Wanted to pass on a personal link from Donald Miller’s blog. If you’re not familiar, he’s the author of Blue Like Jazz and Searching For God Knows What, as well as several other books. I really appreciate his point of view, and his sense of humor.
He recently posted about how Apple does a masterful job of manipulation, and even though we realize it for what it is, their ads still work. His points skewered me on a couple of levels. First, this was particularly convicting for me as I recently bought a shiny, new Mac Pro. I could try to convince you that my purchase was completely practical, and how I’m returning to my unix roots (you realize that MacOS rides on unix right). Because of my experience with real operating systems, and open source platforms, I’ve never been a windows fan, so this move was inevitable. It’s not just because all the cool photogs are mac. Yeah well, that’s mostly true.
But then he went and said this, “If you think about it, the most confident of counter-culture heros aren’t talking on i-phones, wearing designer jeans or jumping in the air in their facebook photos (why are all the hipsters suddenly jumping in their facebook photos? Why didn’t anybody call me to say we were doing that?) but instead are the people most of us might not notice.”
Ouch! Now, if you’re not a wedding photographer, then you may not realize that the “jumping” shot has become sort of the bane of our existence. Everyone wants to have really fun wedding photos and over the last 5-6 years this shot seems to have become a cultural phenomenon. Thanks Toyota. Photogs make fun of other photogs for showing them; they’re so 2004. Okay, I’ll admit that I’ve done them, there were even times I may have suggested it. However, I’ve been through counseling and now realize my moral failure.
I’m pretty easy to get along with so if you really want that, I might accommodate. But over the last couple of years I’ve met with clients who’ve said, “please, no jumping photos!”
So, what should I feel about all this? I guess guilt. I’m a product of the 80′s and used to pride myself in being alternative, back when it meant something. I was front row at the Psychedelic Furs concert, and I’ve still got my Primus cds. Now I’m buying Macs and taking jumping photos? I’ve laughed along with the mac vs. pc ads cheering at how the truth is so refreshing. I’ve also had some fantastic clients that I love, who were “jumpers”. I’m so confused. In the end I’ll just have to agree to disagree – uh with myself.
I guess the most biting humor usually holds a chunk of truth.