No matter what your thinking are onKim Kardashian West , you have to admit one matter : Her selfie game isstrong . abruptly of hire professional photographer and lighting specialist to follow you around and snap exposure , how are you supposed to vie with her high - quality Instagram stream ?
The result : Selfie hardware . The perfect selfie is n’t taken with a straight iPhone — you want extra relay station , such as fancy inflammation , wireless remotes , and lens of the eye for your iPhone ’s front - facing camera , so as to overcome the selfie technique .
Of of course , you ’ll need to apply all this hardwarewithout looking like you ’re using any hardware , because the perfect selfie also strike the precise Libra the Balance of professional light , theatrical production , makeup , and insouciant uncaringness . Your photos ask to say “ # WokeUpLikeThis , ” without looking like you actually … just wake up .
It ’s not easy to master , I admit , but these seven selfie - focused products will help oneself you go from newbie to pro overnight .
LuMee light-up case
The LuMee is so enceinte , you ’ll never want to take a photo without it again .
The key to a nifty selfie is great lighting . But unless you take your selfies in professionally - light photo studios ( I ’m guessing you do n’t ) , regain the perfect lighting is tricky .
record theLuMee light - up case($45 ; iPhone 6 and 6 Plus ) , a pliant hard - shell case with its own built - in selfie flash . Think bathroom self-love light , but in a right way . The LuMee has two bright but radical - flattering strips of light-emitting diode along its side , so you may get that perfect soft gleam every time . The case runs on its own battery ( it recharges via MicroUSB ) and has a button on the back that acts as a world power switch and a dimmer — tap the button once to turn the LuMee on , and then press and hold the clit to slur the light ( press out and restrain the release again to raise the lights ) . According to LuMee , the battery will last around two solid hours on full brightness level and 36 hours on the lowest setting . Because I only used the LuMee for hold selfies , I was able to go around two calendar week between charges .
Top : No split second , no Lumee , no edits . Bottom : With the LuMee . heavy difference ( though you could update the orange tint with an additional fliter .
I love the LuMee ’s warm Light Within — it evenly illuminates side for a nice , natural luminescence .
As a selfie news bulletin , the LuMee is excellent . The lights are hopeful , even , and quick ( with a yellowish , as opposed to blueish tint ) , and they really do give you a amour propre - lighting effect . If you use the LuMee as youronlysource of Christ Within ( e.g. in a dark club ) , you may finish up with an orangeish tone to your cutis — but it ’s nothing a good Instagram filter ca n’t fix .
Once you put the LuMee on your headphone , you wo n’t need to take it off — it ’s that effective . While it takes a small elbow grease to remove , it ’s relatively easy to put on and take off , though if you find yourself removing your cause frequently to use additional lenses or accessories ( more on those in a minute ) , you might require to think twice about the LuMee . As a case , the LuMee is bulky and plasticky and not terribly stylish , but you really ca n’t beat the selfie quality . And I ’m not the only one who cogitate so — the queen of selfies , Ms. Kim Kardashian West herself , wasspotted with a LuMeeat this yr ’s Grammy Awards .
Techxar Photo Video Light and Battery Bank
The Techzar TX6 attaches to your iPhone ’s Lightning port to allow extra light .
Techxar ’s TX6($79 ; iPhone 6 and 6 Plus ) is three things in one : A selfie flash , a rear - facing camera brightness , and a portable electric battery charger . In other language , it ’s like the LuMee , but it ’s multi - functional and not a case ( though it can be used with most cases , even the thick - than - norm LuMee ) , but in the creation of selfies it does basically the same thing — it lights up your face .
The TX6 plug into your iPhone ’s Lightning port and has two time that grapple the side of your phone to steady it . On one side of the TX6 , there ’s a little strip of four warm LEDs that acts as a top executive status index number ( the LEDs light up in succession when you turn the TX6 on , to show you how much juice the twist still has ) and a selfie flash .
The gadget is a fiddling awkward to utilize , but beat the job done .
On the other side of the TX6 , there ’s a hopeful camera light with an optional lens fastening ( which diffuses the light — you may store the genus Lens fond regard on the side of the TX6 ) . Both the selfie flash and the camera luminousness are warm , dimmable LEDs , and to raise them you must press and hold the power buttonbeforeyou turn the light on . If you just compress the top executive clit once , the illumination will fare on at full luminance ; if you weigh and hold the power button , the light will start out blur and raise to full luminance . The TX6 has three buttons — one to force on the equipment itself , one to power / dip the selfie flash , and one to power / dim the camera spark .
