The Selfie Project — make the ordinary life a part of history’s unfolding.

Downloadable worksheet will be available, shortly.

“A selfie connects you – your touch with your image” – Negar Mottachedeh

If you missed the TedTalk Video, please catch up on the “People’s History of the Selfie” here

Histories were previously written about higher power; hierarchy, nobles, and those who could afford to immortalize themselves in a 2-D plane. Experienced painters were hired to paint portraits of higher peoples. The more important you were, the better artist with great reputation you could afford. It was considered a very important job and until the late 1800’s this job was greatly respected and Artists spent years perfecting their craft.

Now we don’t need such artisans to record our place and our moments. In just a decade, personal camera technology has substantially grown from a blotchy blurry image to high resoluted & shareable object.

 

In her talk, Negar Mottachedeh speaks of the “Selfie” as a tool used to document the history of people. Selfies can be something beyond a shot of a good (usually high) angle

with ducklips. Can we make our selfies more intimate and have a deeper meaning that just a pretty face to get likes?

 Your Challenge:

Part A: Create a selfie using your phone, camera, IPad (you may borrow from the library)
in a place that is important to you.

You may choose be surrounded by objects or people you admire / love.

  • You may choose to be alone
  • You can add filters / special effects
  • You may use any social media / camera platform.
  • Make your selfie meaningful — think about the photograph beyond “I want to do this to be valued for looks / lifestyle.” Try to create a self-portrait selfie that sums up who you are as a person.

Part B send me your Selfie and Reflect on your Selfie in the email body:

  • 1. Where are you in this picture?
  • 2. Why did you take the picture this way?
  • 3. If there are objects / people…. who/what are they? Why are they important to you?

Marking:

Selfie Concept      /5
Technical (in-focus, good quality)      /5
Background & Composition     /5

TOTAL    /15

— “I am here in this moment, and this moment is sacred” —

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