Tell me, as a baby boomer travel photographer, have you experimented with the self-portrait feature on your iPhone?

In a recent family vacation with our son and granddaughter at Michigan’s Sleeping Bear Dunes, my hypnotic gaze at creation’s beauty was suddenly interrupted with the sound of running, laughter, and glee.  You see, these two young gals simply couldn’t get to the edge of the lookout platform quick enough to get their self portrait recorded on their iPhone.

I chuckled to myself as I watched this delightful scene unfold.  Arms outstretched, sunglasses properly aligned, smiles on faces, and click.  Then, more giggles, and a few more shots on the iPhone to be certain of just the right pose.

The clever thing about this 21st century self-portrait is that it didn’t require a tripod, a self-timer, or even someone else to take the photograph.  Simply outstretch the arm, and bingo … you’ve got a self-portrait.

I’ll never forget being on a spectacular scenic overlook in Canada’s Rocky Mountains.  We were enjoying the view when a busload of Japanese tourists arrived.  The doors opened, and out spilled scores of smiling Japanese tourist just itching to get a photograph.  The peculiar thing was, they all wanted self-portraits of themselves in front of the beautiful mountain scene.  In this case, rather than simply extending their arms, they all had friends standing about 10-feet in front of them completely blocking any possible movement on the overlook.

Again, it was very comical to watch, and we found ourselves pinned in the corner of the platform until it was time for the bus to leave.

Airport Self-Portrait

So, it would seem that our 21st century photographic technology has become a real space saver on those spellbinding scenic overlooks.

Do you know how to take a self-portrait on your smartphone?

All you need to do is push the camera with spinning arrows icon on the top of your screen and you’ll all of a sudden be looking at your smilin’ face on your smartphone.

Stretch arms, adjust glasses, pose, smile, and click!

Here’s a goofy one I took of Carol and I while waiting for our plane in Phoenix, on our way to Michigan.

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