Two photographs. One person. Two very different impressions.
Before you read any further, I want you to look at these two photographs.
Now, I want you to ask yourself something.
What kind of person do you think you’re looking at?
Maybe the first photograph makes you think I’m loud, rebellious, immature, or someone who doesn’t take much of anything seriously.
Maybe the second makes you think I’m confident, intimidating, provocative, or someone who cares a little too much about her appearance.
Maybe you love the photographs. Maybe you hate them. Maybe you wouldn’t think twice about either one.
But here’s the interesting part.
They’re both me.
And neither one tells you very much about who I actually am.
📸 What the Camera Shows
Photography has this funny way of making a fraction of a second feel like an entire personality.
One expression. One outfit. One pose.
That’s all it takes for someone to decide what kind of person they’re looking at.
We do it all the time, whether we realize it or not.
We see someone covered in tattoos and make assumptions about their lifestyle. We see someone dressed conservatively and assume they’re traditional. We see someone smiling and decide they’re happy. We see someone with a serious expression and assume they’re unfriendly.
But how much of that information did the photograph actually give us?
And how much did we fill in ourselves?
The camera captured what was in front of it.
Our minds supplied the story.
🖤 The Person Outside the Frame
I have tattoos. I have piercings. I love dark clothing, unusual hairstyles, creepy things, and music that some people would probably describe as noise. 🤣
I also love photography, writing, spending time with my family, and finding beauty in things other people might walk right past.
I can be loud and ridiculous. I can be quiet and thoughtful. I can be opinionated, stubborn, sensitive, and incredibly sentimental.
Sometimes I’m the woman sticking her tongue out at the camera.
Sometimes I’m the woman posing in a corset.
Sometimes I’m neither.
And none of those versions cancels out the others.
The problem isn’t that people notice our appearances. That’s human nature.
The problem begins when we decide that what we’ve noticed is everything there is to know.
💠Beyond First Impressions
This week’s posts have been exploring beliefs, perspectives, and the way we understand people who see the world differently than we do.
And I think photography fits into that conversation beautifully.
Because we don’t just make assumptions about someone’s clothing or personality.
We do it with their beliefs, too.
We hear that someone follows a particular religion, or doesn’t follow one at all, and suddenly we think we know what kind of person they are.
We decide what they value, how they treat others, what they believe about the world, and sometimes even whether they’re worth getting to know.
All from one little piece of information.
That’s a lot like looking at a photograph and convincing yourself you know everything happening outside the frame.
You don’t.
Neither do I.
And that’s okay.
We aren’t supposed to know everything about someone the moment we meet them.
We’re supposed to give ourselves the opportunity to learn.
📷 Learning to Look Closer
As a photographer, I’ve learned that what I leave outside the frame can be just as important as what I include.
A photograph can tell a story, but it rarely tells the whole story.
People are the same way.
The woman in these photographs isn’t one personality or the other. She’s both, and a thousand other things you haven’t seen.
And the next time you find yourself making assumptions about someone based on their appearance, their beliefs, or one little moment of their life, maybe ask yourself:
Am I seeing this person for who they are, or am I seeing the story I’ve already decided to tell about them?
Because sometimes, learning to look closer doesn’t mean seeing more.
It means recognizing how much you still don’t know.
Until next time,
-Destiny 🖤
P.S. For the record, I really am the girl who sticks her tongue out, throws up rock signs, and listens to music loud enough to concern the neighbors. 🤣 But I’m also the girl who cries over sentimental things, loves her family fiercely, and finds beauty in the smallest moments. Funny how two photographs can show you so much and still tell you so little. 🖤
