Photographer Rankin: Selfie craze reflects 'huge wave of narcissism'

Photographer Rankin has voiced his fears about the selfie craze, saying it reflects a "huge wave of narcissism".

Rankin, who has captured on camera some of the world's most famous faces - from Kate Moss to the Queen - said "a part of me loves" the accessibility of modern-day photography thanks to camera phones.

But the photographer, who is calling on people to capture moments in daily life to raise funds for Children In Need, said he had mixed feelings about the selfie.

'The 'we' has become the 'I',' says Rankin

"More people are using, talking about and appreciating photography than ever before," he said.

"If you told me 20 years ago that everyone would be walking around with a high-res camera in their pocket, I'd have laughed."

But he added: "The other part of me worries about it. The selfie has been part of this huge wave of narcissism, which we're all guilty of. The 'we' has become the 'I'."

Rankin wants people to capture "a snapshot of British society as it is today" for a book to raise funds for BBC Children In Need.

'Selfie' was named word of the year by Oxford Dictionaries in 2013

People are invited to snap images, from a choice of 14 categories, from Friday 20 October to Sunday 22 October.

Rankin said: "I'd love the images to be positive. I'd love them to be a cross-section of our society and people and cultures and beliefs. I'd love them to put a smile on my face.

"We live in funny, testing times so I'm basically asking them to reaffirm my faith in humanity."

(SKYNEWS)