By Raffy Paredes
Obsessive selfie-taking is now a mental disorder called “selfitis” according to an article by Hillary Grigonis posted on digitaltrends.com in late December. Selfitis was a term originally coined in a fake news story but that didn’t stop psychologists from actually researching the possibility. A group from Nottingham Trent University and Thiagarajar School of Management recently confirmed that selfitis is an actual mental behavior that leads to obsessive selfie-taking, publishing a research report on its findings in the International Journal of Mental Health Addiction.According to the researchers, individuals suffering from selfitis use selfies to try to boost their confidence or their mood, along with other motivations like conforming and social competition. The researchers say that taking selfies can be an addictive behavior that also points to more underlying mental health issues, like low self-confidence.“Typically, those with the condition suffer from a lack of self-confidence and are seeking to ‘fit in’ with those around them and may display symptoms similar to other potentially addictive behaviors,” Dr. Janarthanan Balakrishnan told the New York Post. “Now the existence of the condition appears to have been confirmed, it is hoped that further research will be carried out to understand more about how and why people develop this potentially obsessive behavior and what can be done to help people who are the most affected,” (www.digitaltrends.com).
If you’re looking for a cheaper alternative to Lightroom for managing and processing your raw photos, there’s some good news: the free and open source software darktable is now finally available for Windows users. darktable was originally released back in 2009 and has been used by photographers running Mac and Linux-based systems. The software contains a set of photo-editing features that helps you do non-destructive post-processing on raw files, especially in large batches. Now, after eight years, darktable has been officially ported to Windows in its new version of 2.4.0. You can download the software at Github, where you’ll now find the new 61.5MB download titled “darktable-2.4.0-win64.exe” for Windows (PetaPixel).
Looking to improve your photography skills in 2018? Doing a year-long photo challenge is a great way to stay motivated with ideas and inspiration. Photographer Dale Foshe has put together a new 52-week photography challenge for 2018. You’ll receive a specific photo challenge every Monday in each of the 52 weeks of the year. The challenges will each be from one of five categories: Vision, Composition, Technical, Creative, and Wildcard. Visithttps://dogwood.photography/52weekchallenge2018.html for more information.
And now to our featured readers.
Dong Glori sent in an untitled zoomed-in mobile shot of morning dew in the fields of San Mateo Rizal. His accompanying tag reads: “Keep your head up and do what your heart desires. It’s not bad to be different.We are all born to excel in our own unique way.”
From Herron Famisan Antonio is the photo. “Young, Wild and Free” taken in Pundakit, San Antonio, Zambales during Christmas day, 2017.
Japhet Catacutan Medel Bendol, mobile photographer, inspired hobbyist, Canon user, member of Camera Club of Cagayan de Oro, and a mother of five children shares “The Ruins:Talisay City.” Photo was taken with her mobile phone on December 11, 2017.
“One of my favourite styles in street photography is breaking the pattern,” writes Justin Reyes who shares an untitled balck-and-white photo of display mannequins’ legs. “This photo was taken at the Sidera sa Tanauan in Batangas. Sidera is an annual divisoria-like bazaar happening every December up to the last week of January.”
Marc Jolas Aquino of the Registrar’s Office at the Our Lady of Fatima University-Antipolo Campus submitted an untitled photo of grazing zebras taken during a vacation in Coron, Palawan.
The untitled panoramic photo of a fireworks display comes from Macky Lorenzo.
Muhammad Haykal Lorena writes that his photo, “Unibersidad ng Pilipinas” was taken using a mobile phone via Light Painting Mode. He shares: “I’ve been looking for something interesting to shoot for couple of months and an idea just popped out. I found myself at the UP Oblation monument and was spinning, twirling to get the effect I wanted. After few trips and falls, I managed to get what I wanted. Oblation with RGB Lights. I just want to say that if something inspires you, don’t be afraid to try as it may produce something spectacular.”
Roy Genovia also used a mobile phone to take his untitled silhouette and reflection photo of a car followed by three bikers. Writes Roy: “I took (the photo) early morning of December 24 here in Cebu as I spent my Christmas this year away from home.”
Dr. Vinod Thomas, visiting professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore sent in the photo, “Skyline Chicago.”
And from Woody Sarmiento is “Triple Treat” with the description: “Our lives are filled sometimes with stressful circumstances often too difficult to deal with. One effective way is to get far from it and settle in calm, relaxing ambience like this mangrove sanctuary in Nasugbu, Batangas—a peaceful place with loving and kind people to talk with.Matched with a captivating sunset ideal for those light chasers. This was taken in Brgy. Papaya. Special thanks to Omar Guevarra who gave us a lot of information regarding the hidden sites of this town.
Readers may now view issues of Picture Perfect including this column at www.mb.com.ph. For comments, suggestions or just to share an image or idea, email [email protected] or [email protected].