B Is For The Black And White Selfie

A self-portrait with black and white effects.
A self-portrait with black and white effects.

In the last few years selfies have become all the rage on sites like Instagram, but I was taking pictures of myself back when these were still called self-portraits. I think selfies can be a fun way to document your adventures, and I never understood the extreme amount of antipathy people have towards these. As with all things people rail against online, I find it interesting people get so worked up about this and that. My take on selfies is if you do not like these, then do not look at them. I am not a big fan of sports blogs, and I do not look at those. I think a fun selfie of someone with their pet or on a trip is cool, but that is just me.

Selfies are also a creative way to experiment with using black and white photo effects, and no one can really complain about how the pictures turn out since you are your own model. I have always been fascinated with the types of selfies people take, and I find ones in black and white intriguing. Also, I have used a self-portrait photograph in the past a a reference for a drawing I created of myself, so these can serve a purpose when it comes to art projects. So what is your take on selfies? Do you hate these, love these, or just not really care.

I used a self-portrait as a reference photograph for drawing the illustration in the video featured here.

17 Replies to “B Is For The Black And White Selfie”

  1. I like clicking selfies. But I’m not overtly obsessed over them! And I agree. Black and white selfies gives it a vintage look which I love.

    1. I think selfies are not the big travesty they are made out to be. It is a cultural shift people are getting used to, just like T.V. and other inventions that were once new.

  2. I think you are right. They used to be called self-portraits, and only a few people did take portraits of themselves, whether in a photograph or a painting. Now that more people are doing it, because it is easier, then it is being down-graded as narcissistic. But what about keeping a diary or writing an autobiography? Are those self-centered activities frowned on, too? Or can we learn a lot about ourselves from studying what we see?

    1. We are constantly being told what is narcissistic, whether it be posting a selfie, or what someone posts on their own Facebook page. Perhaps what is a bit more narcissistic is the act of telling others what they should be posting on their own pages, or to imply that their posts are not up to your standards. I was just having this thought today when some even keeled guy had people complaining to Facebook about his posts. Apparently they thought his posting his own blog on his page was spam, which seems way off base to me. Now if he had gone to someone else’s page and posted that, I could see the problem. However, Facebook is one big advertisement along the sides, and do people not realize how it remains around? It is not a paid service, or your private household, so you really cannot dictate what others say and do.

      Selfies, or self-portraits as these were once known, can be a great source for art projects, or just if you want to take photos. Yes, modern technology has made it easier for people to post these with the advent of Instagram, but it is not like the camera was just invented. Anyone who has been in the blogging world for awhile will see there were people taking their own picture and posting it to their blogs seven plus years ago.

      People also took selfies with their cameras back when you had to develop film. Of course many people were also upset when cameras became affordable, and thus allowing the masses to take more pictures. However, I do not think something being available to the masses means it is a deplorable thing. It depends on how you want to view things. We are going through a great technological shift at the moment, and I am finding it helps to keep balance by seeing how young people view things. For instance, if you want to remain relevant in the world of blogging, adopting Instagram and YouTube channels are great for self-promotion.

      1. I am glad you came back to post your link because yesterday I had a hard time finding people who forgot to leave links. I will have to stop by your blog as well.

    1. Yes, these are in vogue, but no a new phenomenon either. I took selfies back when these were self-portraits. If I had other people who wanted to pose for me I would take their pictures, but I find selfies can be very helpful when I am writing a post about t-shirts I create. I do not exactly have a long line of volunteers to do this for me, and I cannot afford to hire someone every time I want to illustrate a concept. So for me the selfie does have a purpose beyond just wanting to post one. I think it is fine when people just want to post one for fun :). It never bothered me immensely.

    1. Thanks, Lacey. I drew those cat illustrations in the background, so that compliment made me feel quite good :). I love black and white photography, and it does add a bit of nostalgia to an ordinary selfie.

    1. Selfies can be good for drawing self-portraits, or I have found these helpful in my artwork. I understand many do not like these, but I just wanted to share why these do not bother me.

    1. Thanks, Stephen. I have seen a few among people who like to play around with self-portrait photography and art.

  3. The Husband thinks I take a lot of selfies. Maybe I do. I’ve gotten very good at taking selfies of him and me on our adventures. Had no idea my arm could reach out so far. Maybe, I’m a gumby. lol

    1. Hey, I think being able to take a good selfie is an art. You will never have to buy that selfie stick thing. People actually buy those things :).

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