I hear a lot of people on social asking about the best side for taking a selfie or a self-portrait. What’s the angle? There are many reasons why people might ask this question. It could be to confirm a fact they already found. Or perhaps they’re looking for an ego stroke. Or else they just have honestly no idea. The reason therefor exists regardless of what I’m about to tell you in this newsletter and hopefully put the matter to bed once and for all.
Look, you’re not Two-Face from the DC Universe or Quasimodo at Notre Dame in which case you would already know what side is the preferable one. So here is what you can do to test it out.
Take a picture of one side of your face then the other likewise in the same controlled manner. Set up the camera and lights equidistant from you with the selfsame expression made for both shots and see which looks better to your eye. This all is so but what else can you do?
The next step is a more discrete approach. Take a sheet of loose-leaf, letter or art paper and hold it up to cover half your face then the other half. Pay close attention to focus on each side, specifically look at the outside corner of your eye and mouth. If one side featured more of an upturn, that’s your more photogenic (read good) side. It shows a welcoming aspect.
What if you don’t see a material difference from one side to the other? How do you know which side is your best? This is the perfect dilemma. Makes no difference to me, I look great either way.
Think about it this way. Supposing you try on a red dress and a blue dress and love the way you look in both. What do you do to decide what to wear? Well, you probably ask somebody, maybe somebody you live with and trust whose opinion is important to you, like your mom or dad, a boyfriend or husband. “It doesn’t matter to me,” you say, “I think both look great, but do you have a preference?” If your moms or hubs prefers one to the other, then you’ll likely go with their preference given that what this person thinks matters to you.
I assume what your followers and subscribers think also matters to you. Since it makes no difference to you, how about asking them? The good news is somebody already has. Numerous scientists have in fact conducted several research studies dating to 2016, and the conclusion of these studies is that people generally prefer the left side of other people’s faces. Although exactly why is somewhat less clear.
Faced with this information, you are in a position to get an angle on your selfie and face left.
“Should I go with the red dress or the blue dress?”
“I like the blue one.”
“Done.”
Thanks for reading! I hope you found this as fun and enlightening as I did. Consider it your moment of photo magic in between work or whatever else is going on today.
The next article will dive into even more photogenic tips and tricks, and it's exclusively for paid subscribers. If you want access to that plus a treasure trove of pro secrets, consider subscribing! Every subscription is deeply appreciated and goes a long way toward bringing you even more content like this <3
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What's your side? Left or right?
Right