Week two

The Un-Selfie: Taking Back the Self-Portrait

http://proof.nationalgeographic.com/2014/06/09/the-un-selfie-taking-back-the-self-portrait/

 

An article found through Media lectorial led me to begin a new thought process on the self-portrait vs the selfie. The idea behind a selfie is to capture a moment, an action, some new makeup or clothing accessory and share that with all your friends and followers. I’ve never been much to participate in this, as so often when seeing these snapshots I’ve wished to see what is behind the face, where that person is and how it looks. The scenery behind to me is far more beautiful than one hundred different expressions.

At the same time the confidence required for this is admirable. I find it difficult not to shy away from a lens, particularly when attached to a phone for the purposes of social media rather than a camera for creative purposes.

So what, in the end, is the difference between a ‘selfie’ and a self-portrait?

I found when exploring photography and film for the portrait project I began at the questions who am I, what do I do and why? How do I interact with my environments and what is important to me? The answers to these questions assisted me in inspiration for the photos.