Why so sad?
Did you ever look at old family pictures and wonder if these people were dull as dishwater? You see these dour faces staring back at you and wonder, "Why so gloomy?" Apparently, back in the day, it took at least a minute of posing for the camera to capture an image. That's an agonizingly long time to hold a pose let alone a smile! A photographer expert said they used clamps for the head and shoulders to help people maintain their pose. Can you imagine? No wonder few bothered (expensive too!) and of course, candid shots were near impossible.
It's also said that early photography followed the same protocols as portrait painting which took so long, a smiling pose was simply out of the question.
And what about the impact of religion? Not to hard to imagine smiling might have been considered a bit vulgar in those socially conservative times. Whatever the reason, it's a shame because we can learn so much about one's personality by the twinkles and wrinkles of a happy, laughing face.
Our descendants will know us so much better, than we do our ancestors, because of the great strides in technology that allow wonderful candid shots that capture our very soul.
website: savegraves.com
twitter: twitter.com/Savegraves1
No comments:
Post a Comment