Perspective, or Oops
The instructor spent the first hour of class talking about the psychology of portraiture and the visceral reaction most people have to seeing their photos and how we typically only like photos that capture us with our “photo front” on and how we don’t really know what we look like and so there’s this: I was wrong. The photos are really quite nice… aside from the ones taken from underneath where I look like a bug-eyed turtle (which unfortunately, happened to be the first ones I reviewed, leading to my eventual freakout).
I’m so glad I didn’t take that stupid Blues Harmonica class.
Filed under: General on May 23rd, 2008
May 23rd, 2008 at 7:48 am
Hmmm….it sounds as if your instructor is pulling a Svengali over on you. Either that or you’ve consumed whatever was left over (was there anything left over?) from TequilaCon. Not that I’m doubting that the pictures are actually good, just the sudden turn around in your thinking that they were instruments of Satan send to torture you here on earth.
May 23rd, 2008 at 8:05 am
dingo: no, neither hypnosis nor tequila were involved. but seeing them in black & white made a huge difference, and actually looking at all of them collectively vs zoning in with laser focus on the few really bad ones in the bunch helped. and showing them to some of my closest friends confirmed that i was just being a hormonal freak.
May 23rd, 2008 at 10:21 am
I’m glad you’re feeling better about the pictures. An hour talking about the “psychology” of portraiture? My head hurts just thinking about it!
May 23rd, 2008 at 10:47 am
YAY!
May 23rd, 2008 at 12:30 pm
We’ll be the judge of your judgment: post sample photos here please. K thx bai.
May 23rd, 2008 at 1:32 pm
any decent photographer knows better than to photograph a woman from below anyway. there’s no easier way to add 75 chins to me than to be lower than I am when you take a photo.
May 23rd, 2008 at 3:17 pm
Glad to hear it.
May 24th, 2008 at 3:40 pm
It’s all about perspective, same goes for hearing your own voice (torture! I sound like a 6 year old) or seeing yourself on film (Do I really move like that? What’s with the constant facial expressions? Why does my mouth keep twisting?). Don’t forget, we are not used to seeing ourselves for long periods of time. I know you are already feeling better about this, but if it makes you feel even better about it, I would swap your face for mine anyday.
May 25th, 2008 at 12:45 am
Heh..are you going to show us the photos?
May 25th, 2008 at 3:48 pm
You really need to let the rest of see a few of the photos.
May 30th, 2008 at 4:35 am
I’ll let you in on a secret trick. Always be the one in the room with the most expensive-looking camera. This will by default, make you the photographer, thereby eliminating the risk of appearing in a photo. Thanks to this little trick, I don’t think I’ve been photographed more than twice since 1994. haha
Of course, you don’t actually NEED to use this trick, because you look great. Pull that trick out when you are feeling you’re having one of those ‘this would be the photo they’d show on the news if I get arrested’ days.