Why I resist taking pictures of people?
- Prem Shah
- Jun 12, 2021
- 5 min read
Updated: Mar 31, 2022
Disclaimer: This blog is not talking about people who click photos or get themselves clicked to earn money or to create art.
Those of you who know me knows that I love photography.
I have been into photography since I was in 5th or 6th grade, maybe before that but not sure.
Mostly I used to and still like to click more photographs of nature and wildlife, than humans.
There was a time when I hate when people clicked pictures of each other at parties, travelling or at dinner.
I used to resist it.
Recently I have realised the reason behind it.
This blog is about that realisation.
If you ever notice some people around a camera, there goes the whole planning behind taking a picture, even if it is not said out loud, the person who is getting clicked knows exactly how they want the photo to look, they have already imagined it.
Those pictures I believe are made-up memories instead of actual ones.
There is nothing wrong with them and they have their own place.
But they don't show the memory of that time, they just show the made-up part of it.
Now, when you are clicking a made-up picture, the question to ask is, will you be okay, if the picture is not seen by anyone in the world but the people who are in the picture?
This question will give you a lot of clarity on the reason behind taking these pictures.
Some people take pictures for themselves, for their memory, they don't show it to anyone other than the people in it. Those kinds of people have a clear goal behind taking these pictures and it is okay to click some of that.
But some people take pictures to show someone, share them on social media or sharing them with family or friends, now here comes another question to ask one's self is that why do you want to show this picture to someone?
The majority of people just share because they "like to" or they "want to."
I am not going to go deep in this topic, there is a whole blog that I will write, talking about this particular topic about showing something to someone, what and why you can check it out then.
But for now, what I am trying to say is that there is an underlining reason behind taking pictures to show people. I will talk about them later in this blog.
What I feel is that, in the chase of getting the perfect made-up pictures, we have forgotten the beauty of authenticity and imperfect pictures.
In another word, candid pictures.
If we see the definition of candid:
truthful and straightforward; frank.
One of the major reasons for me loving wildlife or nature photography is that not a single thing happens in nature because there is a camera.
They just happen. Same way, we love pictures and videos of kids because they are just them, they don't care whether you are there with your camera or not.
When these candid photographs got into a trend, people loved them.
Why? I believe because they were authentic and they showed a real moment.
There is always a story or a memory behind these pictures.
But as soon as candid pictures got popular, another genre of photos also got popular, fake candid (people trying to click a picture that looks candid).
The urge of controlling photos and trying to make them in a certain way comes from somewhere. When I thought about it, I think it comes out of the lack of acceptance of one's own self. I know that's harsh to say, but hear me out. If I am unable to accept myself then I am unable to show myself, and when I am unable to show my real self, I try to manipulate and make the photographs the way I think they will look good to others.
To check my theory, I think we have to pay attention to what goes exactly after the photograph is clicked.
If you have experienced hearing things like:
How do I look?
Wait! Take from this side.
Why do I look so fat?
My hair is not proper, take it again.
And so on...
I don't think people know what is happening and they do it unconsciously.
But as someone who takes pictures, I can see the gap between what one is and what one wants to show in the picture.
I believe, the obsession to have a certain kind of picture, where I should look in a certain way is a sign of lack of self-love and self-acceptance.
Instead of getting irritated, now I can understand people who click 5-10 pictures in the same pose, just to make sure they get the perfect picture.
When I say they, I am including myself.
Still struggling with the same problem many times.
But now, after realising what is happening, I am learning to find the importance of candidness in between the made-up memories.
I could find one of the perfect examples, to show the difference between memory and made up memory:
When I look at these pictures, both are from the same trip.
For me, the first one is way more precious than the second one, even though I am not in that picture. The first picture represents a memory/a story to me.
That's the power of authentic pictures, they have a story, a memory.
I have observed this habit in my father, if he ever finds something interesting to capture, he takes out his mobile and clicks it. He is not a photographer, he doesn't know the technicalities of taking a good picture, but he tries to capture a memory and those pictures for me, are way more important instead of made-up ones.
There are many pictures of me, many of them clicked by my father, sometimes I don't even remember when it was clicked, I am sharing some of them below:
These pictures are way too important to me than any picture where I am smiling in front of the camera.
If you look around, you will find things to wonder about! When you do, don't miss the opportunity to capture that pure moment without ruining it.
There is one more thing, sometimes, made-up memories are also necessary to have.
Sometimes, you need a group picture or a photo with a particular person for some personal use or memory, and I can't always say no to them.
Instead of having all photos with the same old smile, I have figured out a way to make some of those photos memorable too. Make it funny, without the fear of how will I look or what will people think, just be the joker in the picture.
These are some of the attempts which I have tried for the past few years:
It took me time to accept myself in this particular area, but when I did, it becomes so much easier to just make the picture fun, to be the subject to get laughed on or a reason to bring a smile to someone, and make it a memory.
After this realisation, I have made a list of few things that I think I should be doing while clicking or getting clicked:
When I am getting clicked:
START LOVING AND ACCEPTING MYSELF THE WAY I AM.
Forgetting how the photo will look for a second and just be me.
Not to stand still or pose, just do whatever feels right to me.
Make funny faces or make people around me laugh if I am in that mood.
Try to make the picture imperfect.
When I am clicking:
Look out for moments.
If they are trying to pose, try to make them laugh (not smile).
Don't try to control, just let the moments be.
Don't try to perfect the photograph, a little imperfection is necessary.
In conclusion, I would like to say that accept myself, loving myself and being myself is very important.
May it be made-up memory or a real one, either way, making it memorable is important.
Investing a lot more time in making and capturing real memories instead of made-up ones.
Special thanks to Greg Williams for again igniting the spark of photography by focusing on candidness through his online workshop.
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