Kylie Jenner just passed the 60-million mark on Instagram. Her celebrity helps (a lot), of course, but the content and quality of her pictures still have to be decent for her to amass such a tremendous following. And one of Kylie's biggest Instagram strengths is her selfie game.
At once befuddling and mesmerizing, Kylie's selfies are a thing of wonder. She bends and breaks the rules of photography to her will, amassing Instagram success with a flippant disregard for compositional tradition. Perhaps she learned her 'grammabilities from older sis Kim. Or perhaps, like a dedicated Olympian athlete, she's simply honed her craft with hours upon hours of work.
Regardless, one thing's for sure: We can learn a thing or two from King Kylie's selfies. We spoke with Megan Ann Harmon, director of content at PicsArt, to learn what makes Kylie's selfies just work. So if you too want to show your best face to the world, here are five tricks we learned from this selfie queen.
Camera Flash Obscura
"Here, Kylie celebrates 60 million fans. While she shows off her typical smoky and smoldering look (and in gym clothes, no less), she also adds a striking lens flare. You can replicate this effect pretty easily with your camera and light (outdoor lens flares are always lovely), or add lens flare with an app like PicsArt (which has an array of choices and colors)," Harmon says.
Photo: Courtesy @kyliejenner/Instagram.
Mirror Imagery
Kylie's mirror Met gown selfie might go down as one of the most iconic selfies in history. By positioning herself cleverly against her reflection, Kylie turns what would have been a prom-like gown shot into something truly eye -catching. If you don't have such a mirror-filled room at your disposal, you can use Instagram's Layout app for the same effect.
Photo: Courtesy @kyliejenner/Instagram.
Crop Top
"Kylie is really great at the classic selfie-crop, which is perfect for showing off her famous pout. You can take a photo like this at a low angle, or crop it after. And the peach hair is awesome. But if you're not ready to go full-dye, you can always play with color digitally first," Harmon says.
We also like how it's slightly off-center. You can do this by switching on the grid on your camera and using the rule of thirds.
Photo: Courtesy @kyliejenner/Instagram.
Colorblocking
"This photo is awesome not just because of the outfit (although, yes, that too), but because of the color contrasts. Black and white just make each other stand out. And so do other color combos. Try playing with color or adding a filter after the fact to make your photo black and white, or play with contrasts to make it pop," Harmon suggests.
Photo: Courtesy @kyliejenner/Instagram.
Casual Reflection
"This is the OG of selfies. But what Kylie is really showing you is that she is real. The best advice for selfies: Be yourself. And I think that's what Kylie does best. In the end, whether you're mysterious or playful or something else great, the selfie game is all about being you and making that shine through," Harmon says.
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