1/26/14
POSE FOR GRANDMA shot
There's a reason a lot of people think collecting old snapshots is stupid. They see bins of pose-for-grandma shots and wonder what's wrong with people. They themselves have been in plenty of pose-for-grandma shots and remember how boring it was to take them. Why would they want these stupid photos of strangers? Could this be why selfies have become so popular? "Hey grandma...look at this!"
I have to agree that this "category" leaves me cold. You really have to look hard to find something interesting. I think the worst are people posed in front of bushes. There's just nothing to work with. At least here we can speculate that perhaps the fella in this shot tapped some ashes from his cigar into the babies playpen. Of course, this could just be the revenge of some grandparents posing for a boring shot which they planned on sending to the people who sent them the boring shots.
Click on image to see it larger, but really...it doesn't get any better.
And note to snap shooters...try and include people's feet. Back up a few inches or tilt the camera. Just don't keep cutting folks off at the ankles. I remember working on a book that had lots of photos and they all seemed to cut people off at the ankles. It was not a book about footwear, but still, it would have been nice to see people well grounded and not just stick legs. Just thought I'd mention this.
In fact, think how much nicer this shot would have been if it was taken closer. After all, isn't it the faces you're most interested in seeing? You want to remember grandma's face, not her footless ankles.
Labels:
cigar,
ephemera,
kitchen stoo,
playpen,
pose-for-grandma,
snapshot,
vernacular photography,
vintage
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I'm confused. Isn't this a grandma posing shot?
ReplyDeleteExactly! Grandma's revenge.
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