How to Take the Best Selfies

You know the saying, there’s no better way to tell a story than with a picture? We can get behind this. In today’s age of Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest, we not-so-secretly adore lending color and flavor to the stories of our lives through photographs.

Photos give context to our experiences in some ways that words just can’t convey. And in case you hadn’t heard, the snapshot of the moment is the selfie–which is not just for the use of celebrities like Jessica Simpson or Gwyneth Paltrow. Creating a selfie scrapbook with deep meaning requires making authenticity your main area of focus (pun intended!). Capture yourself on the first day of spring, getting ready for an evening out, or meandering outdoors with the kids on a spring afternoon. Snap every single, normal, everyday minute, even those that may seem unimportant or dull.  Years later, those little moments will be pleasant reminders of a different time in your life, a period when your children were little or when you and your partner celebrated an early anniversary.

Less about vanity and more about memory, selfies allow you to pin down a fleeting moment and fill up a scrapbook. Ignore the imperfections and trust that your future self thinks you’re positively gorgeous right now. Then, snap away.

Here are eight fresh ways to take selfies you’ll love now–and later.