The TX6 ’s light looks skillful , but does n’t display as equally as the LuMee . Notice how it miss my expression and slay my neck opening ?
While head - on , warm lighting is never a bad idea when you ’re taking a selfie , but the TX6 ’s visible radiation is n’t quite as flattering as LuMee ’s . Because its LED striptease is substantially smaller , you get more of a directing light rather than even , dresser - vogue strip kindling . So you ’ll terminate up looking more like a deer in headlamp rather than Kim K on a right day — specially if you leave the TX6 in its place , plug into the bottom of your earphone . The good word is that you do n’t have to pull up stakes the TX6 in place : you may unplug your phone and still use the sparkle as a sort of guiding spot from the most flattering angle . The trouble with this is that now you ’re using two work force to take your selfie : One to hold the illumination , and one to hold your phone , and this is considerably more difficult than it sounds .
The TX6 is a bit bulky for an accessary , deliberate it does n’t even continue attached to your earphone . But it does pack a 2200 mAh battery , which will charge your iPhone about 1.5 - time over — this makes it a lot easier to swallow as an accessary you could throw in your handbag . The TX6 also has a rear - facing light , which is importantly more flattering than your phone ’s built - in LED flash , so if you take as many pics of your bud as you do selfies … this may be the better choice .
Joby GripTight GorillaPod Magnetic XL
Lighting is n’t everything : Another primal aspect to outstanding selfies is length . Face it : Facial grain is n’t exceedingly flattering up close , so the further you’re able to get your phone out from your nerve , the more flattering ( and less perverted ) your selfie is probable to turn out . you may achieve this distance with a smartphone tripod , such as theJoby GripTight GorillaPod Magnetic XL($40 ; iPhone 6 and 6 Plus ) .
Use the GorillaPod as a tripod …
The GripTight GorillaPod Magnetic XL is a mouthful , but its description is in the name : This headphone tripod “ handle ” your phone with a special GripTight mount , which then impound to the GorillaPod Magnetic , a bendable tripod with unassailable magnets in its feet . you could determine up the GorillaPod Magnetic like a normal tripod with all three feet sturdily on the ground , or you could wrap its elastic coat of arms around poles , lamps , fences — whatever happens to be in your domain . If you ’re near a electric refrigerator or a metal fencing , you may also just toss the GorillaPod Magnetic onto that aerofoil ( the magnets are very strong , and will even hold your phone upside down ) .
… or wrap it around something nearby .
The XL grip is designed for bigger phones ( such as the iPhone 6 Plus ) , but it ’s also a good alternative for people using bulky cases ( it will also accommodate your iPhone 6 without a cause , as there ’s some overlap between the steady and the XL grip sizes ) .
… or bond it on to something charismatic .
The GorillaPod Magnetic Army of the Righteous you pose up your speech sound well-nigh anywhere , so you could get a selfie from more than an arm ’s length off without repair to a selfie stick . Of course , unless you manipulate the timer very well , you ’re going to have to use some form of remote to actually take the picture .
Gabba Goods #TheSelfie Remote and Bluetooth Remote
Is a selfie only a selfie if it ’s obvious that you ’re snapping it yourself ? Nah , not if you really are snapping it yourself — even if your arm ’s not in the pic . If you ’re using a smartphone tripod or if you just shore up your speech sound up against a pillow from across the way , you could still shoot the picture from a good distance aside using one ofGabba Goods ’ # TheSelfie remotes(yes , the hashtag is part of the name ) .
TheSelfie Remote is wired and has a 4.5 - foot grasp .
You have two options—#TheSelfie Remote($20 ; iPhone 6 and 6 Plus ) , a simple , wire remote that plugs into your headphone jack and let you take photograph from 4.5 feet away ; or#TheSelfie Bluetooth Wireless Remote($30 ; iPhone 6 and 6 Plus ) , a watch battery - power radio remote control that lets you take picture from up to 30 pes away and also doubles as a medicine outback for your gimmick .
The Bluetooth Wireless Remote gives you more range—30 feet .
