Really?
Yes. Selfies have become overwhelmingly popular today, and when you have a new trend, there will be clever people who come up with ideas to make the trend better or easier.
This handy little tool, a selfie extender does the job. On a recent trip to Bouchard Gardens in Victoria, British Columbia, there were so many people using extenders it grew funny. I should have taken photos of them instead of the beautiful flowers. It was hard not to smile and laugh at the sheer numbers of visiting tourists pausing every few feet, camera extended.
I’m not personally fond of selfies, though I have seen lots of cute ones. So this little gadget also seems a bit silly to me. Of course a little over a decade ago, I was one of those who would scoff at people using their cell phones in public. Now confess to being tied to mine. Will that happen with selfies? The vote is still out on that question. Still I see how handy it is to take photos of oneself to share with family.
The one pictured here is a bestseller. It comes with bluetooth, as they all should in order for you to snap photos from a distance. This model extends to 31.5 inches. Closed up it is only 7.l inches long, so it’s easy to handle. You can fit it in a purse or a pocket.
There are some brands extend farther out, but if you are interested in one that long, be sure to read through carefully for compatibility and for what the item actually includes. Some require additional pieces or the blue tooth.
The thirty inch distance should satisfy for a proper selfie.
From what I have read and heard, selfie photography has become a mission of many. I only hope they are setting the camera aside some of the time to enjoy what they are photographing. A vacation, whether a day trip or several weeks should be about beauty of the setting. Sitting beside a mountain lake or a rushing river, walking through a forest, should be as much a time for contemplation as for photo ops.
I think Patrick Mc’Donnell, the cartoonist who has created the popular cartoon strip, “Mutts,” summed up my concerns. You can find the cartoon for August 14th, 2015 here. On a whale watching trip, Mutt and Earl have been watching for whales much of the week. Earl turns to take a selfie as a whale is breaching behind him. The question is, was the whale cooperating or did Earl miss the big jump? I am still wondering about that.
It always comes back to everything in moderation.
You can see the collection of selfie sticks here. You’ll be amazed how many are available.
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