Celebrity Selfies

So if you are attending a convention, one of the things you will ask yourself, or think about, possibly even dream about is whether or not you are going to be able to get a photo with your favorite celebrity.

The answer is yes, or at least, maybe. There are usually two options for getting photos with your favorite celebrity: Professional photo ops, or Selfies. If you want information on professional photo ops, please see the post about those specifically. This will be all about selfies.

So lets start with a disclaimer….not all celebrities do selfies. So your only choice may be a professional photo op as all celebrities do those.

So let’s assume that your favorite celebrity is doing selifes. How will you know? Sometimes the convention website will list the celebrities selfie preferences on their bio page or photo op purchasing page. If they have not done that, then you will need to find out at the actual convention. You simply go to the celebrity area (sometimes known as celebrity row, celebrity pavilion, etc), and check at their individual tables. Sometimes the celebrity will have a poster outside of their line with costs for autographs and whether or not they will do selfies, and sometimes you may need to ask one of the volunteers at that celebrity’s line.

Ok, so how do selfies work? First, lets discuss the elephant in the room….the cost. Celebrities are there to meet the fans. Part of that is signing autographs, and taking pictures. While they enjoy meeting their fans, they must be compensated for their time. So selfies are just like autographs. They take time, and so they cost money. It is not included with your ticket (unless you purchase a VIP ticket that may include some additional perks like photos and autographs).

How much does it cost? That varies on the celebrity. Often times, the selfie is equivalent to the autograph price, and/or the photo op price. However, sometimes, there is a package deal that can give you a little savings. For example, let’s say an autograph is $60, and the selfie is $60, they might offer the combo of both an auto and selfie for $100.

What is the process? As selfies are treated just like autographs, you will enter the celebrity line that includes everyone trying to get an autograph. You wait in line for your turn. You approach their table, and the handler will ask you how they can help you. At that point, you ask for a selfie. They will tell you the cost, although there is almost always a price sheet at the desk. It is best to have your money ready so that the line will continue to run smoothly. As you approach the celebrity, you will inevitably begin to get stressed. Take a deep breath. Often times, you will take the selfie. Sometimes you will hand your phone to a volunteer and they will take the photo. However, the best scenario is when the celebrity takes the selfie themselves. If they are regular convention attendees, they have gotten used to taking thousands of selfies on the weekend. I believe this is the best option because they will often take more than just one shot. Sometimes they will do multiple faces, multiple poses, and maybe even with multiple people in your group.

So let’s review some of the pros and cons

Pros

• Getting fun poses and faces

• Possibly getting multiple shots

• Avoiding the long photo op lines taking time away from other tasks

• Ability to get autograph and selfie combos to save money

• Interaction with celebrity is much a more personal interaction

• Interaction with celebrity is longer than professional photo op

• Photo on your device which you can share to all of your social media

Cons

• Celebrity may not offer selfies, and no pre-purchase option

• Waiting in long lines with people getting autographs

• Not a guarantee like a professional photo op

• Celebrities leave the table for many reasons

• Usually cash only at the table, no credit cards

• No multiple celebrity photos….so if you want the cast of a show or movie, selfies won’t do

The choice is yours….selfies may be your thing, they may not. If you like the idea of a spontaneous interaction with your favorite celebrity, this may be a good option. If you like a professional photo, with proper lighting, proper camera, and printed for you, then this may not be your cup of tea. I will say this, my wife will do the selfie option 100% of the time, where I will do it almost always. If it is a celebrity that is really important to me, then I will do the professional photo op.