So he finally popped the question and now you’ve got the ring. Champagne all around! Once you’ve alerted all of your nearest and dearest to the news (we’re firm believers in giving your mum a call before posting the news to Facebook), it’s time for that all important engagement ring selfie. There are some ways you can ensure it’s the perfect sparkler selfie, which we’re happy to share.
Get a manicure
First things first, get your nails done if they’re not done already. You’re going to be putting your hands (or at least hand) on show for the whole world to see. You don’t want them to get distracted from the engagement ring by your un-manicured nails. Go neutral with a French manicure or choose a bright colour to really make your ring pop.
Get the right angle
You’ve probably been staring at your new ring from every angle by now so you know all the little unique parts that make it extra special. Make sure you pick an angle for your photo that fully shows off your ring’s best angles. You probably always to make sure your ‘good side’ is showing for photographs, so afford your new engagement ring the same courtesy.
Use natural light
As tempting as it might be to snap a selfie straight away, even if it’s late, you should try and wait for natural light. Make sure you take the ring selfie in plenty of natural, daylight or go outside altogether to the most out whatever brightness or sunshine the day might have to offer. Everything looks better in natural light, especially a sparkly new engagement ring.
Find an interesting background
Ok, it’s not always possible to have the Eiffel Tower in the background of your ring selfie, but you can avoid dirty dishes. When you’re aiming your camera, look at the background. Does it look nice? Is it slightly interesting? Or are you purposely keeping it simple? Whatever you decide, make sure your background doesn’t look accidental and look around at your surroundings to make sure there isn’t a better background for your engagement ring to be up against.
Focus in
If you’re taking your engagement ring selfie on a smart phone, you can easily focus in on your engagement ring. Simply tap the screen where your ring is to really pull the focus of the camera onto your gorgeous new ring. This will really emphasis the sparkle and prevent the camera from accidentally focusing on your knuckle or something.
Avoid a zoom
For maximum quality, don’t zoom in. It might be slightly tempting, but focusing in on your ring, or taking a close-up of it does not mean zoom in with the actual camera. Zooming in increases cameral shake and increases picture ‘noise’ – that fuzzy look your low quality pictures sometimes have. If you want to get closer, move the camera or phone itself physically closer. Zooms are only to get even closer even after you’ve gotten as physically close as possible and we can’t imagine you being that far away from your own hand.
Pick a good hand pose
You probably have an idea of what ways your hands can look good. Not all hands look good flat out, while others can look their most delicate if they’re holding something. Raising your hand up will help minimise any veiny issues, while gently holding something like a cup (or perhaps a Champagne flute!) will smooth out your knuckles. Experiment and work out which pose is the best for you.
Soften the edges
Ah, Instagram. The saviour of all photos for optimum beauty. But you don’t need to strap a filter on just yet! Try to let your engagement ring thrive in natural lighting first. However, one handy feature of Instagram for engagement ring selfies is the ability to soften and blur the edges. You know the one we mean. That trusty Tilt Shift, set to focus on exactly what you want to keep sharp and gently blur the rest of the image. If you still want to put a filter on, that’s ok too.
Don’t crop it
You may think you’re doing your engagement ring a favour by cropping your fingers and the rest of your hand, but the truth is close-up photos of just skin with a ring in the middle don’t look great and are a little less exciting when they look out of context. Your engagement ring is now an extension of your hand, and your engagement ring looks good on your hand so make sure you keep your full hand and fingertips in shot. Otherwise you might as well take the ring off and take a picture of it that way.
Only upload one
Feel free to take as many pictures as you want of your ring. You want plenty of options and we’re sure you’ll want to try out a few different versions, different filters and different backgrounds now that you’re armed with our selfie tips. However, once you have all your shots taken, resist the temptation to upload your top ten ring photos. One single image of your engagement ring is much more powerful than several, and your friends and family don’t need to see ten photos of your ring on your hand, so just pick one.
Image credits: Engagement ring: Jeff Wallace Photographer via The Sweetest Occasion | Couple: Megan Arroyo Photography | Corks: Jason & Anna Photography via Hi-Fi Weddings