The True Awkwardness of Posed Party Photos

Photography Tips

So you’re scrolling through Facebook and you see one of your friends added 20 new photos from their “epic” party last Saturday. As you look through them, you notice how they all seem to be captured at that perfect moment. In one photo, Jamie’s about to land a kiss on Derek while Adam’s doing a handstand in the back and Jordan’s playing air guitar. How is it that all these photos were all taken at just the right moment? Well don’t be fooled. What you’re seeing may be more posed than portrayed. Check out this montage of party goers who mistook this videographer as a photographer:

It only takes a moment to put on a smile (or a frown). Not to say that the people in this montage aren’t having a great time, but their expressions in each filmed moment are partially fake and it reminds us how easily photos can misconstrue the true scene. A smiley friend on Facebook may not truly be happy. Conversely, someone may post a sad photo just to garner attention.

Photos only capture a single moment, and we can’t always judge an entire person or situation by a single moment in time. Some moments can accurately describe a great deal of time, while others can lie about any truth that the scene may appear to hold. In this case, however, it simply reminds us how goofy people can be when it comes to how they want to be portrayed or when put on the spot. Whether it be at a party, the mall, or just at home while cooking, nobody wants that “horrible photo of me” to end up on the internet.

The thing about a photo is you can never be sure what happened before or after it was taken

Think twice next time someone points a camera at you because once the moment’s captured, you can’t take it back.