Scientists reveal the secret of a perfect selfie

More than a million selfies are taken every day, and a third of us admit to digitally retouching our self-portraits before uploading them online.

But researchers from the University of Surrey claim that many of these images could be improved simply taking note of some of their tips.

For example, when using a smartphone, the closer the person can get to the lens the better when trying to capture the perfect selfie.

Dr Andrew Pye and Dr Radu Sporea, photography experts and research fellows from the University of Surrey, revealed the tips during their ‘A Perfect Picture – the science behind good photos’ talk at the British Science Festival this weekend.

When using a digital camera, Dr Sporea and Dr Pye said that a wide-angle lens needs to be positioned further away from the subject and zoomed in, to achieve a more accurate perspective.

When a wide-angle lens is too close to a subject, the distance from the lens is approximately the same distance between the subject’s features.

This causes the image to be distorted. A selfie-stick can be used to get extra distance between the lens and face.

However, these tips only typically work with wide-angle lenses.

On smartphone cameras, for example, Dr Sporea said that subjects can be positioned much closer to the phone.

This is because the lens and sensor are smaller, so can be used for close-up shots while maintaining the correct amount of separation.

For portraits, Dr Sporea added that the best photos also have the shallowest depth of field, meaning the subject is in focus.

On some smartphones, focus can be changed by tapping the touchscreen.

With digital cameras, however, the aperture can be adjusted. Choosing a larger aperture, which will have a lower number on the settings menu, is better for portraits.

In terms of lighting, Dr Sporea and Dr Pye claim that photos should not be back-lit, meaning the light is in front of the subject, rather than behind it.

There should also be less separation between the light and dark areas.

For example, a single bright light producers darker, more harsh shadows because there’s a clear separation.

By increasing the number of lights, or bouncing it off another surface, this separation is reduced and creates a softer light, which is better for portraits.

Dr Sporea advises against taking photos in the midday sun, for this reason, or underneath strip lights.

Umbrellas can also be placed over a bulb to soften the light when taking a selfie.

In terms of exposure, smartphones typically have automatic settings, but on digital cameras, photographers can tweak the sensitivity, also known as ISO to improve the amount of light that hits the shutter.

By adjusting these settings, however, in low lighting for example, the small amount of light hitting the sensor can be ‘drowned out by noise’, from the camera. This can cause images to become grainy.

TAKING THE PERFECT SELFIE

A conventional digital camera’s wide-angle lens should be positioned further away from the subject and zoomed in, to achieve a more accurate perspective.

On smartphone cameras, however, a person can be positioned much closer to the phone.

This is because the lens and sensor are smaller, so can be used for close-up shots while maintaining the correct amount of separation.

For portraits, the best photos have the shallowest depth of field, meaning the subject is in focus.

To achieve this on a digital camera, choose a larger aperture, which will have a lower number on the settings menu.

Focus can be adjusted on smartphones by tapping the screen.

In terms of lighting, Dr Sporea and Dr Pye claim that photos should not be back-lit, meaning the light is in front of the subject, rather than behind it.

There should also be less separation between the light and dark areas.

This means using more lights, or bouncing the light off another surface.