Revealed: The SIX steps to taking the perfect selfie

It may take a split second to take a photo but learning the art of posing for a magazine quality shot can take years of practice – just ask fashion stylist Jane de Teliga.

She has styled some of the most beautiful people in the world during her lengthy career as a stylist for magazines and newspapers around the world and now Ms de Teliga is revealing her secrets for those after the perfect Instagram shot.

The former style director of the Australian Women’s Weekly says one of the things she used to tell the celebrities, sport stars, designers and prime ministers she photographed was to ‘get over your ego’.

‘I always find people are terrified of having their picture taking. If they get rid of the negative self-talk of thinking they’ll look bad and just focus on the end result, we’ll get a good photo,’ Ms de Teliga told Daily Mail Australia.

‘You’ve got to pull yourself up, stand up straight and then relax. But don’t stand straight towards the camera, I always find facing (your body) three-quarters away and then having your face to the camera works best.

Ms de Teliga, who has styled fashion shoots for high profile Australians like Megan Gale, said you should always lean in towards the camera so it makes you look engaged

‘Dividing your legs a little and putting the weight on one hip also helps with that relaxed look.

‘Look straight down the lens and smile, smile, smile. You’ve got to send the camera a lot of warmth. In my years of having photos taken, those tips are the ones that work.’

Ms de Teliga, who has styled fashion shoots for high profile Australians like Nicole Kidman, Megan Gale, Rachel Griffiths and Toni Collette, said you should always lean in towards the camera so it makes you look engaged.

‘If a celebrity looked tired and their eyes looked glazed from too many photos, I’d get them to look away and then turn and smile in time for the photo,’ she said.

Ms de Teliga’s most memorable high-profile shoot was Nicole Kidman.

‘I really enjoyed styling her. I like her a lot too. She’s very graceful and intelligent and nicely brought up, you could say.’

The mother-of-two, who was well-known in the fashion industry here in Australia, released a memoir this week titled Running Away From Home.

In it, she details walking away from her glamorous and fulfilling career as a fashion and style director almost seven years ago.

She sold her home in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, quit her high pressure job and with just two suitcases in tow, she followed her dream of moving to Paris.

‘Being in Australia, people knew me. I was well known in my field. I felt like I had always been doing that and I needed to disappear away from it,’ she said.

‘I had been going to Europe for the fashion shows for nearly two decades. I wanted to see what life had to offer out there. I think a lot of people would like to but don’t actually do it.’

JANE’S TOP PHOTO TIPS:

1. Pull yourself up, stand up straight and then relax

2. Face your body three-quarters away and then have your face to the camera

3. Divide your legs a little and put the weight on one hip

4. Lean in towards the camera so it makes you look engaged

5. Look away and then turn and smile in time for the photo

6. Look straight down the lens and smile