The modern BlackBerry device user is faced with a very difficult decision: selecting the perfect photo to become their BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) avatar. Sure, it seems easy. The Time Shift Camera on the BlackBerry Z10 is perfect for grabbing that perfect new selfie. For those of you who aren’t shutterbugs, there’s always that family member who constantly sends you awkward photos from the last get-together, and the Facebook app is your gateway to even more options. With all these options, why is choosing one photo so hard?

I toyed with the idea of uploading a photo of myself for quite some time. On the one hand, it would allow my friends to feel like they could really connect with me, since they would see my face as they typed. On the other hand, I wasn’t sure if a solo shot looked self-aggrandizing. So, I scanned through my contact list to see what avatars my friends, family and colleagues chose. The results were fairly consistent – roughly the same number of professional headshots, fun party photos, images of children and loved ones, and cool products/gadgets that people wanted to buy.

But what is the message you want to convey with your avatar? Of course, it’s not just an image you’re uploading; it’s a way to set the stage for your conversations. Team BlackBerry, tell us: how did you choose your BBM Avatar?

* Image has been altered to remove BBM screen names

Watch all the action below and hear how Arun uses the BlackBerry 10 camera to capture every moment, even with two very active kids at home who just won’t sit still.

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

Have you ever had trouble getting the moment just right? Are you looking forward to having the BlackBerry 10 camera and time-shift feature make that a thing of the past?