How can you take a better selfie? Let’s ask the guy who invented the term...

You know what a selfie is – but do you know Jim Krause? 

He’s a designer, a photographer, an illustrator and a writer, and he coined the term selfie. He’s been taking selfies since before facebook or smartphones even existed and has got some tips on how to do it right:

• Pay attention to what’s behind and around you in the scene – background is everything. Imagine if the Mona Lisa were painted in front of a boring backdrop! You can change the mood by framing yourself in a doorway, or against an interesting pattern or texture. There’s so much opportunity to explore the background, and you can make fine adjustments while you’re looking in the lens.

• Watch where the flash is going off. If the light’s in your eyes, you’re going to have an over-exposed picture. If you’d like to wash out wrinkles or imperfections, that’s okay.

• Try converting yourself to black and white and experiment with different effects. 

The important thing is to give your viewers something interesting to look at – other than you. It can be a great backdrop, angle or prop. Have some fun experimenting and getting to know yourselfie.