Am I Selfish?

I don’t generally approve of the whole “selfie” craze.  Kimmie and her “Selfish” book (which damnit I’m not linking to because that girl gets so much spotlight I’m surprised she doesn’t have a permatan) are, as far as I’m concerned, part of what’s wrong with today’s society. People are so engrossed in themselves and in their “smart” phones that they’re getting stupider by the minute.

Today however, I went out and purchased a “selfie-stick”. Not because I want to take pictures of myself behind the wheel of my car with a perma-duckface. Not because I’m self absorbed and vain.

Just for one reason and one only—I have very few pictures with either myself and Hubs—or with myself and my children. Or the whole family.

I call it the “Where’s Waldo” effect. Except instead of Waldo, it’s me you have to search hard for in our family photos.

As the mom – I’ve become the default photographer in our family.  Our honeymoon—there’s a ton of pics of scenery—and a number of Hubs. There are two of me alone. And three of us together. Those ones only because I propped the camera in the hotel room and set the timer.

I can get in the pic if there happens to be someone else in our house at the time of an event. I can get in the pic if I take the extra time to set up the tripod and trip the timer on the camera. I can get in the pic if Hubs uses his gorilla arms and takes one of both of us (but we usually can’t fit the kids in frame—and generally there’s no scenery because we monopolize the frame).

[tweetthis]Well moms? Do your family pics suffer from the “Where’s Waldo” effect?[/tweetthis]

I’m not knocking Hubs either—he does try. But it usually falls to me—and as a result—I’m always just out of frame.

Perhaps selfishly, my selfie stick is a way of ensuring that not only will I be able to get some nice pics that include scenery—but it will cement memories for my kids. Visual evidence of us smiling and having fun.

I’m no Kimmie…but maybe I am just a bit selfish.

Do your family photos suffer from the “Where’s Waldo” effect?

6 Comments

  1. I probably only have five or six pics of me the whole 25 years I’ve been married because I too was the one taking them. Now, though my daughter has taken over the camera so I am invariably stuck in some odd pose, eating, or something equally less appealing.

  2. I’m good at taking selfies cos I can vet them and only allow ‘out there’ what I’m comfy with. I hate being on other people’s cameras, and my mother somehow ALWAYS takes photos when I’m eating, which just makes my photographic history like one long feeding-time at the zoo.

  3. No, I don’t think you are selfish. My husband and I always take picture of things, animals. When we come home and upload them, neither he nor I are in hardly any pictures. I’m trying to remember to take at least one commemorative picture to see our selves in whatever seen, but I forget.

    1. Author

      It’s funny how that happens. Love hubs but it’s not even on his radar. I have far more pics of him and the kids…

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