HE TAKES more than 200 selfies a week, so it is not hard to see why he is dubbed the ‘king of the selfies’.

The word ‘selfie’ was officially recognised by the Oxford Dictionaries Online in 2013.

Since then selfies have engulfed the world including ‘that’ Ellen DeGeneres one that was retweeted over 2.5million times, the numerous papal selfies, notorious daredevil selfies and, of course, the undeniable selfie queen, Kim Kardashian.

More locally we have our own renowned selfie king, Shakeel Choudhry, from Blackburn.

He said: “I have always been an avid photographer which I inherited from my dad.

“This interest was taken to a whole new platform when I joined Facebook a few years ago.

“Although I use Twitter and Instagram too, I have more of a following on Facebook.

“The selfies I post on Facebook are always accompanied by a heartfelt message which resonates with so many people.

“Depending on the mood or if I’m at an event or a wedding, I can take up to 200 selfies a week.

“I don’t use filters, just standard iPhone pictures. I take a couple before I make sure I get the right one to post.”

The selfie taking trend even reached outer space when Japanese astronaut Aki Hoshide took what is dubbed the greatest selfie of all time at the International Space Station with an image that incorporated the sun, earth, two parts of a robotic arm, a spacesuit and the realms of unknown darkness.

Shakeel continued: “I may not take overtly adventurous selfies, but I do capture my favourite celebrities now and again. I snapped some selfies with the late Amjad Khan, Bilal Saeed, Abrar Ul Haq, Sajid Mahmood and lots of other cricketers.

“I have to say, my best photos are the ones I take with my family and friends. My friends share those photos on their own Facebook pages.

“As a result, when my friends are out, they are often approached by people asking them where I am!

“When people in the town stop me to take a picture with me, it really is so humbling to be shown so much love and respect.”

With numerous column inches dedicated to skilfully perfecting the selfie with tips on lighting to which angle enhances ones signature pose, Shakeel reveals his own tips.

“Selfie sticks help to get good pictures if you’re in a group, but then you get the prolific photobombers!

“I don’t worry too much about lighting, and with the correct bent wrist action I can get more people into the shot.

“I believe in order to get that perfect selfie, all you need is to feel good from inside.

“Smiles are priceless. We should always smile.”