Bolstering Fragile Egos

[poliphilo]

There's a convention for photographing politicians. You get them to stare into the middle distance, then get down on one knee and shoot upwards. It makes them look like Moses surveying the Promised Land.

I've seen two pictures in the genre this morning. One was of that weasel David Miliband who is leaving politics for a lucrative position in New York. The other, of the Jabba-the-Hutt-like Eric Pickles, was really quite funny because it made his extra chins look even grosser than they actually are.

No-one else ever gets photographed like this. Only politicians. Oh, and the odd actor. Tom Cruise, for example, at the end of War of the Worlds. With Cruise you'd have to do more than bend a knee, you'd have to lie flat on your back to get the desired angle.

Comments

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

At least politicians haven't learned the trick of doing their middle-distance staring while standing on a mountain being circled by a helicopter, a la Neil Oliver and Brian Cox.

The shot-from-below can also make you look sinister, if done right.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Sinister is mainly down to lighting. Put your lights at the same level as your upward pointing lens and David Cameron turns into Count Dracula.

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

'No-one else ever gets photographed like this'

Wanna bet?

Wanna know how 'they' photograph trans women?.......................

Not like my college pic from 1979 lemme tell ya!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

But not with the same intention.

Politicians are shot from below to flatter them, I don't suppose that's what happens with trans women.

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

I've used that trick myself! :o)

I meant more the dirty tricks of the photographic world in general- especially the use of 'before and after' pics!

I wish them joy in finding a 'before' of me! :o)

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

They say the camera never lies and perhaps that's right, but photographers have all sorts of tricks for bending the truth.