The smartphone is the hub of our digital lifestyle. We can perform all kinds of things on them from updating our social media accounts, paying bills, listen to music, watch video, and instantly buy products in seconds. Need more? Here are 3 things for pics, selfies, and etiquette that will make you an awesome (and courteous) social media champion for the new year!

 

How to Take Better Instagram Food Photos

This goes beyond eating pretty looking food. Whatever you are about to enjoy you can make it look great with the perfect angle of your smartphone. The best way to get the best look is to position your smartphone at a 90 degree angle or right above your food (try not to drop the phone in your food!) and turn the flash off.

Here are some other great tips from @sonyayu, a popular food photographer on Instagram:
How to take a shot like @sonyayu:

· Order colorful food and wait for the entire meal to be served before shooting.
· Stand up on your (stable) chair to capture the grub from above.
· Get the light right! Always sit by the window, avoid overhead spotlights, and never, ever use a flash – it’s food porn murder.
· Not all foods are equally photogenic, but that’s not the only factor in a tantalizing food photo. The dining surface, drinks and silverware can add allure and a distinct atmosphere to even the plainest, ugliest foods.

 

 

Make Sure Your Selfie Is Magazine Ready

Don’t be shy. You can do this too. Kim Kardashian has mastered the selfie and so can you. Here are some great prepping ideas to make that selfie pop from frashionpost.com:
Pump up the volume – your hair that is.

“Oftentimes, because images are flat, what works in real life requires a little tweaking for the camera. “Your hair needs more volume both up top and around the sides, as photos tend to shrink it.” Highlighting the texture in your mane.

Do as the models do.

“Hold your phone high above your head and away from you at a 45 degree angle so that you look slim and trim in your selfie.”

Let there be light.

Want your selfie to seriously shine? Then step outside! “Early morning or late afternoon is the ideal time for lighting,” reveals seasoned Instagrammer and Social Media Account Manager at /excelamktg, Dara Minchew. Also, don’t reverse the camera on your phone so that you can see yourself, she warns. “It lowers the quality of your photo.” (ß—- I did that)

Get your angles right.

First things first, experiment in front of the mirror to determine which angles are most pleasing for your face, advises photog to the stars Matthew Rolston. “The majority of people look best when their face is tilted at a slight angle to the camera, as opposed to straight on,” he adds. “If your nose curves to the left, favor the left side of your face, otherwise, the curve of your nose may be greatly exaggerated. If emotional engagement is what you’re seeking, the best eye line is directly to the lens.”

 

Social Media Etiquette – My Two Cents

 

This topic is about cell phones during meal time. Hey, if you want to talk and text during your own personally time enjoying a meal by yourself, great. However, when you are lunching or having dinner with someone, be in the moment with them. Listen. Learn. Show some manners and put the phone down (not on the table) for the next 45 minutes and enjoy their company. Whoever and whatever is texting, calling, or notifying you can surely wait. And FYI – Don’t walk and text at the same time.  (…or you’ll wind up wet like the fountain lady….)

 

 

If you put any of these social media practices into your daily regime, you’ll become a social media champion in no time!  What are your social media resolutions for the new year?  Share them below…