The Selfie Obsession

In the golden era of social media,  we have seen a rise in the narcissistic need to let not only our friends but relative strangers always know where we are, what we are doing and who we are doing it with.  I have been guilty of it, just look at my twitter account.  This got me thinking, how self-obsessed is the selfie?  Does a voyeur see it as amateur porn or just campy photography?  Is it hot or not?

Although I am not a professional model, I have worked with a few professional photographers and ones that are v. experienced amateurs.   I firmly believe that a gifted photographer can capture what’s inside.  The little things that aren’t obvious to the naked eye.  The nuances of emotions that lie somewhere between your conscious and unconscious self.

A selfie is posed. It is often a one-note representation of an individual’s momentary state of being.  An entirely appropriate commentary for that moment perhaps…

I try to imagine what the Mona Lisa would look like if that painting was done as a self-portrait.  When you look at the self-portraits of Dali, Picasso and Van Gogh, they are often tortured-looking and don’t represent the magic of what others see.

This is why I give special thanks to Ian Reid and Lourenso Ramataur, two professional photographers who really know how to capture my essence.