This week when we were asked to bring in a unique piece of technology, I reached for my trusty selfie stick. In an art class setting I think the selfie stick could be used to explore perspective, photo editing, and backgrounds.
Perspective
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| Summer #23, Susannah Bielak Ex: perspective from above |
The Selfie Stick extends and allows images to be taken from very high above the subject, very low below the subject, and everywhere in between. Students could take photos of themselves from extreme perspectives in order to see how the perspectives alter the subject. They could then incorporate the perspectives into there own art.
Photo Editing
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| That pesky 'stick' |
The most obvious use of a Selfie Stick is to take a selfie. However, although the selfie stick allows one to take selfies without holding their arm out to hold a camera, the ‘stick’ portion of the Selfie Stick is sometimes visible in the photos. A digital art class could work on editing out the ‘stick’ in the photos with programs such as Photoshop.
Background
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The benefit of using a Selfie Stick is the ability to take a selfie while also capturing your surroundings. Traditional selfies are limited by the length of your arm and can usually only contain the subject and perhaps a cropped portion of the background. With the Selfie Stick, selfies can be taken from farther away and from higher angles in order to capture more of the background. Students could focus their attention on creating interesting backgrounds in their selfies by setting up intricate scenes or finding beautiful backgrounds in nature. They could then create art with specific objects in the foreground and fantastical backgrounds.
Sources:
http://mocoloco.com/gaze-quartet/
http://www.techsharx.com/4251-2014-time-magazines-25-best-inventions-now-selfie-stick.html
http://www.indiatimes.com/lifestyle/technology/8-reasons-why-you-should-buy-a-selfie-stick-228657.html
Sources:
http://mocoloco.com/gaze-quartet/
http://www.techsharx.com/4251-2014-time-magazines-25-best-inventions-now-selfie-stick.html
http://www.indiatimes.com/lifestyle/technology/8-reasons-why-you-should-buy-a-selfie-stick-228657.html
Very nice idea. Reminds me of the police man in Manet's painting pepper-spraying the participants in the luncheon in the grass.
ReplyDeleteHannah, I love how you've elevated the oft maligned selfie stick! Though museums and other cultural institutions have been quick to ban the technology, pointing out its potential for exploring formal elements in photography is very deft. It makes me think of the trick in cinema to portray certain characters from low angles and certain characters from high angles. In this context, selfie sticks can be employed for exploring power relations in art, and I really like that idea.
ReplyDeleteHannah, I love how you've elevated the oft maligned selfie stick! Though museums and other cultural institutions have been quick to ban the technology, pointing out its potential for exploring formal elements in photography is very deft. It makes me think of the trick in cinema to portray certain characters from low angles and certain characters from high angles. In this context, selfie sticks can be employed for exploring power relations in art, and I really like that idea.
ReplyDelete