A “selfie” is a self-portrait photograph, taken with a camera phone. “Selfies” are often shared on social networking such as Instagram, Snapchat, and Tumblr. They are often casual, and are typically taken with a camera held at arm’s length.

Before the era of Smartphones and digital photography, most great artists used self-portraits as a way of capturing themselves. Even if was only an opportunity to show off a great outfit! Below is a self-portrait of Francisco de Goya from 1795, which was begun in 1790! It took the artist five years to complete! Today we can capture ten photos in one second with our smartphone!

The self-portrait has been a popular form of expression ever since man first saw his own reflection. The debut of the portable Kodak Brownie box camera in 1900 led to the photographic self-portrait becoming a popular trend. The “selfie” was usually taken with the Brownie camera near a mirror and by balancing the camera on a nearby object while framing  the “selfie” with the viewfinder at the top of the box! Below is woman taking her picture in a mirror roughly around 1900, 114 years ago!

Even astronauts are taking “SpaceWalk Selfies”! Last year, astronaut Rick Mastracchio, managed to overcome his bulky space suit and snap a “selfie” worthy of putting into his scrapbook! Read the article, Spacewalk Selfie! NASA Astronaut Shares Self Portrait.

Boston Red Sox, David Ortiz Ortiz took the famous “selfie” with President Obama during a team visit to the White House. The President was not told that Ortiz had a paid deal with Samsung to drum up publicity for the company. Ortiz’s tweet from his Samsung with the “selfie” was retweeted more than 42,000 times, including a retweet to Samsung’s 5.2 million followers. You should NEVER post “selfies” with others or pictures of others without their consent. Read, Slugger’s Obama Selfie May Be the Last Presidential Selfie Ever.

“Selfies” are just as terrifically telling as the more formal self portraits from the past. So let’s take our self portrait! Share your self-portrait “selfie” holding the books you will read this summer! Before you email your picture be sure to ask your parents and guardians if it is okay to share your picture on William O. Schaefer’s Summer Reading website.

Email your “book selfie” to picture60ball@flickr.photo.com Put your name and the title of your book in the subject line. Tell us which public library you will be visiting this summer in the body of the email.