The use of a stick to hold a camera at a distance for a self-portrait is not a new phenomenon, but the popularity of the new breed of extendable selfie stick has exploded over the past two years. Multiple companies are producing varied versions of the device, tailored mostly to smartphone users. These sometimes-unwieldy extenders have been labeled as nuisances by some, especially in crowded public spaces, and have been banned in many museums, stadiums, and theme parks. Collected here are recent images of selfie sticks in use around the world, from high in the sky above China to the shores of Greece and beyond.
Selfie Sticks Extend Their Reach
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People crowd in Tiananmen Square, using selfie sticks to take photos during a ceremony to mourn the death of Chinese Communist Party elder Wan Li in Beijing, China, on July 22, 2015. #
ChinaFotoPress / Getty -
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The Jamaican men’s 4x100-meter relay team takes selfies with the crowd as they celebrate after winning the gold medal at the World Athletics Championships at the Bird’s Nest stadium in Beijing, on August 29, 2015. #
Kin Cheung / AP -
A participant in the Mrs. Universe 2015 contest takes a selfie picture as she stands close to a 360-ton-payload BelAZ mining dump truck in Zhodino, outside Minsk, Belarus, on August 26, 2015. #
Sergei Gapon / AFP / Getty -
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Swiss pilot Bertrand Piccard takes a selfie with his arm outside the Solar Impulse 2 plane during the sixth leg of his round-the-world trip, from Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport to Nanjing Lukou International Airport in Jiangsu province, China, in this April 21, 2015, photograph. #
Bertrand Piccard / Solar Impulse / Reuters -
A Nigerian Muslim family takes a portrait before Eid al-Fitr prayer, marking the end of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan in Lagos, Nigeria, on July 17, 2015. #
Sunday Alamba / AP -
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A man takes a selfie beside a crashing wave on Beirut’s Corniche, a seaside promenade, as high winds sweep through Lebanon during a storm on February 11, 2015. #
Mohamed Azakir / Reuters -
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A group of young men use a selfie stick to take a picture of themselves in shallow waters known as the first cataract of the River Nile outside Khartoum, Sudan, on May 22, 2015. #
Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah / Reuters -
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An Indonesian woman takes a picture during celebrations of Indonesia’s National Independence Day on the slope of mount Merapi on August 17, 2014, in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. #
Ulet Ifansasti / Getty -
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A tourist uses a selfie stick to take a photograph near a floral display at the “Flowertime” event on the Grand Place in Brussels, Belgium, on August 11, 2015. #
Francois Lenoir / Reuters -
A woman sitting next to actor Joe Morton uses a selfie stick to take a photograph of herself as U.S. President Barack Obama speaks during the second annual White House Student Film Festival in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on March 20, 2015. The event featured the winning short films created by students highlighting the idea of service and helping the community. #
Saul Loeb / AFP / Getty -
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Second-place winner Blanka Vlasic of Croatia takes a selfie as she celebrates after competing in the women’s high jump final during the 15th IAAF World Championships at the National Stadium in Beijing, China, on August 29, 2015. #
Damir Sagolj / Reuters -
Moments after landing an overcrowded dinghy on a beach on the Greek island of Kos, Syrian refugees take a selfie after crossing a part of the Aegean sea from Turkey on August 9, 2015. #
Yannis Behrakis / Reuters -
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