Once upon a time, in days where photographs were more of a novelty than a commodity, subjects, I think, better understood how to "capture the moment."
In the modern era, however, where 1.2 trillion digital photographs are taken annually, I think we've mostly lost the art of "capturing the moment." When I say capture the moment, though, I mostly mean a moment that includes faces and people.
Unfortunately, due to the abundance of photographic opportunities that the world comes across, even so in third-world nations, "capturing the moment" has become less about capturing the moment as it authentically was at the time of the taking of the photo, and more about creating a moment, perhaps one that was not truly there in the first place.
I would also attribute this phenomenon to the rise of social media, which poisons young and old folks alike, seeking to create a never-ending cycle of addiction, where comparing lifestyles becomes the ultimate byproduct, because of the apish desire to have more "likes" than another person. Therefore, if you cannot make honest posts about your life that make your life seem more desirable than your better-off counterpart, what do you do?
Fake the image. Put on big smiles, Adjust the perspective of the camera to create one that would seldom be obtainable without a camera.
You can clearly see how this creates an undesirable situation in the long-term. This type of behavior, where you create a functional alter ego on the Internet, which might as well be considered an alternate reality, is not sustainable. Fracturing yourself for the sake of instant gratification wears away at the mind and soul -- and ultimately the body -- as it is more likely than not that the state of those aforementioned things is not up to par with your online "competitors."
I think that the most damning aspect of this "culture," as it were, is one and one thing only: the smile.
So, what is my solution to this world-so-fractured because of the normalization of alter egos?
Stop smiling.
No, seriously, smile less.
Do not misunderstand me! There is value in trying to capture a memory in the most pleasant way possible, and sometimes a smile might just do that. In fact, many memories that are to be captured with a photo are very pleasant, which is why we wish to record them in the first place.
But if you do not wish to be a part of the problem, please hear me out.
There is also an abundance of value in photographic honesty, and photographic honesty can level the playing field for online dwellers who do not have the energy to pretend that everything in life is OK (which happens to be most of us). Too often did I, before deleting social media off of my phone, come across profiles on Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, etc, that only included happy, joyful images of people just... enjoying life.
Deep down, however, everybody understands that this perpetually-joyful facade is just that: a facade. Everybody online understands on a very basic level that they are participating in what is essentially a fraud, and they do so in order that they, too, might portray themselves as being without sadness, or even more importantly, without neutrality. This desire is to be expected, of course, because all people want to avoid sadness, and feel that they are attaining the ever-so-desired "happiness" of life, even if it means subjecting themselves to something false and ultimately miserable. Although, just because it is to be expected does not mean that it is a good behavior.
There is this notion that if you are enjoying a moment, surely you must be smiling, especially in a photo! But I find this mindset to be unnatural, and more or less "created" by the attitude of those who came before us, and we have learned it. Some of the best moments that I can remember in my life have been ones where, frankly, I did not feel like smiling. Abundant joy comes much less often in life than the joy of being at peace, such as when you are: watching a sunset, grooming your pet, holding a loved one, praying, or going to Mass.
Because so many people are smiling in photos today, a portrait of you or somebody else with a neutral or stoic expression is surely to be deemed rather "sad looking," or another variation thereof. This itself is evidence of the sort of "delusion" that surrounds how somebody captures a moment.
We take so many photographs in this age, that our memory has in a way gone into Sleep Mode. It becomes very difficult after a while to remember important moments in life in a complete way if too many photos are taken; you will begin to rely on The Photo.
Here's my rule of thumb: if somebody has to ask you to smile before they take your photo, maybe just stick with whatever expression you had before. In years to come you will look at that photo, see your expression, and understand in a more authentic way how you were feeling when that photo was taken.
So, give it a shot. People might not quite understand why you are not smiling, but that's okay. You will understand.
And yes, I'm fun at parties.
In this post, I will include a photo of me and my dog Stella, mentioned in the last post. Take a look, and feel free to ask me how I was feeling at the time in the comments. Honest photos make for wholesome conversation.
God love you.
Comments