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Photographing the “Mask”
I recently began watching the show “Thirteen Reasons Why”, and yes…. I know I am late. Anyways, one of the characters, named Tyler, is a high yearbook photographer. In one of the midway episodes of the show, Tyler speaks on how photographing Hannah felt real, unlike the other “Look here, smile” images. He continues to rip apart posed pictures in ongoing events, praising the power of candid images.
So this made me think: are the simple posed smiling photos worth it?
To me, the answer is simple. Everyone faces issues in their lives, whether that be a rough test, a rough boss, a disliked teacher, or a bad sports performance. This can lead to severe bad moods, facial expressions, and vibes. However, one thing has held true for almost everyone I put a camera in front of. The camera makes them smile!
Smiles are scientifically proven to not only lift the mood of the person smiling but also the moods of those around them. So, as a photographer in high school, I will continue to photograph the “mask” without any hesitation, because days can be rough and taking the photojournalism high ground is not the way to combat that.