Take the Perfect Selfie in Michigan
Once viewed as self-obsessive, silly behavior reserved for pop stars and teenage girls with duck-face, selfies have gone mainstream. Instead of sending postcards like our grandparents, today we tell our family and friends, “Wish you were here,” with vacation selfies posted to our social media accounts. There’s even a designated National Selfie Day on June 21st to celebrate these modern day self portraits. If you’re looking for a like-worthy spot to take your next selfie, head to Michigan. We have many places that are the perfect backdrop. Here are just a few:
1. The Mackinac Bridge – Everyone will know where you are if you snap a photo in front of Michigan’s most famous landmark. Bridge View Park in St. Ignace on the north side of the Mackinac Bridge is a great place to take your selfie.
2. Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore – Head to the Dune Climb inside the park to get the best photos of this massive, sandy landscape.
3. Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore – The Miner’s Castle Overlook east of Munising is a great place to capture yourself in front of the colorful sandstone cliffs.
4. Tahquamenon Falls – The falls are an easy, short hike from the parking area inside Tahquamenon Falls State Park.
We also have lots of lighthouses…
And beaches…
A perfect sunset almost every night…
And, of course, you can’t forget Lake Michigan…
There are so many more places and sites in Michigan that are selfie-worthy. The possibilities are endless!
There are a few tricks to taking the perfect outdoor selfie:
1. Make sure the sun is behind you. If the sun is shining directly in your face, you’ll squint and the bright light could wash out your photo. You could also end up with weird shadows in your picture if the sun is directly in front of you.
2. If you can, stand in the shade with the landscape lit in the background. It adds a nice contrast to your photo. Just make sure it’s not so dark in the shade that you can’t see your face in the photo.
3. Angles are everything. Hold your phone slightly above your head and look up to take your selfie. This forces you to lift your chin which creates a more flattering angle that doesn’t leave you with a double chin.
4. If at first you don’t succeed… It takes practice to get that money shot. You may need to take several photos before you get your selfie just right. Your hard work will be worth it when you selfie blows up the internet.
5. Use a selfie stick – A selfie stick will let you position your phone at a further distance, and enable you to capture more of the landscape in the background. Most come with a remote control that you use to snap a photo. Will you look ridiculous when you whip your selfie stick out at the beach? Yep, but you’re photos will look amazing.
6. Edit, edit, edit – There are all kind of apps available to edit your selfies. PicsArt and Snapseed are just two. Facebook and Instagram also have some basic, built in editing tools. Cropping and adjusting the lighting of a photo with an app can make all the difference.
