Last weekend, I realized something had occurred that was totally out of the ordinary. Upon evaluation of my iPhone’s camera roll, I realized I had not taken one single picture during the entire span of the weekend. For all and any who know me, this is highly unusual.
I am an avid supporter of the cheesy “capture life’s precious moments” slogans Kodak sings in their commercials. But for some reason, there was not one photo on my camera roll from Friday or Saturday…or even Sunday! Not one picture of my friends and I “dressed up” for the evening; not one picture of an embarrassing scenario that usually occurs in the Stanford hallway. Not even a shot of some pretty fall leaves surrounding the Dome. Nothing.
For me, pictures have always been a pretty important aspect of life. From my phone background to decoration for my dorm room, pictures are always around me. At an all girls’ school or even just living in single-sex dorms like ND gals, you can be rest assured that there are always pictures being taken. The importance of pictures is actually a pretty big deal to the majority of people in college. One simply must document every moment in that dorm room, one just simply must. Of course, girls are the predominant culprits of this picture-taking obsession, but even though the guys don’t usually like to admit to enjoying taking pictures, they are always happy when they receive the Facebook notification, “You have been tagged in so and so’s photo…”
The culture of today’s photo-taking lifestyle has been taken to a whole new level with apps such as Instagram and other editing abilities on smart phones. It is pretty amazing to think that with a touch of my thumb, I can have fifty prints sent to Walgreens available for pick-up within the hour, and they can look super pretty thanks to all those editing apps! So, in honor of all collegiettes who take the 21st-century art of picture taking to heart like myself, here are the three most important things to take into consideration when posting photos:
1. The filter. Mayfair, X-Pro II, Lo-Fi, or even that ugly Kelvin filter that no one uses. How you choose your filter is imperative to the quality of the picture. My advice: you can never go wrong with a classic: Original.
2. It doesn’t matter how many likes you get. Posting pictures has become almost a kind of tween girl competition, rather than an act of sharing. It is always about the most petty things. Who can get the most likes? Who went out last night? Who has the prettiest outfit, or hair, or who wore it better? Side note: Don’t post something just because your friend did. Who cares if she went out and you didn’t? Posting pictures should not be a matter of who is better or worse. Posting pictures is meant to share your memory with others, not to show off. Too often Instagram is used to make others feel less cool, or as if their lives are not as crazy fun as someone else’s. My philosophy: People will say what they want but when I post a picture, it’s only becasue I actually think my following world would care to see it.
3. Be classy. No matter how fun your friends’ pictures look, no matter how many boundaries they crossed when posting a crazy rebellious picture, it doesn’t mean you should. Everything and anything you put on the Internet can and will be someday used against you. Be cute. Be fun. But don’t be trashy. Usually ND/SMC gals’ Instas maintain a semi-mild image. And that is a good thing.
So whether your photos feature a totally awesome picture of that vibrant pink dining hall grapefruit you just ate or of the time you kissed the Eiffel Tower, what you put on the Internet is always subject to be seen by the world. Even if your Instagram account is private or not. Be honest with yourself… do you really want everyone and their mother looking at your personal pictures? Thought not. Pictures are awesome to me and it will always be mind-boggling as to how a real-live image can be flashed and put into your hands, onto your wall, or as a computer screen. Taking pictures in my mind is always fun, but when I have them to scroll through on my phone, it makes it that much more exciting.
Photos 1, 2