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Shooting old stones in the Selfie-age
Since days I am editing the photos of ancient cities from my last trip. Stones, stones, trees, very old stones, very old trees... Now I've stopped with a question in my mind. If I close my eyes I can see it: It is written on various languages on stones and wood and was getting bigger and bigger: Is it insane to shoot two thousand years old stones in the Selfie-age? Is it something like shooting dead bodys instead of living creatures? So a kind of a runaway from the actual reality? Where is the real living element? Is Selfie a photograph?
Maybe the cause for this confusion was a tweet about Sefies. Someone was asking if anybody else is as disturbed as her because of this fashionable behaviour. I am not disturbed. I cannot feel anything. Selfie has no meaning to me.
It changes the relation between the subject, object and photo; the life and the photo. It is like that: someone has to live something to make a Selfie possible. Life is gonna to be lived to produce more Selfies.
At the end I cannot make a valuable judgement about Selfies because I cannot feel anything about them. They're totally meaningless. I remember only, that shooting photos needs to be related to others (human being, tree or stone), going closer to them, feeling or getting information from them. And to try to tell something.
Some photographers can use themselves as objects or elements of stories and they can produce meaningful, impressive works too. So, maybe not "others" but "objects". The Selfie doesn't have an object.
I am looking for answers. Is a Selfie a photograph? Is it insane to shoot old stones in the Selfie-age?

8 comments

Marko Novosel said:

Interesting questions...
For me selfie is good if it has artistic value.
Age of selfies started when they gave us tools,if tools were there before like in last century it would be the same thing like today...but with a funny hats and moustaches. :)
Its good that you are taking those photos,good framing,never saw those places before,it reminded me on Gobekli Tepe,that place is probably closed for visitors.
10 years ago

gecetreni replied to Marko Novosel:

Thanks, Marko. I was never in Göbeklitepe. I have to go there. The possibility to shoot selfies was there since the first auto-shutter-release was invented. So since a half of a century almost.
10 years ago

Marko Novosel replied to :

That would be great to visit,they always show same things on documentaries and i am sure there is a lot more to see around.
Heres one recommendation,great documentary from Werner Herzog about Chauvet cave,32.000 years old paintings in combination with music is just amazing.
Cave is closed but thanks to Herzog we could see it in all beauty.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_seBLuIQjU
10 years ago

gecetreni replied to :

Oo! Thank you very much Marko. I will watch it soon. Werner Herzog ahd these cave art sounds very nice together. Actually we have Youtube-ban here! Yes. The government has banned Youtube. We can go in of course via other ways but...
10 years ago

Marko Novosel replied to :

ccc,that mf guy,just red about ban on web,hope it will soon be back.
Until then here is whole movie on vimeo.
vimeo.com/32371643
10 years ago

gecetreni replied to :

great! thanks again. I will immediately watch it.
10 years ago

gecetreni replied to :

Thank you very much, Marko. I've watched it. So interesting and mind provoking! I will give the link to everybody I know:)
10 years ago

Marko Novosel replied to :

Primordial beauty!
...and music,crazy.
You welcome,spread the word. :)
10 years ago