No matter what you do, you should make safety your top priority. Equipment, life, and personal safety should come first, and taking that perfect selfie shot can be a secondary thing. In reality, a single selfie is worth nothing if you are hurt or, worst, lose your life in the process. This article is all about things to consider while taking a selfie safely.
When it comes to how you look, how to take a selfie is actually more important than how the selfie looks. Good selfies show your face, as well as surroundings, as best as they can.
Notice your surroundings
You should start by making sure that wherever you are going to take a selfie is safe enough for a good selfie. This means that you should look up before taking a selfie to see how secure your surroundings are. If there are loose wires, beams of wood, any moving object like an animal or car, make sure no one can come close to it. You do not want to take a selfie with the risk of hurting yourself or someone else in the process. Take a mental note of ceiling fans, electric fixtures, and any valuables in your surroundings when you are indoors before you click that snap using your selfie stick or extended arm.
Be extra cautious when near a body of water:
A swimming pool, a waterway, a lake, or a body of water requires you to be extra cautious and pay attention to everything else around it. You must be very careful about how you are posing in the water so that you do not pose a threat to your own life. Always mind how strong is the current of the body of water is because it can pull you in with little to no warning. If this happens, you need help just as much as someone who fell into that body of water. Slip and fall is yet another prevalent accident associated with filming and taking selfies near water.
Be careful when outdoors taking selfies:
When taking selfies outdoors, there are all kinds of obstacles that you want to avoid. For example, if you are taking a selfie on top of a cliff or any high place, always use your common sense when doing so. It does not matter how good you think your selfie is, how confident you are when it comes to heights, or how good of a grip you have in terms of balancing; it is always best to be safe rather than sorry. You do not want to fall off the edge when your selfie goes horribly wrong with unforeseen objects in the backdrop or how well-lit you are when taking selfies at night.
Don’t assume that where ever you are is 100% selfie-friendly
Many of us agree that inside malls, shops, or stores are some of the best places to get a selfie because of how well-lit these areas are. However, you must always check how safe it is to take selfies in big open spaces, for example, shopping centers. If you have never visited and do not know how crowded it gets, how busy the space is, how high it reaches, how slippery it can get through the time, how old the flooring is, and how will people react to being in the shot with you; you need to stop and think before snapping selfies. Safety while taking a selfie is important so is the people’s consent around. In some cases, some people may resort to violence if they think you snapped a quick selfie with them. Be respectful and always be careful.
Always think about how safe it is to take selfies at night:
You should always avoid taking selfies at night unless absolutely necessary because you never know what kind of danger you can be exposed to. If you must, make sure that you do not go anywhere dark and always avoid how isolated the place is. It is much better if you ask someone for help because it will be much safer as compared to taking a selfie alone in the dark.
Another thing to consider when taking selfies at night is how well lit you are. If it is too dark, how can you see the selfie clearly? How will your viewers be able to see how good your selfie looks if they cannot even see what you are taking a picture of? You want to give your audience the best selfie experience possible.
As much as possible, avoid taking selfies when there is no one around you or help you if needed.
Selfie Safety while driving or crossing a street, a road, or a railway track:
It is common knowledge that texting while driving is dangerous; guess what, taking selfies while driving is even more dangerous. You may even end up causing a massive accident if you are not careful how you pose in the photo. The road can be extremely dangerous because it is hard to see how fast an object is moving towards you and how close it is to reach your side.
For example, when taking selfies at intersections or near street crossings, there is no telling how many cars are coming your way. You may think that you will be able to pose and snap a quick selfie without any problem, but how fast those cars are going? How about how crowded the intersection is? Always keep in mind how much time it takes for a car or a train to reach your side, how much room there is between you, and how close it is to reach you.
Never ever pose on active train tracks; you could never know how frequently or how fast a train will approach you, and you could end up causing an accident.
How to take a selfie safely?
Here are some of the tips to help ensure you capture a stunning selfie while being safe as well.
- Look around you and notice any moving things.
- Notice the things which could fall over and break.
- Take notice of birds, animals, wildlife, and people around you and in the frame.
- Make a mental note of slippery grounds and objects around you.
- Focus on how you are framing your selfie.
- Keep the background clean and free from clutter.
- Try to use a selfie stick or tripod for taking selfies.
- Ensure there is enough lighting, and it is not shining on your lens.
- Avoid photographing in low light conditions, which results in grainy pictures.
- Be careful while taking selfies at public events where there are chances of stampedes and accidents.
- Do not take selfies with weapons, guns, or knives.
- If you are on a cliff, tall building, etc., be extremely careful how you position yourself and how you hold the camera.
- Be aware of the selfie stick’s length while taking selfies. You do not want it to hit anyone or anything accidentally. If necessary, use your arm.