For as long as I can remember, I've detested the act of having my picture taken. Rather than be in the frame, I prefer being behind the camera, capturing the moment at hand. It's not so much that I hate being in the frame, but more so that I grew up in a family that would constantly take pictures of my siblings and me. I now understand why they would want to record various moments of us growing up, but it led to resentment towards the whole pose-smile-repeat ordeal of being photographed. Regardless, here are my photos for this assignment.
A) Facebook profile picture
At first glance, this doesn't look like the typical Facebook profile picture that you'd expect to see. From what I've noticed, the average profile picture on social media tends to be flattering, clear and free from blur, and featuring the user's full face. This picture doesn't fill any of those categories, and that's exactly I kept this as my Instagram profile picture for a good three months or so (I don't use Facebook). I actually got dared to change my profile picture to this, but forgot to change it back...whoops. For the most part, it shows who I truly am; someone who could quite frankly care less about what their profile picture looks like and how others will perceive it.
B) A professional photo that you might use on a company website
This photo is one that I had taken for my athletic training position in high school. It's the only professionally-taken photo that I've had done in the past 5 years, and I honestly hate it. This is due to the fact that I have a vehement dislike for taking professionally-done pictures, and haven't taken a decent one in many, many, many years. Anyways, this photo shows me in a friendly, modest, and approachable manner. With a smile on my face, a professional outfit, and an appropriate pose, I'd like to think that clients/consumers would view this photo in a positive way.
C) A photo sent to a close friend on Snapchat
This photo is the most recently saved Snap in my Snapchat Memories. I remember sending it to a couple of my friends in a groupchat where we were talking about one of our favorite shows, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. The man outlined by a heart is Danny Devito, one of the beloved stars of the show. This is the type of photo I usually respond to friends with. My face is puckered and angled in an unsightly way, which doesn't matter because it's meant for my friends to see. I'll usually add one of the silly-looking filters and possibly a sticker or too in order to add another personal touch to the pictures. Overall, not much effort is put in to look good.
D) A photo that you would post to Instagram that shows your life at UCSB
Finally, this photo is one that shows some of my friends and I celebrating a birthday. Everybody in this looks genuinely happy, just as how I've felt during my time at UC Santa Barbara. It also represents the many meaningful connections I've made so far, some of which are so valuable that I'd never want to forget them. As happy as this picture is, it also makes me extremely sad, as it is the last time we all got together before the pandemic. Posting this would help remind me of all the good times that I've experienced before my 1st year here was cut short.
At first glance, this doesn't look like the typical Facebook profile picture that you'd expect to see. From what I've noticed, the average profile picture on social media tends to be flattering, clear and free from blur, and featuring the user's full face. This picture doesn't fill any of those categories, and that's exactly I kept this as my Instagram profile picture for a good three months or so (I don't use Facebook). I actually got dared to change my profile picture to this, but forgot to change it back...whoops. For the most part, it shows who I truly am; someone who could quite frankly care less about what their profile picture looks like and how others will perceive it.
B) A professional photo that you might use on a company websiteThis photo is one that I had taken for my athletic training position in high school. It's the only professionally-taken photo that I've had done in the past 5 years, and I honestly hate it. This is due to the fact that I have a vehement dislike for taking professionally-done pictures, and haven't taken a decent one in many, many, many years. Anyways, this photo shows me in a friendly, modest, and approachable manner. With a smile on my face, a professional outfit, and an appropriate pose, I'd like to think that clients/consumers would view this photo in a positive way.
C) A photo sent to a close friend on SnapchatThis photo is the most recently saved Snap in my Snapchat Memories. I remember sending it to a couple of my friends in a groupchat where we were talking about one of our favorite shows, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. The man outlined by a heart is Danny Devito, one of the beloved stars of the show. This is the type of photo I usually respond to friends with. My face is puckered and angled in an unsightly way, which doesn't matter because it's meant for my friends to see. I'll usually add one of the silly-looking filters and possibly a sticker or too in order to add another personal touch to the pictures. Overall, not much effort is put in to look good.
D) A photo that you would post to Instagram that shows your life at UCSB
Hi Aliyah, your explanation on your profile picture made me chuckle. I say power to you for posting what you want, how you want and not caring how people perceive you. Your intro was very insightful. I can relate to the part about your family taking pictures constantly and the idea of posing and smiling. Half of my family members are professional photographers, so you can only imagine how many pictures they take during family events. it becomes tiring and hectic after a while, but secretly I appreciate them for it. Because I know I will enjoy looking back at the pictures later on in life. I like you also prefer being behind the camera, capturing the moments. I love using the stickers on Snapchat and I love how informal and funny you can be with your pictures on that platform. It can help spice up boring conversations. The last picture also made me a little sad as I think of my friends whom I miss that I met during my first year at UCSB which was cut short. Everyone does look happy. It is a cute group picture!
ReplyDeleteHalo Aliya! I really admire your courage to not care for the others comments. It’s rare to see people using such a cute and funny selfie for their instagram profile, but I really love this one. Even though I want to use some stylish selfies for mine as well, but I’m so afraid that the others won’t get the points. So I just follow the main stream and use some good looking with nicely planned smile as my profile photo, expecting to be notified by most of the people. But what I really want is just to be myself. I’m also the one who like to be behind the camera instead of be in the front. My family, surrounding, nature, friends, birds are all subjects I favor the most. I can get artsy inspiration from the action photographing and mental constructions while seeing these pictures I took. It’s also a form of art that allows me to express myself.
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