What is a Selca? Selca (셀카), short for self-capture or self-camera, is a Korean slang term used to describe the action of taking images of oneself (or sometimes accompanied by someone or others) using any image capturing devices known to man (cell phone cams, webcams, digital cameras, CCTVs etc.). Typical postures and positions used by the ‘selca practitioners’ when taking ‘selca pictures’ includes the, ‘nyan nyan pose’ (cat style pose), the ‘shush pose’, ‘the V hand sign pose’, and the ‘blowfish face pose’.
 |
| Yoon-Ah of SNSD cute and bubbly Selca |
In the western hemisphere and other parts of the globe outside the East Asian region, the act of taking ‘selca pictures’ can be viewed negatively as ‘camwhoring’, and in some ways the perception is true. But the main difference between ‘selca’ and the perceived negative term ‘camwhoring’ lies on how the process of taking one’s own photo is executed.
In ‘camwhoring’, the photographer or also called as the ‘camwhore’, randomly shoots his or her own pictures in such way that he or she disregards how the pictures will be processed in the camera – whether the method of camwhoring produces bad or good images, the camwhore just doesn’t care – ‘camwhores’ simply love the attention they seem to impose upon themselves by basking in ‘self-gratification’ using the camera regardless of the image outcome.
Selca, on the other hand, is considered by some as a ‘type of modern photography art’. Most selca practitioners (even those who are blessed with ‘naturally photogenic’ features) takes the process of capturing ‘selca photos’ meticulously. Before a ‘selca devotee’ shoots a photo of oneself, there are steps and factors to consider to produce what can be considered a ‘worthy selca picture’. Listed in random order, these are;
1. Lighting and ambience – Perfect lighting and natural ambience gives a selca picture that ‘A glow’ factor. These factors are one of the reasons why celebrities look really good on prints, TVs, and the big screen.
2. Face, body, and camera position – A veteran selca photographer knows that this factor makes or breaks a selca picture. Take for example socialite American celebrity Paris Hilton. Miss Hilton, as I observed, is a master in the art of selca photography.Her selca skills just comes out naturally to her that she doesn’t even need to take it herself anymore. She just positioned her face or body in a way that every time a paparazzi or a media photographer takes her picture, it always produces a ‘picture perfect image’.
3. The ‘state of mind’ factor – Also known as the ‘stress factor’, this is one of the most important factor to consider before taking a selca picture or any kinds of photography endeavor. You cannot shoot some pictures around using your camera when you’re all stressed-out. Imagine doing some ‘selca shots’ while you’re ‘drunk to the core’ – I’ll bet a hundred dollar that those pictures will be ‘priceless to your mischievous friends and acquaintances’.
Today, with the proliferation of the ‘social network’ on the web, spearheaded by Facebook, Google+, and other popular online social community, many people, not only in Korea, Japan, and China, but all around our planet, have been drawn to the appeal of ‘selca photography’. We can now safely say that ‘selca’ as an art changed the whole perspective of ‘camwhoring’ and ‘self-appreciation via photography’ – selca is the biggest thing to happen in the world of photography since the invention of the ‘flash bulb’.
