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Plain Selfie (Front Camera)
Useable in moderation. Never as photo 1. Never on the front camera at arm's length.
The plain front-camera selfie is the single most overused, most-criticized photo type in dating. Front cameras shoot wide, which distorts faces. Selfies are taken at arm's length, which is too close for flattering portraits. And selfies in profiles signal 'I have no one to take my photo.'
When it works
- ✓Outdoor with great natural light, taken at slight downward angle
- ✓Mid-laugh candid taken on a beach, hike, or scenic spot
- ✓Position 4 or later, paired with at least one taken-by-someone-else shot
When it fails
- ✗Position 1 of profile — almost always a swipe-left
- ✗Indoor under ceiling light
- ✗All six profile photos are selfies — autoswipe pass
- ✗Front camera at 0.5x equivalent — face distortion
Do this
- →Use the back camera with the phone propped or in someone's hand
- →Shoot slightly above eye level for a more flattering angle
- →Soft outdoor light beats every indoor selfie
Avoid
- ×Bathroom and bedroom selfies
- ×Filtered selfies — apps detect and burn smoothing artifacts at thumbnail size
- ×Selfies that are obviously cropped from a different photo
Best position
Position 3+
Use this photo type at position 3+ of your profile. Photos in the wrong slot underperform even when the photo itself is good.
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