I struggle a bit with the whole selfie thing. A desire to get myself “in the shot” conflicting with a desire to avoid being overly self-absorbed, or worse, ruining the shot with my weird-looking mug.
There was a time in my life when I was unapologetic about taking pictures of myself everywhere I went, largely a rebound response to having kids and being the one in the family with the camera — and everyone wanting pictures of the kids. And more pictures of the kids. And by the way, how are the kids doing these days?
Le sigh.
But after awhile of selfie-ing my little heart out, and going through the photos to see the fruits of my labor — all those pictures of me, spanning maybe three different expressions, none of them candid because candid selfie is an oxymoron — well, it was a bit of a letdown. The camera was no longer an extension of my eyes on the one hand, and it wasn’t an artistic photo either. It was just me getting in the way of what I actually wanted to shoot.
My solution: Shadow Selfies!
It hits both of my marks: 1) an account of what my eyes are actually witnessing as I wander, and 2) no decoris interruptus. They’re both mildly artistic, and proof that I was on the scene. Boomski.
Yes, I know, I know, they are a tad cheeky. But so am I. So, I’m making my peace with that and sharing these with all y’all. Because it’s Saturday, and who couldn’t use a little cheek on a Saturday.
All photos below taken on my Panasonic DC-ZS70.
Other photos from Chelsea, MI:
Muttering Retreats 
Great photos! I’m not a big selfie person, either, so I love the shadow idea, too. Reflections also work well as a way to photobomb yourself. (My profile pic is myself reflected in a part from a Lamborghini engine.) Personally, I’ve never quite grasped the importance some people place on always having someone they know in the photo. I remember meeting my ex-husband’s Godparents and them taking us sightseeing around the city. His Godfather got properly angry with me because I was taking pictures of the sights without anybody from our party in them. At one point, he snatched the camera away from me and snapped at my ex and I to go stand beside whatever it was I’d been about to take a pic of. It was surreal.
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Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and experience. I can relate to that interaction — I’ve found a certain group of travelers have an intense code regarding putting someone in the shot that was on the trip, “otherwise why not just get a postcard?” I like to try to shoot from a different angle than you’d normally see, or put my own fingerprints on the photo in another way, so I understand this sentiment — but just putting a random face in the way doesn’t equal a better photo. (Yet, try to have this debate with a True Believer in the Personalized Photo!)
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