How to take Insta-worthy selfies with your phone

No filters needed with the best phones for selfies 😍

Woman and dog taking selfie

by Lily Anderson |
Updated on

Hands up if you’re guilty of taking like 30 pictures on your phone, going through each of them in detail and critiquing them, before none of them make cut ✋. Cue what would be a badly timed Mexican wave across the UK.

Whether we blame it on bad lightening in the loos after you’ve had one or two G&Ts or your dog moving before you’ve pictured their cute side (and yours), we shouldn’t be focusing all our attention on taking snaps for the ‘gram. You should be able to capture the moment and live in it too. That’s why you need a phone that’ll take Insta-worthy selfies from the first shot and I’ve got the best tips to help you.

1 Use natural light

Every guide on taking selfies will tell you how important lighting is. Natural light is soft and will compliment your complexion. There will be one room in your house where the light beams in perfectly and it’ll help show how much you’re glowing. And, that’s not just because you’ve gone too hard on the highlighter.

2 Golden hour is your best friend

If you’ve gone for a beach trip with someone you’ve been dating, you can take your totally casual relationship to the next level by having an impromptu photoshoot during golden hour. It's the best time of the day for selfies. Grab the best shots either shortly after sunrise or before sunset. Let's be real, it’s obvs going to be before sunset.

3 Use a disposable film camera app

Love a throwback feel of the 90s? Recreate this with a disposable camera app. Yes, there are so many different apps out there available; even ones that make you look older for a laugh. If you don't need that kind of negative energy, taking a picture using disposable film software will mean you won’t need to use a filter. YAY!

4 Ditch the pout

I’m not shamelessly plugging my Insta feed, but if you were to check it out, you’d be surprised at how many pouting pictures I have. For years I’ve hated my smile because it unveils my hamster cheeks. I'll tell ya, pouting takes work to nail it down. I’ve tried everything from biting the inside of my cheeks to taking a pic while I'm breathing out. If you’re trying this while continuing to read, sack it right off
 Smiling’s so much easier!

5 Just have fun

If you’re staging a photoshoot laughing with your besties, I’m sorry to tell you but we CAN tell. When you're genuinely having the best time with your pals and you’ve wacked out your phone to capture the moment, you'll take the best pics – especially the cringeworthy ones. And, they make the best birthday posts! Hb babes xoxo

Before you put your new selfie skills to the test, the most important step is to upgrade your phone. If you’re running around with an iPhone 6 like I was until last month, then that’s where you've going wrong.

To save you time, I've already found all be best ones for you. You're welcome! Remember no filters are needed with the best phones for selfies.

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Gallery

The best phones for selfies

Google Pixel 3, ÂŁ6501 of 6

Google Pixel 3, ÂŁ650

If Google didn't already boss the Internet enough already, they've taken it to the next level with the Pixel 3. The latest version is unlike anything else you'll come across on this list, since it only has one camera. WHAT?! That said, it takes advantage of AI for you to take on fleek pics with its humble 12MP Dual-Pixel lens. Like Huawei, Google will work out the parts of your scene, apply the best settings and tweak it in real-time. Creating some of the best photos I've ever seen from a phone. For any Snapchat's in the club, images shot in low-light will capture mint photos, even in the dimmest conditions. Amazon.co.uk

Huawei Mate 20 Pro, ÂŁ4992 of 6

Huawei Mate 20 Pro, ÂŁ499

Capture more of the action with a phone that has helped to drive other devices to up their camera game. Can I get a hell yeah? Hell yeah. The back camera has its own fancy name – the Leica triple camera, which literally does more things than my digital camera. It has 40MP wide-angle lens, laser focus, contrast focus, AI Image stabilization and so much before. That's even before you get onto the front camera, which has 3D depth sensing. Transporting selfies into the year 3000, it also boasts off the chart features like portrait and aperture modes to blur the background and give you smoother skin. Fab for a bad spot day. Amazon.co.uk

Apple iPhone 11 Pro, ÂŁ1,049.003 of 6

Apple iPhone 11 Pro, ÂŁ1,049.00

If you love Apple tech, this will stand out from any other phone on the market. It doesn't just have one camera... it has THREE. Wasn't there something about three being the magic number? Seriously though, bagging this is like having a professional camera on the go. It also has the highest-quality video in a smartphone, so you'll be able to create the best Boomerangs.Amazon.co.uk

Huawei P30 Pro, ÂŁ8994 of 6

Huawei P30 Pro, ÂŁ899

Taking the crown from the Mate 20 Pro as the flagship Huawei, the P30 is packed with a wealth of impressive features to make it stand out of the crowd. Of course, you get a triple Leica designed camera, but this time with an added twist. As well as the 40MP Super Sensing camera and 20MP Ultra-Wide-Angle lens, you also get an 8MP telephoto zoom, which basically means you can zoom a lot! Want to feel like you're in the Matrix? Well, wrap your head about the fact it has a TOF (Time of Flight) camera. This bounces infrared light across the scene to create a depth map – perfect for precision background blurring and depth of field effects. SELFIE 2.0. Amazon.co.uk

iPhone XS, ÂŁ9495 of 6

iPhone XS, ÂŁ949

Of course, we have to include Apple on this list! It's been my loyal companion for the last ten years. But, is it time for a change? While it's very capable, it doesn't quite achieve the brilliant specs of its rivals. You get a dual-camera system, boasting a 12MP wide-angle f/1.8 and 12MP telephoto f/2.8 that provides a 2x optical zoom, or 10x digital. Whatever that means, anyway. Unfortunately, you won't find any dedicated night modes, though the portrait mode has been given a slight upgrade since the last release. So, it now utilises a smarter AI algorithm to detect edges when blurring out the background. You can even alter the depth-of-field after taking the shot, which is next level good. Amazon.co.uk

Samsung Galaxy S10, ÂŁ6146 of 6

Samsung Galaxy S10, ÂŁ614

Samsung is currently the largest manufacturers of smartphones, so you'd hope they have a few tricks up their selfie sleeves. The S10 features a triple camera design, including a 12MP telephoto lens for 2x optical zoom, 12MP wide-angle lens and 16MP ultra-wide-angle lens. Wait, what? THREE CAMERAS. Yes, you read that right, but don't get caught up on that too much because it also boasts low-light performance. If that wasn't enough, you'll find a Scene Optimiser that recognises up to 30 popular subjects and adjusts settings and results to get the best from each. It can be quite embarrassing when it starts to remember your dog. Need to get out much?Amazon.co.uk

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