Photographing people in compromised conditions

[GBarrington]

<p>Fred G wrote, "I've just been going through my parents old snapshots from the 40s. There seemed actually to be quite an awareness of the camera though with a much more subtle and often more elegant effect and result. They seemed to have a much more "natural" affinity for posing and even framing and composition. That, or the oldness and history of the pictures is getting to me. And of course these were mostly posed pictures as opposed to street or candid shots. It may be that years ago there was disregard for the camera. It may also be a bit less self-consciousness when in front of one."<br /> <br />I wonder if that difference wasn't the cultural assumption that taking a photograph was a relatively rare occurrence. That something special was happening.<br /> <br />In the modern world, photography is so ubiquitous, that we are often the unwilling victim of some photographer (or automated camera) with an unknown agenda. So OUR cultural assumption is that we need to be constantly aware of how we present ourselves at all times. We are more interested in not "looking bad" than we are in presenting a memorable photograph suitable for saving a memory. <br /> <br />We have become the little brown starlings, because the blue jays are too easy to kill.</p>

[Allen Herbert]

<p>"So OUR cultural assumption is that we need to be constantly aware of how we present ourselves at all times. We are more interested in not "looking bad" than we are in presenting a memorable photograph suitable for saving a memory. <br /><br />We have become the little brown starlings, because the blue jays are too easy to kill."</p>

<p>Little Peacocks pruning themselves is a thought which comes to mind.</p>

[GBarrington]

<p>Pruning or Preening? LOL! Seriously though, are they preening to stand out or preening so they look like everyone else. Camouflage is an inherently narcissistic goal. <br /><br /> At the very least, one needs to be constantly aware of the surrounding and make necessary adjustments. The feedback cycle is by nature, a short, high frequency thing.</p>

[Norma Desmond]

<p><em>"The feedback cycle is by nature, a short, high frequency thing."</em></p>

<p>This hits on something important. Some don't seem to experience feedback. It's all output!</p>

[Norma Desmond]

<p>Glen, you got me to thinking when you said, <em>"We are more interested in not 'looking bad' than we are in presenting a memorable photograph suitable for saving a memory."</em></p>

<p>When I think of the way younger generations today use their phone cams compared to, say, the way my parents took pics back in the 40s, 50s, and 60s I wonder . . . if my parents' photographing was about saving memories, is today's photographing just a kind of fleeting accompaniment or counterpoint in the rhythm of life? It may, in fact, have no purpose whatsoever other than . . . because I can. It's almost like putting a digital punctuation mark on the moment, and it's gone (in many instances, because there are so many taken) almost as fast as its taken. Maybe it's a Zen-like thing, not to preserve the moment but to heighten it. It allows us, again more than preserving anything, to experience the reality and the appearance of the reality almost simultaneously, and then we move on. [Really just thinking out loud. This is not a considered thesis!]</p>

[MichaelChang]

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<p><em>"[Really just thinking out loud. This is not a considered thesis!]"</em></p>

</blockquote>

<p>Let me think out loud too.</p>

<p>It's often the case that a well considered purpose is not a prerequisite for doing something, rather on reflection, years later, do we uncover the hidden psychology that propelled the action. We all do things for our own reasons at the time of action but those apparent reasons can change as we develop better insight.</p>

<p>In my portfolio is a folder containing a series of photos on a single subject. I was once asked what my goal was and what I wanted to achieve in the continuation on the series. I gave an obvious answer at the time, but over the years with the benefit of hindsight my reasons have developed and matured in a way that my photography might have had I continued the series. None of it was apparent to me at the time. I was simply inexplicably driven. <br>

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