The Differences Between a Self-Portrait and a Selfie - Essay Example

People take selfies with a camera pointed or held at a mirror instead of using a self-timer. Selfie is different from self-portrait because the photographer usually has control over their images (Jim, 10). People take selfies with a camera pointed or held at a mirror instead of using a self-timer. Selfie is different from self-portrait because the photographer usually has control over their images (Jim, 10).  On the other hand, a self-portrait is a representation of a photographed or drawn picture.

Self-portraits have been in existence since medieval times when Renaissance artists and painters started to work on human anatomy. In some cases, when an artist draws a self-portrait, the photographer might utilize a larger lens, which can disorient the image. They can also fail to present the person facing down with no focus, which can distort the image. Self-portraits include reason and thought during the composition of the image or photo (McHugh n.p).  It is significant to note that self- portrait is looking at me and reflecting on a personal life while a selfie is empty and not indicative of such a scenario.

When a person takes a selfie, the eyes look bigger and shiny because of the closeness to the camera but as for the self-portrait the artist produces every part of the image in accordance with the way it appears. While taking a selfie, the gestures imply that “look at me I am taking a selfie or a photo of me or I am here”. It tries to capture the attention of other people. On the contrary, Self-portrait tries to reveal certain messages or information about the image/character. For instance, the artist draws the image with an intention to pass a message to the people (Jim 17).

A self-portrait is an artistic impression of the self that has a deeper meaning than a selfie. A self-portrait involves a person looking at a picture and trying to produce every inch of the image as it appears (Julian, 76). There is a concern to details as much as the details cannot be compared to the camera. The portrait is taken to expound on something. It brings about a message to other people but a selfie can only be used to showcase a past activity. A good example of this is a portrait of a person for use as a gift in a ceremony.

This portrait is different from a selfie or the same photo was taken using a camera as it will in most cases be used to remind one of a past visit. Technically, a selfie is produced by a machine (camera), whilst a selfie is produced manually by hand and involves deep analysis of features in order to come up with a replica copy. Self-portraits started from as early as the reconnaissance period and before (Koerner, 34) The common similarity between a selfie and a self-portrait is that people analyze and assess themselves.

In addition, in selfie people retouch and change themselves or transform their images to represent the current emotional state while artists or painters do their self-portrait because there is no one around to practice human anatomy and once their work is complete, they do not have a chance to retouch and change it. The painters also have a chance to choose their lighting surface and type of color to use in creating a self-portrait.