When it comes to annoying pictures, you’re not safe anywhere these days.
I am writing this column (instead of paying attention) in a business workshop. I entered the workshop cheerful and ready to learn something to help my workplace, but right away, I became aware of that woman in the back taking pictures.
She took pictures of this man near me, and she took pictures of that lady near me, and I probably ended up in both pictures, so instead of filling out all the lines of the sign-in sheet I swerved away and went to sit down.
“Click – click – click!” her camera sounded from behind me just as I wrote that last sentence. That woman at least should try something I do when I’m taking pictures, especially when I need candid shots: Turn off the sound.
She is taking pictures of us, the audience, sitting down. Wow, what great shots she is going to get. From where she’s sitting, her pictures are going to be of mostly sprawling thighs and bellies, perhaps that embarrassing slice of exposed skin between the back of the shirt and the back of the pants, and just slivers of faces which are turned toward a screen, showcasing mostly double chins or wobbly turkey necks.
How many of those pictures do you suppose will be on the presenter’s social media pages?
A few weeks ago a friend and I went to an outdoor festival in Danville. While we were at a booth looking at the scarves and jewelry they were selling, I glanced up from a colorful, chunky statement necklace to find one of the women in the booth taking pictures of my friend and me. I scowled at her for that invasion of privacy and moved behind the sundress rack.
A few days after that my friend forwarded a screenshot of that boutique’s social media post. It showed both of us looking down at scarf pins, my friend looking adorable and me slouching with my belly poking out and my hair a mess. That picture gave me immediate distaste for what once was a favorite outfit.
As I wrote THAT paragraph, I heard that woman in the back corner taking more pictures and I turned her way. I saw that she was taking pictures in my direction, so I straightened up, held my head high and swiveled my chair to completely face the other way.
To my shock, there was a second picture-taking woman now in front of me, with her camera aimed right at me. She smiled at me and clicked.
Sheesh.
A business workshop and street fair boutique may lead to unflattering pictures, but many settings lead to embarrassing or incriminating photos.
For those of you my age or older, aren’t you glad they didn’t have cell phones when we were in our dancing days. We could go out dancing and to parties and not be haunted by pictures afterward.
My friends and I used to go out dancing for decades, but not too often nowadays. And if we did, we would no doubt end up in one of those videos showing how cute or, worse yet, hilarious and ridiculous these old ladies are shaking their booties.
Don’t you feel sorry for kids these days, growing up in a world surrounded by cameras, their every move photographed by other people, posted to social media and scrutinized?
This constant picture-taking has gotten out of hand. A host of any event should not then sabotage their unsuspecting attendees with being photographed so that the pictures can be posted online to benefit and promote the host.
At the very least, if you must photograph others to glorify yourself, have the courtesy to admit it at the beginning, and only take pictures of those who agree to be targeting.
