Picture Perfect

I’ve long realized that I don’t take a fancy to cameras. Be it photographs taken for official purposes or simply for fun, most of the times I feel less than enthusiastic to pose in front of the camera. I always feel stupid every time I do so, all smiles and stuff. Even when I did willingly participate in all the silly proceedings of photo-taking, it was because I felt like I had to, for somebody else’s benefit or for mine (I certainly didn’t want to be left out), not because I couldn’t help seeing someone take a picture without me in it.

Of course, when people are having such a good time, it’s only normal for them to want a memento of some sort. A reminder of the good ol’ times, so to speak. And for quite a long time, that’s what photographs are all about. They capture the best (and sometimes the worst) of times, showing us a glimpse of reality as it was. And despite my reluctance for having my picture taken, I don’t see anything wrong with that. Besides, pictures can speak more than a thousand words. Or something like that, as they say it.

There were times when photographs were only taken on special occasions like weddings, births of children, and family gatherings. But now, since digital photography has made everything so easy, one can take pictures as many as he wants anytime and anywhere. Gone are the days when people were taking pictures with such care and precision (or else they’re just wasting their films), replaced by sloppiness and redundancy and narcissism of the extreme kind. Gone are the days when people actually dressed up before having their pictures taken; hell, people would gladly strip naked in front of the camera anytime these days, and for free, mind you (plus, they upload their own pictures to their personal website for everyone to enjoy them).

What concerns me is the fact that now, it seems, photographs have become more important than the moments they capture. People are so busy taking pictures and putting on their camera faces than living that precious moment. Or, as GIGI (or was it Slank?) said upon returning from a concert in Japan several years ago, “Everyone was taking pictures with their cameras and handycams that it seemed like they didn’t really pay attention to our performance.” Get what I mean?