Happy International Camera Day! How do we take good pictures and how does this affect our wellbeing and norms of society? If you’re a regular on Instagram like me, I’m pretty sure you remember how most young women frantically drew big eyebrows tilted upward, about two years ago. Like with all trends, many followed suit, and if you didn’t, you might even have lost followers because of. Now, it has mostly disappeared (Thank God!). What happened was, besides the ideals we have been fed by regular fashion magazines and media, we got up close and personal with ourselves. With photo taking, comes a more developed eye for details, with both more scrutiny and criticism, as well as an improved quality and technical advancement. So, how can we best use this more trained eye for something positive? 

We can of course enjoy both nature and design much more, now that every nuance and angle can be discovered and tried for ourselves. Something so simple as turning our phone camera upside down, can make wonders for a better sharpness and focus. Have you tried it? What are your tricks?

We can also let photos of ourselves be guiding us towards a healthy improvement. As someone practicing both dance and yoga mostly at home currently, due to financial reasons, it’s crucial that I can look at myself through the lens of a camera, when I can’t dance in front of mirrors, so that I can correct my body, posture and pose, accordingly. Hopefully, posting some of it can show improvements over time and be a tale of the process. 

It’s easy to succumb to the inner critic, when we pinch and enlarge our selfies. Do I really have that big of a crease in my forehead? And how much weight have I gained the last couple of years? Would this have bothered me as much, if I hadn’t seen myself in photos? Probably not. We get used to our own reflection in the bathroom mirror and hopefully have other things on our minds and in our hearts, that we like tending to more than our superficial looks. Nonetheless, we want to feel beautiful and stand up to the competition. What do you truly see when you look at a photo of yourself? Can you recognize what is beautiful about you?

Nobody wants to look at picture perfect. We strive to connect through our posts on social media and for that to happen, our humanness must come forth. We want to look our best, but we want to keep it real. Especially in times of the increased use of AI. I don’t at all use AI, more than as a tool on occasion, and I hope to keep it this way. I do see its benefits for small businesses, that may not have a budget for hiring advertising firms, photographers and stylists. But we can never connect with AI. 

My dad loved taking photos of us and all the trips we went to, when I grew up. He wanted to become a photographer when he grew up, but his dad didn’t want him to and demanded him to get an advanced university degree instead. His mother, however, went ahead and bought him his first camera. For most of us, life is like that. We might have a passion or desire to create art, but we’re still required to pay our bills and most likely need a good education for that. Being on the other side of the lens, is usually more rewarding. Once, when I was 22 years old, I met a guy, who worked in a photo store, who wanted to take photos of me and make me into a model. I pursued becoming a copywriter within advertising instead but still enjoy playing one in photo shoots. A tip I can give, is to always try to be in motion when you take your photo. It can be a slight turning, or simply a look with intent. Think of something that makes you either smile naturally, or something you feel serious about to radiate that expression. And don’t look at the camera, look through it to the person (or tripod) on the other side!

While we all now get a chance to see more of the world through the increased sharing of photos, both the everyday lives and the fancier destinations, through our social media feeds and blogs, remember that a photo always just captures a moment. What transpired before or will happen after, is seldom told and shared, but might just be the actual point. To practice presence, require us to not be pre-occupied with how we look or how we should record an event, but actually experience it. Most of all, what we all want and need, is to be seen and heard. And that, is where the potential for real connection and increased compassion is, and can be, created online. 

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