It is expected that the average millennial will take 25,700 selfies in their life time. So if we are estimated to take that many photos surely we should have a fool proof guide to hand to make sure we can capture the best version of ourselves time and time again. 

Makeup
Although it is important to champion the bare faced selfie, some individuals prefer to add a touch of makeup to enhance their natural features.  Begin by using a primer to create a smooth silky base, ready for the application of product. A subtle quantity of highlight is perfect to heighten cheek bones and add a gentle shimmer but use too much and you’ll end up impersonating the Tin Man. Using excessive amounts of highlighter draws attention to large pores and uneven skin texture. Try mixing your foundation with a small amount of illuminator to create a fresh dewy look.  Most importantly, avoid foundations that contain an SPF to prevent the dreaded and catastrophic flash back. Instead use light layers of a light formula make up to create natural flawless skin. Contour and sculpt the face with subtle bronzers and colour popping blushers to avoid looking washed out and emphasise the curves and features of your face. To finish, dust a light translucent powder over your look to absorb excess oil, leaving your skin prepped, shine free and photo ready. 

Background
The background to your selfie should be either completely plain and simple or creative, busy and colourful. Try and avoid backgrounds that incorporate both of these styles as the selfie will look overwhelming and disjointed. Especially ensure that before you take the photo you have a quick glance around to ensure the area is tidy. There is nothing worse than a messy bedroom selfie!
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Lighting
Obtaining the perfect lighting is the key to taking any selfie. Natural light is always softer than artificial light, making under eye darkness disappear and skin look smoother. Avoid enhancing under the eye shadows by snapping your pics at either sunrise or sunset, when the light is more subtle. If you are ever unsure of where the best lighting is, spin round on the spot holding the camera to judge where the perfect composition of light is.

Angles
It’s always been all about the angles. Lining up the bottom of your phone with the bottom of your chin is the best place to start. Perhaps incorporate a slight head tilt or a slight tease of a side profile, few people look good in a head on shot. Extend your head away from your neck to extenuate and define your jawline or raise your eyebrows slightly to open up your eyes.

​Expression
The more natural the smile the more flawless the photo. Micro expressions are small but noticeable differences that show when an emotion being expressed is genuine or not. The natural expression of emotion provides a warmer more genuine angle to a selfie. So try and take a selfie when you are doing something you love or are passionate about.
 
Be confident
Research suggests social media platforms can have an increasingly negative impact on self-esteem with 2/3 of women feeling prettier online than in real life. Try and create a positive and healthy relationship with social media, don’t worry about how many likes your picture receives. Don’t let social media be your source of validation. Relax be comfortable, confident and snap savvy. 

Photography is the art of exposing our notions, beliefs, and desires to strangers. And each photo is marked by our personal and intimate interpretation of a particular moment of time. We choose the subject, frame the shot and master the techniques so as to transmit our idea as clearly as possible. 
 
Regardless of what our inspiration is, we all want well-composed pictures of professional-quality.
So should we opt for smartphone cameras or Digital Single Lens Reflex cameras (DSLRs)?
 
Both ways could allow us to achieve remarkable and quick results. Let's go through the pros of using the well-established creators of photography masterpieces - the DSLRs.

​Quality, Versatility, and Battery
 
Although their prices might raise eyebrows sometimes, nothing really surpasses the depth to which they can create pictures of masterful quality. These cameras are fast, responsive, and create images of stunning clarity.
 
Shooting with DSLRs leads to marvellous results, not only when photographing static subjects in good light. These cameras are world-renowned since we could control how bright the images are, whether the background is sharp or blurred, and we also have the power to freeze moving subjects. Fortunately, the colour could also be readily adjusted so that they appear natural. By just learning four fundamental things about taking photos with DSLRs: ISO, aperture, shutter speed and white balance, we could master the art of taking a perfect photo, achieving the rich detail we all long for. 

Convenience, Multitasking, Sharing
 
If we want to dominate the dynamic digital landscape, the smartphone will fulfill these desires remarkably quickly. They're lightweight. They're simple. They also allow us to upload pictures wherever we want at the touch of a screen. 
 Sharing via our functional DSLRs, in general, requires a computer and cables or card readers. Not that convenient.
Smartphone cameras, though, allow us to share quickly. They also give us the option to multitask while uploading, we could be also checking our email or sending a message. One device, billions of options.
 
Many smartphones also offer free apps to tweak exposure or add filters. Easy to achieve the great edit we need!

Smartphones are portable - the best for unexpected holiday destinations. Let's not forget that some of them are also water resistant. How convenient! We could slip into selfie mode underwater.
Most importantly, we also could send all the photos into cloud storage and preserve them. In the long term, that proves to be very important in the event of a catastrophic breakage.
 
