There are some things that I never feel the need to do. One of those things is changing my picture on Facebook or my blog. Call it laziness, call it what you will, since I started my Facebook account and my blog, my picture has remained the same. At this point in time it is not an accurate representation of who I am. But do I actually need an up to date picture, one taken 5 hours ago, to let people know that I still look relatively the same, that I haven't gotten into a fight, or that I didn't get plastic surgery done? Don't get me wrong, I have thought about changing my profile picture on both Facebook and this blog, however, I never get motivated enough to have my wife take another picture of me, load it onto the computer, and then change it out online. I know, the whole process would probably take about 5 minutes max if I really set my mind to it, I just don't care enough to do so. In light of my not changing my picture, (which by the way is 7 years old), I thought I might describe what my face looks like now versus what it did 7 years ago. So all in all, my face hasn't really changed, my weight has remained relatively the same, if not dropping a few pounds, so whatever roundness there is in my cheeks is still there, but maybe slightly slimmed down. That is, if you could see my cheeks. I have been working on growing a beard and moustache for the past 4 months. Now, before you go all nutty thinking that my beard must be down to the collar of my shirt by now, I must tell you that in my family, it takes a very long time to grow facial hair. What I have on my face now would probably take an ordinary man about 3-4 weeks to grow, and I have been at it 4 months. So, despite the full dark beard and blond moustache (which I find kind of funny myself), the hair on top of my head rarely grows beyond a half inch long now. You see, while my hair is really curly, I have noticed it starting to thin at the typical spot near the rear, top of my head. With that area thinning, long curly hair doesn't really look so good anymore, and on top of it, it takes too much work for my liking. Hence, I have really short hair on top of my head and a full beard/moustache on my face. Despite those two differences from the profile picture I have, nothing much else has changed. And just to throw it out there, the beard will not be permanent, just a winter thing, and before I shave everything off, I do plan on sporting the handlebar moustache for a week or two.
I personally find it much more entertaining to try and paint a picture of what someone looks like from their description rather than just looking at a picture and seeing what they look like. Its almost like reading a book where you are forced to use your imagination to construct a world full of people that you will never see, only read about. I am sure that one day I will change my profile pics, but it won't be today, or tomorrow, or even within the next month most likely. All this talk of pictures partly stems from my witnessing the changing profile pictures of friends on Facebook, sometimes as often as once a week, sometimes once a month, but I think everyone that I am friends with have changed their profile pictures at least once. I'm not saying that changing profile pictures is a bad thing, I just don't get the desire to change profile pics more often than you get a hair cut. It just doesn't make sense to me. Everyone still knows what you look like and if they wanted to see a different picture of you, they would ask. At least I would presume that they would ask. I don't want to make it seem like I abhor pictures and the taking of them, rather, I see pictures more as a way of remembering events and those you lived through the events with. When we use pictures to define who we are, it seems a little superficial to me. As if changing a profile picture every day will make someone think differently of you or portray you in a different light (so I guess it could depending on what the picture is of, but still...). For me, pictures, especially of friends and family, are a more personal affair. I enjoy looking back at pictures that I have taken or have had taken while skiing with friends, at family picnics or gatherings, at parties for family, milestones, etc. Here is the thing though, I don't think the whole world needs to see those pictures as well. They are personal to me and I harbor my own feelings about those pictures. I don't need some random person commenting on them and making me think differently about the pictures than I otherwise would. But, as I have mentioned before, I am a little old fashioned at heart, especially when it comes to pictures of my family, friends, and loved ones.
On a different note, I think that pictures taken artistically should be shared, should be disseminated to a wide audience, if for nothing else than to potentially inspire them. Pictures have a way of bringing out emotions and feelings in people, especially if they are well taken. What could be better than inspiring someone with a picture you took? Taking good pictures is a gift and one that should be shared, however, I personally draw the line when it comes to my family and friends. Those are personal to me and shall remain so. Even with my son, there are no pictures of him online anywhere. If a friend or family member wants to see pictures, they email me and I respond with attached pictures of my son. He will not be shared with the world like a discardable file on a flash drive. But hey, that's just my opinion. I love nothing more than going back to my parents picture albums, (you know those heavy books about three inches thick that people used to put pictures in with different captions as to what happened) flipping through the myriad pages, and seeing myself slowly grow from a little rascal, into a young man, and then into an adult. Even to see the changes in my parents and the rest of my family over time is fascinating. Its funny when you look at a picture sometimes and an event or trip you thought you forgot about comes flooding back in all the intricate detail. Pictures have a way of helping us remember, of bringing back to life events and milestones we thought were dead and gone. Yet I still don't think that we should necessarily share every bit of our lives capture in a picture with the rest of the world. Do you think pictures, especially those of family should be kept more personal or broadcast to the world? What do pictures mean to you?
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