Exploring the Selfie Factory

Blogging certainly throws up some interesting experiences – and when I was invited down to the Selfie Factory I was intrigued to see just what I was letting myself in for. The Selfie Factory is billed as a “quirky interactive pop-up experience for selfie-taking where you can fill up your camera roll with incredible photos of you and your friends”. If you’ve seen my Instagram, you might have noticed I’m quite the selfie fan. I’ve been documenting my ol’ boat race for many years now. I’ve been trying to be more positive about myself, and embracing the skin I’m in, so being invited down to the Selfie Factory would be fantastic, in theory.

However I was really concerned that, whilst I would probably LOVE to get some fun photos, I might be a little too old for it. I might feel horrifically awkward posing around different scenes surrounded by people who are much younger, more attractive, and more photogenic than me. So much so, I almost considered not heading down there.

I’m SO glad that I did.

The Selfie Factory is a pop-up experience that travels around the country, at the moment it’s at Westfield London (until the 12th September) and in Bristol Cabot Circus (until 14th August). At Westfield London the Selfie Factory has taken over a large retail unit and filled it with different colourful ‘scenes’ for you to take fun and interesting pictures. There’s also a MASSIVE ball pit, filled with pink balls for you to dive into to take creative and fun shots.

Last night we were given the run of the Selfie Factory along with a gaggle of celebrities and social media stars to show off the best versions of ourselfies!

When Marcus and I stepped into the Selfie Factory I was feeling that wave of awkwardness I expected. We looked around the scenes, had a drink, had some pizza and made polite conversation. But there wasn’t any selfie action.

“Right.. You’re going in the pool!” commanded Marcus as he readied his camera.

I instantly regretted wearing my Ted Baker boots – they are a bugger to get on and off. I eventually managed to get them off and took a running dive into the pink ball pit! I felt a bit self-conscious.

“Why don’t you film yourself diving in with your phone?” suggested Marcus.

So.. I did. I looked back at the footage on my phone and I’d managed to stop the recording JUST as I leapt it. So.. I did it again. After diving into a ball pit several times and no-one really batting an eyelid, I was feeling less self-conscious (and the gin might have kicked in). So our odyssey around the Selfie Factory began.

Honestly, once you get into it, the Selfie Factory is SO much fun. Your inhibitions slowly slip away when you realise that everyone else is there with the same objective as you. We all just want some fun pictures. You’ll see people taking their selfie game VERY seriously, with hundreds of pictures being taken – others will nail it the first time, every time. Then there will be some folk like me, just snapping and hoping for the best. Everyone has something in common though, we’re all having fun.

That seemed to be the ‘take-home’ from the Selfie Factory, everyone was having such a blast. It didn’t matter who had the most followers or would get the most likes, we are were united in a bit of light-hearted silliness. Even grumpy ol’ Marcus was beaming. I loved the Selfie Factory so much. I’ve got a video to chop together with some of the footage of the night, and I’ll stick it online just as soon as it’s done. For now though, here are some of my favourite pictures from the night, most from me, and a few from Marcus.

Can ANYONE go to the Selfie Factory?

Yes – anyone can go to to the Selfie Factory. You need a ticket to enter – it’s £4.99 for children under 5 and £9.99 for everyone else. You get an hour to explore and get snappy, which should be more than enough time for you to take pictures in all the scenes. You can also purchase an ‘Unlimited Day Pass’ for £19.99 which allows you to come and go as you please during the day to take as many pictures as you like. This could be very handy if you take your Insta game VERY seriously and want to switch outfits for each scene.

Tickets are limited, so booking in advance is recommended, you can book on the Selfie Factory website.

I had an absolute blast at the Selfie Factory, and if you want a fun way to create some eye-catching content for your social or blog then it’s well worth a trip. My only criticism would be that maybe the lighting on each scene could be a little better? There’s certainly enough, however, a little more would be awesome. It IS a temporary pop-up in a retail unit, so it can be excused for not having studio lighting. That’s my only moan, and it’s a teeny one!

If you’re not near London or Bristol, then keep an eye on their website, they might be ‘popping up’ near you soon!