, unflattering shadows that just don’t help anyone. Instead, do your best to keep the light in front of you. And, I hope it goes without saying that natural light is far better than any other kind.

If you do happen to be in a dimly lit area, try to keep the light on your face, if at all possible.

Take Lots and Lots of Snaps

Back when I was young (showing my age here), you loaded film into a camera, took a picture and crossed your fingers that it turned out okay. In all reality, you probably had about a 50-50 chance. But, you DIDN’T have the luxury of taking picture after picture because film and developing just cost WAY too much.

I mean, does anyone remember the Fotomat?

But nowadays, the remarkable digital age makes it easy to take picture after picture after picture. And I’m serious, take far more than you think you’ll ever need, because guess what? Literally half of them will be terrible and hit the trash bin as soon as you start to review them.

Oh, wait! Am I the only one that does that?

Love your Selfie Stickk

Ummm! Does that title sound a little naughty? Just me? OK – I digress!

I’ve said it before, but I totally adore my selfie stick. I love it so much I gifted my girlfriends with their very own selfie stick at a favorite things Christmas party. Although I have a great Canon DSLR camera with multiple lenses that I absolutely adore, I never, ever leave home without that selfie stick.

And why the selfie stick? Well – my hands are simply NOT big enough to hold the phone and click the button to take pictures. My selfie stick, on the other hand, has a tiny little remote that I can click and click and click until I can’t click anymore (wait, that sounds kind of naughty too)! What’s wrong with me today?

Anyways, my selfie stick also has a little tripod function, so I can set it up anywhere and snap candid pics without anyone knowing. How great is that? And no, that doesn’t mean I act like a voyeur (rolls eyes), but candid shots are always pretty special!

Be on the Same Page

You’re diligently trying to get the perfect selfie and, wouldn’t you know it, your bestie is smiling away and you’re sitting there cross-eyed with your tongue hanging out. Before you begin snapping pics, try to get on the same page with your group. Determine what kind of pics you’re taking. Funny. Serious. Tongues out? Tongues in?

I mean, sometimes the differences in faces can be charming, but once in a while you just want a great pic, where you’re all looking your best and doing the same thing. The kind of pic you can print out and frame for your desk 🙂

The key to making that happen is communication – just talk for a few seconds before each pic and you’ll stand a better chance of getting a cohesive look.

Vary the Shots

Don’t let only the person in the front, middle take the shot. Instead, pass the phone and selfie stick off to different group members. Doing so, will allow for lots of different angles and offer more variety in your pictures. Sometimes a minor change can mean a world of difference in your photos.

Another good idea is to have the person holding the camera up front and have the remainder of the group stand back just a bit. It gives a completely different perspective than if you were all grouped together tightly.

Play with Filters

OK, I might get some guff for this one, but filters CAN be fun. Don’t go so crazy that you no longer have a nose or are TOTALLY unrecognizable, but a touch up or a bit of brightening is perfectly okay in my opinion.

Sometimes I’ll use filters and other times I’ll go completely au natural – just depends on what I’m going for.

But, I do shake my head at some of the crazy things people do. Like, can someone explain the need to filter an infant? Sorry folks, they are perfect already! Stop filtering babies, please! Serious pet peeve over here 🙁 Of course, that could just be my age, too. What do you think?

If you’re on the hunt for a great photo app, I recommend Facetune. Although I have lots of other apps, Facetune has been my favorite for sometime now, primarily because it’s so easy to use for those of us that AREN’T graphic designers.

Know Your Angles

I personally have a fetish for pics where everyone is looking up toward the camera. But vary those shots and try different angles – that’s what makes pictures so fun. Look up and take one from above. Look down and take one from below. Take one from the right. Take one from the left. (did I just create a new line dance over here)?

In a group shot, it’s tough to get every individual’s best angles, but if one of your friends is adamant about her right side being her go to, then try to position her that way whenever you’re able. If you’re like me and my gals, we don’t remotely worry about our ‘best’ angle.

At our age, everything is perfectly peachy as long as we still have angles and we’re still here to snap some photos 🙂

Burst It

Do you ever use the burst function on your phone? Taking so many pictures in rapid succession can be a lifesaver, especially for any moving subject.

Basically, this continuous shooting function snaps multiple frames per second, capturing every minute difference from one frame to the next.

The burst function is available on both iPhone and Android. Depending on your phone model, the steps to get to the burst function might look just a touch different.

Give it a try and see how it works out for you. I always love to play with the features my phone has to offer!

Background

If you have amazing scenery around you, be sure to try and get some of it in your group shot. Not only does having that perfect scenery or historical building make for a wonderfully unique backdrop, it also helps commemorate a moment in time and document where and what you were doing at a specific time.

While taking the perfect group selfie might be a bit of an undertaking, it’s well worth the time when you look back at those pics and find a hidden gem mixed in with those shots with the bad lighting, crazy angles or weird facial expressions on all your friends.

But remember, at its core, the entire reason for taking all those group selfies is to document the amazing memories you’re making with your loved ones. Take your selfies and have fun with them – and sometime, decades from now, you’ll look back with fondness on all of the amazing adventures you had during your lifetime.