Faux happiness
There’s something about a photo. It holds a thousand memories. A moment that we couldn’t possibly recreate in our minds as accurately. It reminds us of how happy we once were.
Except… maybe we’re all lying to ourselves. This past weekend, I spent most of my time curiously observing people taking photos of each other smiling. It’s odd, isn’t it? As soon as we point a lens at someone, smiles come out.
Why is that? I am definitely not ‘happy’ every time a camera is pointed at me. Do we do it to try and remember those moments as happy? Perhaps to tell our kids about all of the amazing times we had? Maybe we are trying to convince ourselves that we’re having so much fun by taking lots of photos? Or, even worse, are we trying to convince others (on the internet) that we’re having fun?
Perhaps it’s all of the above. It’s not always been this way. I stumbled upon a fascinating set of pictures from Russia, a century ago, and what struck me the most is the composition of the subjects in the photos. They aren’t bearing their pearly whites down the barrel of the camera, but instead they show intense emotion despite the fact that they aren’t smiling.
It shares a different story about what’s actually happening in the moment. If you took the above picture today, I don’t doubt that the kids probably would beam their smiles towards the photographer. It’s not exactly dishonest, but it doesn’t reflect the true events that are unfolding.
Perhaps we’re all just lying to ourselves about how happy we are. Maybe we’re desperately trying to enjoy the moment more by taking something to share with someone else. Friends. Family. The internet.
The days of film were different, taking one shot of an entire trip wasn’t uncommon, and that picture had to sum it up. I just returned from the United States and only shot film while I was there. Thirty days on film condensed into around 65 photos. Film was more valuable. So were photos. Now, they’re not a commodity any more.
Perhaps we should stop turning around and smiling towards the camera next time it’s pointed at us, and just carry on what whatever it is we’re doing at the time. Who cares if it’s an awful photo, or it ends up on social media.
At least it was honest.