I was gifted a monopod recently. Till a few years back, that would have seemed an unlikely gift option, not unless you were into photography, and I would have thrown a tantrum and sent it packing. But now, in the age of selfies, it’s perhaps the best present for a selfie-addict. It makes life easy. Beats having to constantly crane my neck and stretch my arms to accommodate my beaming face and the charming background or having to shamelessly badger random strangers to click my pictures. Initially, I was a tad embarrassed to be lugging around the monopod but then when I noticed others unabashedly using theirs, it barely went back into my bag. After all, it’s all about clicking the perfect selfie.
Selfies are fun. And there’s no escaping them. Even when you aren’t part of one, you are bombarded by those that people post on Facebook, Twitter and on other social networking sites. Not that I am complaining because I am just as guilty of posting them myself. Pout, smile, duck face, arched brows…well those are just a few of the most popular expressions while posing for one. And if it’s not the websites, it’s the display profile on WhatsApp and G Chat that changes everyday and in the case of some people, every couple of hours.
It may sound frivolous to the anti-selfie snobs but its serious business all right. The composition, light and angle matter. A lot of practice goes into it. And despite that there are some who click and post the most awful selfies — face too close to the camera, face half-cut, double chin in focus, eyes shut, hazy, out of focus… if you are doing it you might as well do it right.
Interestingly, cashing in on the selfie craze and dare I say, significance of the phenomena, a couple of universities and websites are offering courses on clicking the perfect selfies. The latest is ‘The art of photographic self-portraiture’ by City Lit College in London. The course, costing 132 pounds, will apparently help students “improve their critical understanding of the photographic self portrait, and develop their ideas to produce a coherent body of work.” Just wondering what the body of work will be. Perhaps an album full of the students’ faces enhanced by various filters. TAFE, Queensland, understands the importance of looking good in a selfie and hence helpfully offers a beginners workshop on ‘Make-Up for your selfies.’ For $165, learn to get “stunning eyes, flawless foundation, beautiful blush and luscious lips.”
Facebook has a community page titled Selfie that has 1,69,164 likes dedicated to fans who are encouraged to upload their pictures. The goal of the page started last May is to touch 1 million posts. There are websites that rank cities and monuments based on where the most number of selfies are taken. It certainly is getting people interested in photography. Who knows, it could also become a career option. There are also songs dedicated to it. Clearly, Oxford Dictionary’s word of 2013 is still pretty much the most popular kid on the block.
But like most things, the selfie too has its share of disapprovers. A few reports suggest that obsessive clicking might have psychological implications or feed narcissistic tendencies, but who cares as long as it makes one happy. I know I am smiling every time I click a selfie… and, you know what, so will you.
