I recall being annoyed, even resentful, when I first encountered the term selfie. Why on earth would that trigger resentment in me?
I’ll tell you. I think it had something to do with the fact that it was not I who first coined the term. I judged it as “stupid.” But, of course, I had no voice in the matter. Here it was on my Facebook feed, some headline about “Selfies,” and no matter how much I disliked it, it was now a thing. And I hadn’t been consulted! Same as when I realized I couldn’t stop people from liking The Grateful Dead or Phil Collins.
Today, I accept the term “selfie.” In fact, I use it all the time. And I’m an active practitioner of same. Maybe I was just pissed because I’d been taking photographs of myself for years. With actual old-school cameras.
The first one I remember was in 1964. I was 10. My Philippine pen pal, Greg Tan, had asked me for a photo of myself. As a matter of sheer utility, I took the job. I had a vision. I knew what I wanted. It had to make me look older than I actually was. Greg was 16. He might quit corresponding if he thought I was just a little 5th grader. So rather than enlist my 16-year-old sister, or my mother or father, I took matters into my own hands. Also, I instinctively knew the shot had to be up close, just my face. And I needed to comb my hair just right, to affect a slight Elvis (or greaser) vibe. How I knew all this, I have no idea. But the shot came out just right and off it went. Greg even wrote back to tell me he thought I looked handsome. Yes!
I wish I had that photo today. I’d show it to you. But, of course, if it even exists, it’s likely in a dusty shoebox somewhere in a Quezon City attic, half-way round the world. Let’s work with something we can actually see and talk about.
The art of the selfie is to make it look like it isn’t a selfie. That’s my opinion. I don’t like selfies that show the subject obviously looking at their own image on their screen – and not the camera. Now, I bet many selfie takers have no consciousness of this dynamic, and if they did, they probably wouldn’t care. Which is revealing. Because selfies, more times than not, are for the benefit of the selfie taker. The selfie, for these folks, is just a glorified mirror. But, unlike looking at a mirror, the person in the selfie isn’t really looking back, directly into the eyes of the subject. In an unwitting selfie, the eyes are looking off to the side – because that’s what happens when the subject fails to look into the lens (the true mirror) and looks instead at their own image on the electronic screen of their cellphone. It makes the viewer want to say, “Hey – I’m over HERE!”)
Like this.
The shot is wide and the subject is wearing sunglasses. But look at his eyes.
He’s looking at his phone screen. He is not looking at YOU.
Please accept my apologies. But here’s my defense. I happen to be quite close to the photographer here and I can tell you that the reason he was looking at his screen was because he was trying to frame the pic just right. It wasn’t about him. It was about the picture. He wanted to make sure you could see a significant portion of an airplane in the background. That’s what was going to make the picture interesting. As opposed to what’s happening in this selfie.
I have nothing to say about this one. I feel slightly nauseous. I just spent about 5 minutes looking in Google Images for selfies. Am I just another selfie obsessed picture taker? God, show me the truth.
Meanwhile, here’s one with a bit of a story.
I enjoy traveling solo. And I was told many years ago, when I was a kid, that pictures are best when they have people in them. So that means I’m usually the easiest person I can find to put into my pictures.
I also like to tell stories. In the case of the pic above, I wanted to show the subject looking at a beautiful scene. At sunset. So, naturally, in this selfie, my eyes focus on view. As the photographer, I did take time to frame it right. Once it looked good, I checked to see where the shutter button was, so I could push it easily. And then I gazed into the sunset. I had to trust my gaze would be effective. In other words, I spent a fair amount of brain power and effort trying to make the picture look like it took little or no brain power and effort.
Sure, I could have taken the shot over and over again, but that just didn’t sit right with me. So I hit the button and got the shot. But something was missing. Of course! Why not show the view — the actual scene I’m looking at?
Now you know why I’m so enamored with this place. See for yourself.
Note and extra credit: Did you happen to notice something about the top of the church tower in the previous shot? Yes, the Cross is lit up, changing colors. My wife Julia showed me this little trick. Take the picture in the “Live” mode. Then find the drop-down menu when you look at the shot, and choose “Loop.” The photo is actually a tiny half-second video. The “Loop” effect makes it play endlessly. So whatever movement that’s in the shot will play over and over again. Cool. Just make sure everything else in the shot is perfectly still. Like my rapturous gaze over San Miguel de Allende.
Regarding my gaze. I did actually try to forget about the camera for a moment. I gave myself a few seconds to just drink in the scene. This rooftop is my most favorite place in San Miguel, and I wanted to communicate that to you. So I took a deep breath and just let the moment live. It’s nice working with a professional.
I’ve taken tons of selfies that are just plain crazy. They amuse me. And to be honest, I don’t worry about whether I’m being “self-centered” or not. Of course I’m self-centered. But really…what is the self? Ooooooh. That’s a juicy one. Should we get into that another time?
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