How to take mirror selfies that look good

By Con, founder of Music Wide Selfie · Updated 22 October 2026

Short answerClean the mirror, stand with light on you rather than behind you, hold the phone at chest height so it doesn’t hide your face, and step back to include your whole outfit. For full-body shots without the phone in view, use a stand and timer instead.

Clean the mirror

Smudges show up more than you’d think, especially with flash.

Light on you

Face a window or lamp. A bright window behind you will darken you and the outfit.

Phone position

Chest height keeps your face visible.
Tilt the phone slightly so the mirror reflection isn’t full of phone.
Turn the flash off; it bounces back as a white blob.

Full body

Step back until shoes and head both fit with some space. A slightly lower phone makes legs look longer; too low distorts.

When to skip the mirror

If you want the outfit without the phone in shot, prop the phone and use a 10-second timer. See our full-body photo guide.

Questions

Why does text look backwards?

A mirror reverses things. Some phones can save mirror selfies flipped back; you can also flip in Photos edit.

About Music Wide Selfie

An iPhone camera app for people who film themselves, coming soon to the App Store. One email when it launches.

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