TheSelfie Remote is passing easy to use , and perfect for hoi polloi who are looking for a literal nag - and - play equipment that ’s , again , not a selfie stick . You do n’t have to do any setup with # TheSelfie Remote — just plug it into your earphone jack , spread out your camera app , and start penetrate away . # TheSelfie Bluetooth Wireless Remote is n’t quite as wanton , since it ’s a Bluetooth equipment that involve to be paired , but it ’s still pretty slow : Turn it on ( via the world power replacement at the top of the remote ) and it mechanically goes into pairing mode . Open up your Bluetooth menu , tapdance to pair , and you ’re quick to go . # TheSelfie Bluetooth Wireless Remote has two button — one for rupture pictures and one to master your music ( maneuver / pause)—as well as a volume rocker on the side .
Gabba Goods #TheSelfie Stick
No selfie ironware tale is ended without a selfie marijuana cigarette — no matter how laughable they look in public ( and yes , they do look absurd in world ) . For this piece , we choseGabba Goods ’ # TheSelfie Stick($30 ; iPhone 6 and 6 Plus ) , because it ’s low-priced , Bluetooth - controlled , and it comes in a motley of colouring .
Sorry , we had to .
For those of you who do n’t know what a selfie pin is , it ’s an extendible arm that lets you get a small extra space in your selfies — basically , it ’s like bind your iPhone to a three - base - farseeing arm . # TheSelfie Stick has a grippy rubberized handgrip , a tight - travelling bag holder for your phone ( standardized to Joby ’s GripTight , but perhaps not as tight ) , and a metal go arm that poke out up to 36 in , or three ft in length ( when folded , it ’s about 9 in long ) . To connect it to your earphone , all you have to do is press and nurse the powerfulness clitoris on the handle to put it into mate mode . Once you ’ve copulate it with your phone , you could place your sound in the holder and start break down off . # TheSelfie Stick runs on a rechargeable battery ( recharges via MicroUSB transmission line ) , and will last about three hours of uninterrupted use .
It ’s not peculiarly pretty , but # TheSelfie Stick is good if you want to take a more flattering selfie ( from above ) , if you have trouble extending your arm and contain selfies ( it ’s arduous to tap the button when you ’re straining to keep your phone away from your font ) , or if you want to get a expert group dissipate . It does take a couple of endeavor to master guide a selfie without show your selfie stick , but you ’ll instruct quickly .
Olloclip 4-in-1 Lens
Maybe you do n’t involve a selfie pin to get everyone in the picture — perhaps you just needa fresh lens . Olloclip ’s 4 - in-1 Lens($80 ; iPhone 6 and 6 Plus ) is a detachable television camera lens that works with both of your iPhone ’s cameras , fix it perfect for originative selfies .
Clip the Olloclip lens onto your iPhone when you need it , and lay away it when you do n’t .
The 4 - in-1 Lens is — you guessed it — four lenses in one gadget : A Pisces - eye electron lens , a broad - angle lens system , a macro 10x lens system , and a macro instruction 15x lens . For selfies , you ’ll mostly be using the fish - eye crystalline lens and the wide of the mark - slant genus Lens ( trust me — macro on your grimace is not flattering ) . The Pisces the Fishes - heart lens will give you a cool house of cards effect that includes more of your surroundings ( such as masses ) in the moving-picture show , while the extensive - slant lens will give you a wider slant . The 4 - in-1 Lens come with three interchangeable clips that you’re able to trim onto a laniard , your backpack , or somewhere in your auto , so you have somewhere to salt away the lens when you ’re not using it .
Olloclip ’s lenses work with both of the iPhone ’s cameras . Here ’s a selfie of me , take with the fish - eye lens attached to the iPhone ’s front - confront camera .
The main drawback of the 4 - in-1 Lens is that you ca n’t utilize it with a case — Olloclip is in the process of produce a slim - fit grammatical case that will run with the lens of the eye , but as of now you ’ll postulate to take your case off for put the lens on your iPhone . What this mean is that you ca n’t really expend the lens with any case accessories , such as the LuMee — I take off examine out the Olloclip and the LuMee right around the same time , and while Pisces the Fishes - centre selfies are moderately cool , the LuMee is in spades more flattering .
My dog , Blanka , loves being the center of attention . Here ’s a snap of him , taken with the Pisces - eye electron lens attach to the iPhone ’s back - confront camera ( hence the higher quality compared to my selfie above ) .
Of of course , you do n’t postulate to expend all of these gismo at once , but each of them can better your snaps in a 10000 of ways — any of them can help you reach next - level selfie position and boost your Instagram cred in no meter .
