Sunday, January 18, 2009
Is a Picture really worth a thousand words?
I'm not the best at this idea of writing frequently on a blog I guess. I had hoped I would be more of a--responsible is not the right word-- consistent writer than I am. But writing is writing nonetheless and here I am again putting in my two sense. My lack of writing could be due to several reasons, some of it being sheer lack of worthwhile topics, some of it being busy with a full time job, a full time life and a photojournalism class I have recently started. In our first class many people, including our instructor brought up some interesting questions and thoughts about pictures and taking pictures, one of which is: Do people really like their picture being taken?
People might argue that portraits are a way of looking into the subjects soul, their eyes being the gateway to everything they are and will be. But portraits are often posed images where the subjects are placed just so in situations that are generally contrived or preconceived. A lot of the time people in said portraits can look uncomfortable because their smile may be plastered on, not having reached the eyes through genuine mirth. Other times a portrait says nothing about those within it, merely, here we are, do we look normal?
In taking this class I had to think about what I liked taking pictures of and why. I mentioned my love of capturing people who are unaware of a camera being there at all. When they are laughing or being silly you can truly see who someone is, especially in a photo where the eyes can be looked at more closely and without the individual’s knowledge of a camera sometimes it seems as though the soul really does shine through. Maybe the reason that portraits can sometimes look so unnatural is because there is a camera present in the first place.
I have noticed that people suddenly stiffen up or plaster on some sort of look that they have cultivated over the years believing that it truly represents who they are. But how can something be a representation of you when you put it on pre-meditatively and hold it for the duration of time it takes for everyone to get in the picture and get their poses on or for the flash to go off? The flash is a whole other story that can also dilute the sincerity of an image, though technology is advancing now where kids don't look like demons from red eyes or dogs look like aliens because of their eye pigmentation being augmented by the flash.
The problem lies then in capturing those beautiful moments between people or a person with themselves without making them aware of the camera and without making it something that you plan in advance. I guess that is the test of a true photographer. I am going to experiment with a different notion. Take enough pictures with people around, even though they may be aware of it, they will become accustomed to its presence and forget the ideas they may have about photographs or even forget they are being photographed at all. We'll see how it goes. Until next time...
People might argue that portraits are a way of looking into the subjects soul, their eyes being the gateway to everything they are and will be. But portraits are often posed images where the subjects are placed just so in situations that are generally contrived or preconceived. A lot of the time people in said portraits can look uncomfortable because their smile may be plastered on, not having reached the eyes through genuine mirth. Other times a portrait says nothing about those within it, merely, here we are, do we look normal?
In taking this class I had to think about what I liked taking pictures of and why. I mentioned my love of capturing people who are unaware of a camera being there at all. When they are laughing or being silly you can truly see who someone is, especially in a photo where the eyes can be looked at more closely and without the individual’s knowledge of a camera sometimes it seems as though the soul really does shine through. Maybe the reason that portraits can sometimes look so unnatural is because there is a camera present in the first place.
I have noticed that people suddenly stiffen up or plaster on some sort of look that they have cultivated over the years believing that it truly represents who they are. But how can something be a representation of you when you put it on pre-meditatively and hold it for the duration of time it takes for everyone to get in the picture and get their poses on or for the flash to go off? The flash is a whole other story that can also dilute the sincerity of an image, though technology is advancing now where kids don't look like demons from red eyes or dogs look like aliens because of their eye pigmentation being augmented by the flash.
The problem lies then in capturing those beautiful moments between people or a person with themselves without making them aware of the camera and without making it something that you plan in advance. I guess that is the test of a true photographer. I am going to experiment with a different notion. Take enough pictures with people around, even though they may be aware of it, they will become accustomed to its presence and forget the ideas they may have about photographs or even forget they are being photographed at all. We'll see how it goes. Until next time...
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