I was like Julie Andrews in the sound of music, dancing and twirling through fields of flowers the crisp air cascading down the mountains all around me swirling my hair in romantic tendrils around my face. It was beyond surreal, actually it was completely NOT real.
I was actually standing on the back patio of the Banff Springs hotel in Banff, Alberta, among many other tourists. I stood taking in the beauty of the mountains with my hair whipping into my mouth, not really romantic. In an attempt to capture a photo that would be truly Instagram-worthy and would result in the attention of hordes of admirers. I tapped into my inner photographer and took my picture from a creative angle. I posted my shot, quite proud of my creative photographic flare.
It wasn’t until the next time I checked my insta-feed and read the comments and saw the likes that I began to feel the regret of deception. It truly looked like I was standing in a field of wildflowers. It made me think about the world of social media and that what we see isn’t always the “truth”. Now, don’t get me wrong, I get a lot of inspiration from Pinterest and from those I follow on Instagram but it is really important to remember that what we see is not always a fair or truthful representation of reality.
Take a wedding event for example, I think it is safe to say that most future brides pin pictures of their dream wedding and how it will look and while it gives your designer a good idea of your tastes, to expect that your day will be a duplication of what you have saved in picture form is not realistic.
“Staged Photography” has been going on since the early 1900’s. Artsy.net explains staging as, “photographs that capture staged or artificially constructed scenes made only for the purpose of photography.” I think that it goes beyond that now as we struggle with the pressures of media.
Things are not always as they seem and as you plan your event and browse through the amazing photographs on social media just remember to “keep it real”. This is where an event coordinator and designer can be such a great benefit. A coordinator will know local pricing and will be able to suggest great options that are realistic and accommodate your budget.
I will leave you with a more honest perspective of where I took the picture and while it wasn’t a field of wild flowers it was still breathe taking and beautiful.
Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, Alberta, Canada