Click, Share and Comment!

 

We had a Yashica camera which use to come out of almirah only on special events, occasions and with prior permission from dad. It was one of the priced possessions in those days and access to play with it was difficult. Technically speaking it cannot be compared with what we have these days in every house, yet it was fun using it. It use to come with manual focus and camera rolls with capacity to store 36 images in one roll.

For a birthday party, typically we would click few selected ‘moments’ and ensure that the whole event was capture with minimum possible clicks. There was no retake, no adjustments once the posers were ready, no multiple (read n number of photos) photos of same frame – Just ‘Smile’, click and done. The photo sessions were brief. If the event was small, 6-8 images were enough and rolls could last for as much as three months or so. That essentially meant 36 photos in three months. After the camera roll was completely consumed, it use to go to camera parlor to develop photos.

Now the most exciting period use to begin. Putting 36 photos in an album. It use to involve multiple discussions as to which pic will be the opening one and what should be the order of other photos. I have spent many afternoons putting them in order and convincing my sister why my pics should be put the way I wanted, back then. We use to be occupied with it for almost a week or so after the actual pics use to land in our hands.

After the album was ready for viewing, the possible comments were that of either it was a good photo and a bad photo due to improper light. Since there was no real time viewing of what was getting clicked, every family member had to wait for photos to be developed and shared. Each person in the photo would review how he/ she was looking in it and appreciate their beauty if the pic would be good or try to find the photographer for spoiling it.

Obviously terms like ‘Out of focus’, ‘Negative area’, bad composition, depth, cropping where not known commonly. The simple process was to adjust the rays of light, look into the small view and click, only to find the actual results after photos are developed. Sometimes we also had to ensure to slip in the photos clicked without permission so that we could escape scoldings. The access to album was only limited to family members, close guests or relatives who use to visit our place. And then the unlimited session discussing the moments use to begin.

Today cameras have changed and the way albums are discussed is different. There is a click, share and comment – all real time. And in two minutes 20 likes, 10 comments – ‘nice saree’, ‘Awww so sweet..’, ‘Awesome click’, ‘Best every!’ so on and so forth with 90 updates in your account. People become judgmental at the face of the photo. There is no ‘discussion' as such, it just a one-way communication.

There is no worry on how many clicks are taken for a same kind of frame, in-fact the more it is taken, the more satisfying it is to the people posing. There are separate shots for Facebook display pic and cover pic. Life revolves around what we will upload, how people will see, how many comments will follow and how good we might feel. The beauty of that very moment is lost. The value, emotions are not known. It can be attributed to show off directed at few people or it can be a casual update for the loved ones. It can also invite unwanted attention, unacceptable comments. As long as things are taken in positive spirit all look goods.

At the end of the day, we should not forget the very reason behind the success of Facebook – everyone is more interested in somebody else’s life, everyone wants to display what’s happening in his or her life. At times the phenomenon might be forced, societal pressure, peer pressure, out of curiosity or because of boredom.

fOoD fOr ThOuGhT: Live. Care. Share. Laugh. Like never before.

Photo courtesy: Google