Two Types of People

There are two types of people in the world. There are those that pose for a picture. And there are those that simply smile for a picture.


You'd think the one that poses would be the happier of the two. That's far from it. That one perfect pose you see on facebook is the result of a half dozen tries. Those that pose look at the first attempt and say "take it again." They look fat. Or short. Or their hair's weird looking. Or their legs look chunky. They primp for a few seconds trying to even out the mistakes and try for a second photo. This time they hand the camera back because the angel was weird. Or there were too many people by them. Or any other assortment of excuses. When really what's wrong with the picture is them. They'll never admit it not in the way they should. They'll never say they hate the way they look. Or that their smile is false. Or that they're hiding behind a mask. Or they're hating their life and it shows in the picture. They pose time and again with a fake smile. They want everyone to like them. To like this snapshot of their life. They want everyone to see the picture and think "they look so good. I wish I were them." And in their minds that's what everyone says when they see the picture. It's their only way of showing off how great their life is. How great they think their life is. They can be at the lowest point in their life and still pose. That picture will look just like the ones when they were happy. The façade of a happy life pasted over the nasty truth. One pose runs into the next and the picture blur into something not quite reality and not quite fake. Because when you retake it's a new moment in time… a new feeling …a new photo. Sure your stance is the same. The background just as picturesque. Your smile still oddly strained. But it's all new. The second you wanted to capture had already passed... Never to return.


And what of the person who throws on a smile for a picture. They stand unashamed in front of the view finder smiling, enjoying the moment. Someone snaps a picture and that's a bonus. They don't need a picture to remember this moment. After all they were happy and happy time always shine the brightest in our hearts. Some will try and pin a pose on them but it's simply a second they choose to stand still and smile. They never un-tag themselves because they don't like the way they look. After all when armed with a smile how can you look bad? So what if you're not looking at the camera. Or your eyes are half closed. Or you're not standing straight. The picture captures a second in time. A second that will never be repeated. A second that they lived through. They're proud to have lived and to have been seen living. There's no such thing as a bad picture. If you think a picture is good that shows through your courage to leave it be just the way it is. No changes. No thinning. No retakes.


Retakes and retouch take time. Time out of a short life. Those seconds add up to time you could have spent truly smiling. Time you could have been laughing. Time that you wasted since you had no confidence in your smile.


So who are you? Do you pose? Or do you stand still for a moment and smile? 




Who do you want to be?