Selfies have become all the rage since Ellen DeGeneres rounded up 100,000-300,000 of Hollywood’s biggest stars for an ‘impromptu’ photograph – taken by Bradley Cooper at this years’s Academy Awards – creating the most re’tweeted and shared selfie of all time. If you are among the millions who have succumbed to selfie fever, then you should acquire a selfie stick, which are easily available at online stores across Pakistan.
Factor in the following before you buy a selfie stick:
* Two types of selfie stick are available: handled-monopods on which your smartphones are mounted – these require you to press a button (located at the end of thes stick) to take a photo – and wireless, automatic ones in which you have shutter control through a remote. When buying an automated stick, ensure that a compatible version of the shutter control app (which you can download) is available for your smartphone.
* Standard features include pairing power with other smart devices, timer delay and focus control.
* Look for selfie stick made out of carbon fiber, as these are the lightest and therefore the easiest to use. Selfie stick made with heavier material – such as aluminium and plastic – can exert a pressure of up to seven kilogrammes on your arm, making it difficult to take photos.
* Keep in mind that some selfie sticks mount your phone at a very low angle, due to which the stick appears in the photographs, so avoid buying these.
* Opt for selfie sticks that are compact enough to fit in your handbag or briefcase, but long enough when extended, so that your mobile is at least a foot away from your body; this prevents the fish- eye lens effect occurring in your photos, while allowing you to squeeze in more people in one frame to take group ‘welfies’.
* Prices range between Rs Rs 1,000 to 5,000, depending on specifications and features.
By Syed Wajeeh-ul-hassan Naqvi