A word or two about the selfie stick since it seems to have created a bit of a ripple in RA universe the last few weeks.
Hello! I love the selfie stick. I mean it allows the user to show his/her surroundings which means that it’s really about getting something in the photo besides yourself. Wish I’d had one when Armitage Besotted and I were trying to get the Brooklyn Bridge in our selfie. But…
This is one of my favorite Indian festivals. This festival celebrates the coming of the harvest season, and the shift from winter to summer in India. In India and especially in Gujarat, kite flying is a huge part of the celebration. People fly kites from terraces, trying to cut others’ kites and bring them down. The string is sharp, so when they rub against each other, one will break.
As an American born child of Indian parents, I’ve yet to experience the festival in its full glory in Ahmadabad. I look forward to going to the park each year, where the local Gujarati community celebrates it together.
The kites are all of the same generally structure, though the designs vary. The skies are filled with colors and you can hear people shouting, “Kai po Che!” (We cut it!) and (lapet!) roll in the string! Its also popular for people to run after and catch falling kites, as they can be reused. It’s like a trophy!
Unlike american kites, the string comes completely separate from the kite. There is a method to attaching the two, and the string can be reattached to other kites.
So I’ve been asked how I do the overhead shots for my videos (which I shoot on my phone, a Samsung Galaxy S4). The answer is very simple: an inexpensive selfie stick. But how do you steady it while leaving your hands free?
Selfies are by no means an exclusively modern phenomenon. During the Middle Ages artists would portray themselves, even realistically. The person seen here made two selfies of himself and even tells us his name: “Rufillus”, Latin for The Redheaded. In the top image he is using a stick to support his arm so as to make a better picture. I like to think it is the earliest example of a selfie-stick!
Screencap…
