My love affair with the 0.5 selfie
The time has come for more fun, less polished selfies
The science of the selfie is constantly changing, and we’re finally embracing the fun of it all. At a recent wedding, I was chatting with my 20-year-old table mate, and she let me in on a generational secret. This might be old news to my Gen Z pals, but the 0.5 (always say point five) zoom is the lens of choice – and for good reason. This gives your selfies a more playful vibe, and isn’t that the whole point of selfies to begin with!?
These photos come out slightly distorted with long, noodly arms or tiny heads. It’s like a mild rebellion against the perfection that we see from the curated perfection we’ve grown accustomed to on so many social media platforms. Let’s amuse ourselves with something that’s not so serious.
The beauty lies in the simplicity. You’ll open your camera, switch to the 0.5 setting on your front-facing camera, lift that phone high, and snap away. Pro tip here: use the volume down button to snap your photo. The result? Magic (potentially).
Casually candid, the 0.5 lens is built into the back camera of the phone. This means you can’t see the image until after taking it. There’s an element of surprise – it’s almost like the charm of a Polaroid. The results might be less polished than your typical selfie, but that’s precisely what makes them perfect.
Think of the 0.5 lens as that fabulous party guest who breezes in, drops an unforgettable one-liner, and vanishes before you've had the chance to really know them. The wide-angle aesthetic might even take you back to the fish-eye lens era of late '90s music videos (Missy Elliott fans know exactly what I’m talking about).
I dare you to take a few 0.5 photos and maybe even post one to your next Instragam story or right here!
I’m charmed!