The reality of a photograph- A decaying truth

               “Most things in life are moments of pleasure and a lifetime of 
                embarrassment; photography is a moment of embarrassment 
                and a lifetime of pleasure.”

                                                                                                 - Tony Benn

Leaning against the wall and going through the old photographs on a rainy day brings back a lot of memories, doesn’t it? As I look at the photographs, a thought strikes me: the funny expressions that we pulled off during our childhood, the blurry pictures, because the photographer could not stop shivering, the loud laughter that almost echoes in my ears and importantly, the innocence and genuineness of the picture.

The cameras, say 20 years ago, were very much different from what we have now. It captured our so- called flaws, our ‘actual self’ and no, there was no DELETE button. Once, a moment was captured, we were doomed. Do you recollect the time we dreaded and at the same time looked forward to? Waiting for the pictures clicked to get printed and reach home as what we refer to as ‘photos’. Do you recollect how the entire family would gather just to look at the photographs? It was a big deal back then and the pictures were passed around as the entire family encircled the table in the living room. Do you recollect how everyone laughed at that silly expression of yours, or how your brother irritated the aunt and she appeared cross in all the photos? Do any of these recollections bring a whirlpool of memories and paste a grin on your face?

Glancing through photographs was a family pass time in the past. It brought the household together and filled the entire room with mirth and joy. Here’s something we all are guilty of: family portraits. That one day when everyone decked up and visited the photo studio for a family picture. The annoying photographer who came and adjusted our hands, face, even our smile, asked us to look up, then down, then up again! The mountain scenery in the background, the red and blue curtains with a happy family in the front, the parents seated on chairs and the children on either side of the parents with their hands on their parents’ shoulder. Does any of this ring a bell? This recollection sounds ancient, doesn't it?

The past is past, and, coming to the present scenario, we live in the Age of pouts and duck faces. Yes, indeed, the reference is being made to selfies and groupfies. Living in the time when the only camera that we know is the one that come in handy- our mobiles. Now, let’s face it, a major chunk of the population has at some point done this- taken pictures in front of the mirror and sent those pictures to a couple of friends.

With a myriad of camera apps being introduced, we can tweak and play around with the pictures clicked and hide our ‘imperfections’. We can hide those blemishes, make our bodies look slimmer and make ourselves appear ‘perfect’. One must not forget to mention the even more terrible groupfies- the groupfie with our squad, the one to celebrate nothing, another one to celebrate that one wedding, that one we all are a part of because it is a family groupfie and if you miss that one, well, you become a lesser part of the family! Groupfies have replaced the childhood nightmare of family portraits. The family portraits, though disliked by everyone, should get some credit for capturing the candidness of each of us, the purity and utter disgust on our faces, the senseless smiles as we looked into the camera lens.

Before a groupfie is taken, one laments that he appears bald in the camera screen; another one complains about looking fat and expresses her concern and anxiety to look thin in the picture, the next says she looks darker than others and so on. Why does all this sound plain wrong and ridiculous? Suddenly, the way we appear becomes more important than getting a picture for memory sake. It is, therefore, sane to conclude the fact that selfies and groupfies have made us all the more self- conscious.

The other day, walking pensively down the busy street, I found a family casually posing for a groupfie. The sight seemed to bother me, since, in case of a groupfie, considering the picture was clicked using a front camera, they gave a lot more importance to their appearance than they should have. They were more engrossed in making themselves look perfect, were busy posing,  getting the perfect light, the correct angle which would flatter and bring out their best features, that they forgot one thing- to smile from the depths and be happy. 

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