Even though smartphone cameras offer less autonomy and do not allow us to get the richest possible detail, they're the best gadget we have at short notice. 
 
So the debate is ongoing. What's true is that the smartphones have revolutionised photography.
DSLRs are reacting to this - they're becoming easier to use and more compact.
 
It's up to you to decide if you would opt for the convenience the smartphone offers, or the outstanding clarity which the DSLR's picture provides. 

Let us know what your prefer @PhotoWeekUK

One question we’re always asked is: what’s the best way to display photographs?

With social media and digital technology becoming so prominent, printing seems to be a dying art. Taking a photograph is one thing, but the motive behind photography as a whole is to capture a memory, and surely the best way to do this justice is to keep a physical copy of the picture, either in an album or displayed on a wall, which you can show to people. This will keep the memory alive for you; a tangible piece of time you can hold onto forever. 

​The way in which you may wish to display your handy-work may be reflective of the occasion of the image, the location, or if it is intended as a gift, but whatever the reason, being able to hold it in your hands is something you shouldn’t take for granted. Gift packages are very popular with printing companies and are a brilliant way to cherish a memory as a keepsake or a very personal gift.

FRAMING
An obvious way of displaying photographs is to frame them. Photo frames can make or break the work depending on how you choose to display it. When considering a frame, you should consider the entire piece, how will your photo look with this frame? Frames could appear tacky, or ruin the colour scheme. Choosing a bespoke framing service for particularly large prints could make your photograph something truly special. When considering the context in which this work would be displayed, there are more factors to have in place. Who will be seeing this? Where are you displaying? One would frame their work very differently for their mantelpiece compared to a gallery show. Companies such as Picture Frames Express, Snappy Snaps, and Frame Frog offer online services to choose a frame that would directly suit your photographs, or visiting stores in person would be even more beneficial to be able to discuss options on what is right for you.

PHOTO BOOKS
For amateurs and professionals alike, a brilliant way to present your photographs would be in a photo book. The approaches to this are endless.
Many companies offer online services to create your own book, quite easily, just by inputting your photographs and choosing the layout in which you want to present them. From here there are also options to choose a cover, which could also be a photograph, or could be a hard back option. Companies such as Jessops and Snappy Snaps also offer these services in store, which can make brilliant gifts.
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Recommended create-your-own photobook websites: Snapfish, Blurb, VistaPrint.

Another option would be to actually create your own Photo Book. This becomes a very personal process and is very rewarding. There is definitely a distinct difference between a Photo Album and a Photo Book, as Photo Albums and Scrapbooks are typically printed photographs, stuck into a pre made book, with accompanying relevant annotations. A Photo Book would typically be printed directly onto the paper and a book formed from these pages.
​Creating a Photo Book from scratch can be relatively easy. Printing from home, using a programme such as Abobe InDesign or Photoshop will allow you to create a book size, layout, and input your photographs in any way you choose, adapting the size and position. From here, the process can be moved onto a bookbinder, who will be able to finish your creation, similarly to online sites, choosing individual cover materials and even personal embossed lettering.

If you are super crafty, you could even try binding yourself, which would allow you to create this full piece yourself, which would make a very special gift, keepsake, or even to be sold. There are plenty of binding tutorials online which can help you along the way, with the simplest being a staple for a DIY approach, or sewing on a cover, with various methods of exposed stitching which add to the overall aesthetic. Craft stores such as Hobby Craft or book making stores will sell all relevant supplies for creating your own special books. Photo books also have a lot of archival value as they are usually kept closed unless being browsed through. 

GIFTS
Jessops, Snappy Snaps, and Boots, to name a few, offer in store printing from SD cards, mobile devices and tablets, as well as developing film. There are various size options and gift printing options, for example creating a Snow globe or a mug. This creates a perfect gift idea.
Printing from a bespoke printers allows you to choose a service taylor made to you. This could be for your own personal work, for professional purposes, or as a gift. Wedding packages, for example, are a popular idea for this form of printing. Bespoke services such as The Print Space offer various paper types as well which will allow you to choose something that would display your photographs in the best possible way.  Choosing the right type of paper will enhance the best features, bring out particular colours, or give a range of pristine finishes such as lustre, gloss, and matte. Many companies also offer poster printing, or fine art prints, such as printing onto canvas. Mounting and framing combined, this will give your photograph the best possible outcome, as a creation from your eye, to a work of art. 

This National Photo Week, take new photographs, archive old photographs, choose something you feel deserves to be printed and displayed, or even a series for a book. Use #NationalPhotoWeek on Twitter and share your results!