Analysis of a one photo

This photo shows a group of kids holding up a North Eastern University flag. they took two photos; the first shows them without the flag, laughing and relaxing like tourists. This is the second one, where they are much more upright and serious. (below is the first photo)

This sequence illustrates some further ideas about behavior around cameras. the first photo shows a group of teenagers mucking around. They found the camera and have set up a pose (holding a girl up) which denotes their closeness and friendship (they lean close together, they trust each other because they are holding each other up) and their smiles denote their happiness and contentedness. That they are holding a girl up, diverting from normal smile and lean pose, suggests their thought process about appearing kooky, different. It also suggests that after being in/taking photos, they know the norm (smiling, posing) but that they decide to divert from it. This suggests a high awareness of photo posing, construction of self in photos and inter-texuality to other photos. This pose sets them up in a positive and fun way. Presumably they hope to later the find the photo and add it to their list of constructions which say: We were here, we had fun, we're happy.

The second photo is interesting, because you can see their thought process. the flag shows that they are university students from America, presumably on a school trip, because they have a school flag. The first photo is a social construction, the sort of photo you put on facebook or social media- it has different constructions to the next one, in which the 4 stand straight, pose and smile normally, hold their flag in front of them, denoting their pride and importance of the school. Their poses are similar; head tilt to the side, neat smile, both feet on the floor. This is a different sort of construction- serious and dedicated to school, to keeping up appearances for their university. The two photos run together to show a high awareness of construction and how to act in photos to create two various images.

 It also suggests that while they were having fun in front of a camera, one of them started to say: "hey what if school see's this?" This anxiety about being seen as an "ambassador" of their uni suggests a fear of surveillance and the far reaching power of image. But it also suggests that they might think their uni would WANT their students to be photographed; their students to appear in far away places looking happy. To be photographed is a great thing; it creates an image for the university, it demonstrates experiences. That they didn't know who would get the photos seems to not matter; to be photographed and know that they will be represented somewhere is what the people seem to be interested in.