The trouble with selfies… OK, one of the troubles with selfies, is it’s so hard to see anything past that grimacing face bang, slap in the center.
Step forward Tourism Australia, which has come up with a new service for taking selfies in which the self is just one part of an epic widescreen landscape.
Mercifully, no selfie sticks are involved.
Giga Selfie, billed as the world’s biggest selfie service, will be available on Australia’s Gold Coast this weekend.
It uses a super high definition camera and cellphone technology to take photos big enough to accommodate even the most inflated egos.
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Travelers using the service stand on a designated spot on the beach and use a “Giga Selfie” app – only available on that day, on that spot – on their smart phone to trigger a distant camera.
An enormous selfie is then emailed to them as a short video clip which starts as a close-up of their face and zooms out to reveal the surrounding scenery.
Tapping into the savvy Japanese market
The gimmicky project is a part of a bigger campaign aimed at luring “a younger and social media savvy Japanese consumer.”
“Gold Coast is one of the most popular and visited Australian destinations amongst the Japanese,” Leo Seaton, TA’s general manager in media and communications, tells CNN. “The beaches also provide an iconic backdrop for something like this.”
The new global campaign will place more focus on Australia’s aquatic and coastal experiences, adds Seaton.
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TA’s managing director John O’Sullivan says Japan is key market for Australia’s tourism sector, with Japenese visitors contributing $980 million annually.
Future of the project? Undecided
Don’t expect a gigantic selfie frenzy just yet though.
The special camera and lens – 100 times more powerful than typical photo gear – is only capable of snapping 10 giant shots per hour.
So posers might expect their photo to contain a long line of impatient faces stretching into the distance behind them.
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As yet, costs and logistics mean the service is only scheduled for deployment in the Gold Coast, although the promotional video includes multiple spots around Australia.
The future of the project will be determined after its debut.
Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast, September 5-6, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.