The ubiquitous photo style may not be as harmless as it may seem.
Incredible and sometimes dangerous events can unfold during the moment of inattention when people turn a camera on themselves. There are also photographers who seek out extreme danger as a backdrop for their selfies.
Getting the perfect snapshot isn’t worth what some amateur photographers have risked — deliberately or otherwise. Several reports of deaths or serious injuries caused by selfie-taking have sprung up in recent years.
Scroll down to see rare selfies from around the world that capture some heart-pounding close calls and extreme dangers.
Warning: Do not attempt any of these shots.
Michael walked away uninjured, and his original April 2014 YouTube video of the incident went viral. (It had 38 million views when we published this article.) He recently posted an explainer video, in which he calls himself a 'dummy' and the selfie attempt a 'stupid mistake.'
Nash didn't realise a baseball had nearly slammed into her head until later on. She told Fox Sports Florida 'when I went to text (my family) the picture I noticed the baseball by my head!'
Mustang Wanted is an expert balancer, but his photos show an insane level of risk not worth attempting.
Agapov lives in St. Petersburg, Russia, and regularly uploads photos of escapades on rooftops and construction sites.
Twitter
Tragically, one of Puentes' fellow passengers died in the plane crash. Puentes and others were later rescued via helicopter and brought safely to shore.
YouTube
According to Mashable, 'a person who claims to be the selfie-taker, Francois Hofer, commented that he was thankful for the footage. He said the video was better than just the selfie itself.' We were unable to track down the actual selfie taken by Hofer.
Fans still comment on the post, expressing condolences and grief for the young man's untimely death.
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