I rarely show people the back of my camera as I’m working. I don’t really know why, though. Perhaps it is some sort of artistic jealousy or protectiveness of “I haven’t seen my own photos so you can’t either!” I don’t know why that’s an issue, I don’t edit my photos very much so what’s on the back of the camera will be what the final product will be pretty close to!
Sometimes, though, it is a connection to a subject. Showing the back of the camera can be an “in” to acceptance. This works best of all in places like Haiti or Cuba or India: if I make an image of a person that responds with a little hostility, sometimes I show the image. They see themselves on the back of the camera and, for some reason, their “I’m gonna beat you with your camera” goes away. In fact, they sometimes even laugh and call all their buddies – which can also be problematic because then I’ll be photographing the whole crew and if I’m in a hurry somewhere? Well… I’m just going to be late.
When else? Sometimes when photographing girls/women in certain situations, it is advantageous to show them their image. Perhaps it comes down to a self-image thing? I don’t know, but when they see that I’m really making an effort to make them look good, light them well, be attentive to the fact that there might be a frizzy hair thing or a collar not straight… they respond well!
Anyways, the back of my camera is a bit like seeing through my own eyes. So, maybe, it has nothing to do with the back of the camera and more to do with the fact that I’m protective about who I let in my head…
…that coming from a photographer with a blog. 😉
Stay tuned…
-Noah D.
