Monday, November 24, 2014

Selfie Stick Anyone? - #Selfie, #Selfiesticks, #Androidcamera, #photography



Picture taken using Selfie Stick in Paris, l-r: Cecilia Brainard, Marily Orosa, Celine Conejos, Manny Gonzalez, and Chickie Feraren

My engineer son is impressed with me: I now have a Smartphone and a Selfie Stick.

For a couple of years now, he's been trying to convince me and my husband to get Smartphones, but we resisted. "We are fine with our regular cell phones," we insisted, an answer that disappointed this son who's been trying to usher us into the modern era.



However, sometime this year, I realized that most of my writer friends owned Smartphones and Iphones. They could research anything at any time; they could take pictures, even videos on a whim; they could look for a restaurant or store in no time at all.

It was peer pressure, yes I'll admit that, but finally, I buckled and I got a Smartphone, a Nexus 5, which I am still trying to figure out, but which I acknowledge is very useful. (For one thing, I used its GPS app when I was in Europe and in Mexico, which was really rather cool.)

This is how I acquired a Selfie Stick for this Smartphone: When I was in Paris and ran into my cousins, one of them, Celine, had a Selfie Stick, which she used on many occasions, allowing our group to all be in the photo, without having to beg someone to take our picture.

This was a wonderful thing, I decided.

Celine told me she got hers at Amazon.com; and I ordered mine from Amazon.com as well.  I opted for something that seemed more durable, and which therefore costs a bit more (it's really not an expensive item at all) -- the Optikal SelfiePal with Bluetooth capabilities, and with 7 perfect customer reviews.

It arrived today and I've tried it out. I don't know how to use the Bluetooth part to this thing, but otherwise, you just clamp the Smartphone in, turn a couple of knobs, and there you have it. I also set my camera timer to 10 seconds.

It's a wonderful tool.  I love it.

Consider this: You are alone traveling and want a picture of yourself in front of the Grand Canyon and no one is around to help you out -- pull out your Selfie Stick and take your own picture! You never have to impose on others to take your pictures from now on. However be warned that people will look at you with an amused smile when they catch you posing in front of your Smartphone -- never mind them. The important thing is that you'll have some photos to prove you were at that memorable place.


By the way, the Selfie Stick made it to Time Magazine's list of 25 best inventions of 2014.

So, now, I even beat my sons because while they have these newfangled Smart and Iphones, they don't have Selfie Sticks.  I do.

Read also

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  • Creative Writing: The World of My Novel-in-Progress

  • Creative Writing: Sinking Back into My Writing

  • Tags: Selfie Stick, Smartphone, iphone, camera, photography, photo gear, selfie, #selfie, #selfiestick

    This is all for now,
    Cecilia


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