The Irony of Photography

I was just looking over how many pictures I took of last night's rehearsal. I must have counted almost 20-30 different pictures taken throughout the day. Looking back on them, it made me realize how fun it is to take pictures and how cool it is to be able to look back on that funny smile, the elaborate pose, or that surprise money shot that you took.

Then it got me thinking about the art of photography itself. I think there are some things that have surfaced in the recent years that people often overlook. For instance, the very common and natural tendency to be afraid of being photographed. I find it tends to be more common in women, but whenever you have the shutter pointed at you, you just tend to become uneasy. I'm not gonna pigeonhole everyone into this category, seeing as some people are completely comfortable and easy to take photos of, but at the same time I'm finding a growing trend of people not liking their pictures to be taken.

Honestly, as cheesy as it may sound, I think a part of the reason for this could be attributed to the media and magazines. With the advances of photo editing and computer software to touch up photos, the media and magazines are becoming increasingly good at making whoever they photograph look amazing. Of course this same software is available for public use as well, but they usually come with a hefty pricetag if you want the really good programs. So naturally, not as many consumers who like to photograph have the time or resources to invest in the software, and most photos taken for leisure are left unedited. I don't think that there's anything wrong with non-edited photos, in fact I think it's great that it's happening more often. But there becomes a direct comparison between one person's photo and another professional photo seen in the magazine or media. My theory is that it's this unfair comparison that makes most people run for the hills when they see the camera pointed at them. Well this comparison paired with the increasing societal pressure to be skinny and fit.

This brings me to my main point, which as usual is taking much longer to get to than I would have liked. Now with the advent of digital photography, photographers can take hundreds and hundreds of photos without the overwhelming film expense that used to go along with it. Photographers can simply take photos and keep which ever ones they want instead of having to develop all photos taken. So you would think this would encourage people to take more photos, but since everyone is camera shy, it becomes a bit of a challenge. I remember many times when I would bring my camera to a get together only to go home without any photos because everyone was to concerned about what they would look like in a photo.

I think it's really a shame, considering we have the technology and harddrives to store thousands and thousands of pictures that we can enjoy in the future. Another thing that I think plagues the art of photography is the bad reputation that photographers have naturally developed. I know in most contexts, the minute someone takes out a camera and wants to start snapping pictures, they're seen as creepy or odd, making people want to be in pictures less.

All in all, I think people should take more pictures in general. Pictures are a great way to re-live a moment again, and really they come at no cost to ourselves. So the next time someone points a camera at you, don't be a pansy and run away from the camera. Just chill out, and pose for the camera. Maybe it's something that you can laugh at or enjoy in the future.

(This message was sponsored by your friends at Kodak)

P.S. Spiderman 3 is terrible, but I'll go more into that later