Every day, around 5 billion photos are taken worldwide. With the growing trend of not using filters or editing, the need arises to take the perfect photo—one that doesn’t require retouching or post-production.

Social media marketing experts at Viralyft shared 6 tips for taking flawless photos that make filters and Photoshop unnecessary.

6 Tricks for Taking Filter-Free Photos

The Right Light is the Best Natural Filter

The first step in taking a photo is finding the right spot, which means finding the place with the best lighting.

Two key things to remember:
1. Prefer natural light and avoid intense lights like computer screens, bright bulbs, or intense sunlight.
2. Make sure to face the light and adjust the camera until the light hits roughly at eye level. This helps avoid unflattering shadows, like under-eye circles.

Pay Attention to Your Pose

There are some tricks that can make the difference between a flattering or unflattering photo.

1. Position your body at a 45-degree angle to the camera instead of facing it directly. This creates a more slender and dynamic appearance.
2. Look towards the camera and make sure the bottom of the phone or camera is at eye level.
3. Models often use tricks like keeping their arms slightly away from the body and creating triangles with their body. Such as placing a hand on the hip or playing with a strand of hair.

Mind the Background

You don’t need to be on an exotic beach or a snowy mountain peak to create the perfect background.

Intriguing backgrounds can be found anywhere, from home to the park.
– Choose a clear background with fewer distractions to highlight your features and make your face stand out.

Utilize Your Phone and Camera Features

While it’s easier to use the front camera for selfies, the rear camera on your phone is much more powerful and will allow you to take higher quality photos.
– Don’t forget to use features like portrait mode, which is often available on both the front and rear cameras, such as on an iPhone.
– The grid that can be displayed on the camera screen of most smartphones is another great tool for creating aesthetically pleasing photos. It helps create images according to the rule of thirds, which suggests that the subject should be off-center for a more engaging photo.

Avoid Digital Zoom

– Optical Zoom: It relies on the physical adjustment of the lenses and preserves image quality when zooming in, resulting in sharp and detailed photos.
– Digital Zoom: It usually degrades the image quality by digitally enlarging the existing image. Instead, get closer to the subject unless using a camera with adjustable lenses.

Be Careful with Flash

– Flash is often too close to the lens, creating unflattering light and a blue tint due to the LED bulb. It’s better to seek natural light or use a ring light.
– Some newer smartphones have significantly improved multi-shot HDR capabilities, particularly Google Pixel phones, which boast an excellent low-light function called Night Sight. If it’s dark and flash is the only option, try different angles to find what works best for you. But in most situations, the best solution is to keep it off.

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This article first appeared on Grazia.it