Read the article about a man who invented an early version of the selfie stick, and then complete the notes.
Who invented the selfie stick?
Nowadays, selfie sticks are cheap and widely available, and it’s common to see people using them all around the world to take photographs of themselves, which are known as ‘selfies’. But two or three decades ago, people were much less likely to take pictures of themselves. So it might come as a bit of a surprise to discover that the selfie stick is not a recent invention.
Canadian inventor Wayne Fromm got the idea for an early version of the selfie stick during a European holiday in 2002. Unfortunately for him, however, it seems that his invention came too early to become a best-seller. He was with
his daughter in Florence, Italy, when he experienced that typical tourist’s difficulty: it was hard to get photographs of them together. On one famous bridge in the city, they wanted a photograph of the two of them together, but it was very crowded, and he also felt awkward asking people to take their picture. Fromm, who was a keen photographer, also had quite a complicated digital camera. ‘Many people didn’t know how to use it,’ he pointed out. ‘We were just taking it in turns to take pictures of each other,’ he explained. Sometimes he managed to get successful pictures of them both by using the timer function on his camera. However, Fromm found that occasionally their heads wouldn’t be in the middle of the picture. And sometimes, when he wanted to use the timer, there was nowhere safe to put the camera down.
When Fromm got back to Canada, he started thinking about how he could create something that would hold a camera far away enough to get a good picture. ‘I spent a couple of years examining umbrellas, taking them apart, and trying to use the same technology to create something strong enough to support a traditional, heavy camera.’ Finally, in 2005, he came up with a device he called the Quik Pod (as in a ‘quick tripod’). He worked hard to promote his product. It got some attention, and he made some money, but it didn’t become as popular as he would have liked. One issue was that the device was too large for most tourists to carry around with them. Nowadays, of course, most people use their mobile phones as cameras. These tend to be light, and therefore much easier to attach to a modern selfie stick. However, mobile phones have been known to fall out of modern selfie sticks. Fromm’s invention enabled a camera to be held very securely in place, making it more attractive to professional photographers.
If you look online for a selfie stick, thousands are now sold each day, but very few of them are Fromm’s. The Quik Pod was more suitable for serious photographers than for tourists. However, there was some interest from people in the extreme sport community – it was really popular with skiers, paragliders and divers. Sales grew gradually, but unfortunately for Fromm, there are now many cheaper versions available. Fromm, however, is far from disappointed. ‘Money was never my main motivation. I’m far more interested in creating a world where families have good photos in which everyone is present.’
You are going to give a talk to your class at school about the invention of the Quik Pod, an early version of the selfie stick. Prepare some notes to use as the basis for your talk.
Make short notes under each heading.
Problems that Wayne Fromm had when taking family photographs on holiday: