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AGM31: Art at Arm’s Length: A History of the Selfie



A useful article for my AGM35 dissertation which is very relevant for this project too.


I particularly enjoyed this part:

“These are not like the self-portraits we are used to. Setting aside the formal dissimilarities between these two forms—of framing, of technique—traditional photographic self-portraiture is far less spontaneous and casual than a selfie is. This new genre isn’t dominated by artists.”


The author makes a very interesting point, worded eloquently and succinctly. It describes the way in which the iPhone camera's depth of field seems to distort our reflection very slightly through perspective, which can alter the way we view ourselves physically.


“Bad camera angles predominate, as the subject is nearly always off-center. The wide-angle lens on most cell-phone cameras exaggerates the depth of noses and chins, and the arm holding the camera often looks huge.”


This article described selfies as being the biggest social trend which has never died but has just continued to grow and grow -- very poignant and interesting.



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