Re: selfies-
I love taking photographs. I'll snap any subject matter, really. Digital or film too. Sometimes, I enjoy taking photographs of myself. I don't do it as often now as I used to but I didn't make a conscious decision to take them less. In the 15+ years that I've spent exploring photography, I've taken a number of self portraits. There's nothing wrong with them! They can be an amazing way to explore self expression, experiment with the portrayal of emotions, etc, etc, etc. I don't have a problem with selfies, per se....but I have some gripes about certain aspects of them. (Food for thought- if 1 million people take a selfie, how many of them know that it was derived from "self portrait"?)
1. I don't need to see 5 albums with 40 of the same exact photo in each one. Yes, it's obviously going to be your face in every selfie because that is the nature of selfies. No, we don't need to see a new shot just because your hair shifted slightly. It's not as though it's a huge problem to me, just feels pointless. I just scroll past in those instances but there's usually a slight eye roll that follows. If someone does it enough, I make a point of unfollowing them.
2. It feels like a bastardization of real photography to me. I know this is a serious art snob thing to say and I am partly ashamed but it just drives me crazy to see people posting selfies that have been stuffed through a filter to "antique" them and then all of a sudden everyone thinks they're the next Annie Leibovitz. There's nothing wrong with finding joy in taking pictures- in fact, it's great! It's the lack of knowledge that gets to me. If you want to call yourself a photographer, take the time and effort to delve into this beautiful medium. The possibilities are endless!! Be a part of the movement to keep the arts alive, don't just borrow from them at your convenience to make yourself sound better. Clicking the shutter button on your iPhone makes you a photographer the same way that making boxed mac and cheese makes me a chef. People have taken photographs of themselves and of other people for quite some time now. Before everyone had a camera in their phone, you'd be hard pressed to find someone who claimed to be a photographer when their biggest gig was their cousin's 18th birthday.