NASA's Earth Day or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Selfie

So I once was an admitted selfie hater. I don't need to see a crappy pic of you taken on your cellphone while you consume food. While I still think this, my views on selfies in general have altered, starting with my "social media experiment" and concreting itself during NASA's #Globalselfie Day.

First of all let's get one thing straight: I actually have taken selfies since before that word existed. When I was a kid we would take "self portraits" by holding the camera at arms length, usually to take up the last few slots in the roll of film so we could replace it and get it ready to go. These were not dignified in anyway and, while they occasionally got a place in the family albums, they were not proudly displayed anywhere. The internet didn't exist back then.

When I was a bit older I often took selfies to remember a hairstyle or an outfit that would be fleeting. As the cameraman of the family, I hardly had any good photos of myself. I never showed these to anyone, and certainly never considered posting them on the internet for strangers to see.

When I got my Facebook account, the need for profile pics increased the selfies. Although many of these were mirror shots, I hardly ever allowed the camera to be seen (a more difficult feat with a huge SLR than a tiny cellphone). Many people would inquire who the photographer was, never suspecting I had taken the photo of me myself. I even used them for my theater headshots.

But I never used them on my professional photography blogs or social media. I looked down on anyone who did, and dismissed many sites as being nothing but collections of selfies. While this may be true, that isn't inherently a bad thing. We've all seen bad photography, and it has nothing to do with the subject. It can be a blurry, dark photo of a dog on the couch just as easily as a selfie of a preteen in the mirror.

I began to read about how they were useful for your business. People want to connect with the people they do business with, even on the smallest level. Seeing you as a real person not a faceless logo, helped people make that connection. While the underwear mirror selfie is still not a good choice for your professional profile (unless you're that kind of professional), used tastefully the fact is selfies sell.

Yet, my real acceptance of selfies came a few months later when NASA began to promote an Earth Day event they called #Globalselfie Day. It was a way to document where you are on the planet this Earth Day 2014, and everyone around the world was asked to join in. Even those working could take a few minutes out of their schedule to step outside and snap a pic on their phone to upload it to their favorite social media site. Great concept really - and hopefully got people thinking about the world.

For my #Globalselfie, or selfies really, I decided to travel around town highlighting green areas in the city. I expected it to be a fun journey, some of it in the rain, and I figured I would get a lot of pretty photographs of these areas. I didn't expect to have so much fun taking photos of me.

I discovered the true magic of the selfie. There's something hilarious about trying to hold a camera at arms length. Giggles are required while standing in goofy positions, trying to get the best photo of you and what's behind you, not to mention the piece of #Globalselfie paper. It's just fun. And I think that fun comes across in the finished product. Seflies are fun - for the taker and viewer.


Not all these photos are true selfies. For some photos it required that I set the camera down and get farther back. But all of them are taken using the spirit of the selfie. I did not use a tripod, using only my backpack and any existing structures to brace the camera. Timer function only, no remotes, so running to get in place adds that extra selfie feel.

After my backyard, my first stop: the solar panels outside of Huntsville Botanical Gardens. 

For my next photo I headed into the Gardens and found a beautiful spot with flowers, water, and the main building in the background.

Tulips and irises surround a pool making this a colorful as well as green spot in Huntsville city. The Botanical Gardens is a great place to enjoy with your kids at one of the many play areas, or find a quiet bench to read out of doors in the water gardens or one of the many gazebos.
I intended to take only one inside of the Gardens, but as I was enjoying my walk I went to see how the Wonderland sand sculpture was holding up. I was so impressed by the fact that the sand sculpture showed only a little damage that I had to show the world our amazing sculpture, afterall people were looking for the hashtag around the world. If you missed my blog post about this sculpture check it out here.

I took quite a drive across town to Monte Sano, and then I would stay in the downtown area. I wanted to get a photo at the iconic overlook near the playground on the state park lands. Perhaps the most challenging photo, trying to get the lighting just right with that type of shooting. And I cracked up, twisting myself into odd positions to get that perfect photo.

Monte Sano Mountain offers some of the best views in the city. Monte Sano State Park offers great hiking trails, untouched wilderness, camping, and a great place to walk the dog - all only a few miles out of the city.

I narrowly missed a downpour, finishing up with this photo shoot and reaching cover just as the rains came.

Just off the mountain, I stopped at my next green location, Maple Hill Cemetery. This #GlobalSelfie location may seem odd to non-locals, but in Huntsville it's often used as a park. Maple Hill Cemetery is a historic place with many older trees with a surprising variety of species. The maples and dogwoods make sure the places is beautiful in both the spring and fall, while the monuments to the beloved citizens of Huntsville range from angels to pyramids. At the other end of the cemetery are some swings and picnic tables referred to as Dead Children's Playground. Wouldn't want to forget you were in a graveyard after all.

I really thought I might have to take this photo from inside the car and I was planning the shot, when the rain abruptly stopped and the sun even peeked out a little. I managed to get a really nice photo with the #Globalselfie sign upside down, which you can still see on Instagram. 

My final selfie, finishing up my #GlobalSelfie Huntsville green places tour in the heart of Huntsville, downtown at Big Spring Park. John Hunt settled here, as the first European to live in this area. Fresh spring water flows up from the ground at this spot. Once, the city got all its water from here. The pumphouse has since been removed and the area cleaned up and turned into a great lunch retreat for those who work downtown, and a duck feeding spot for the rest of us. Still, I mourn the rattlesnake breeding area John Hunt wrote about and destroyed. 

While taking this photo, a polite young lady asked if I wanted her to take my picture. When I told her it was Globalselfie Day she got really excited. My hope was that she did her own.


And the day had started with a reluctant photo in my backyard...

Yeah it's silly. That's the point. So keep taking your selfies. I'll try to be supportive.