Things I Hate Pt. 2

I just spent some time poking around on Facebook, so I think it's about time for another rendition of Things I Hate.

Part of my job is to run around with a camera and take pictures of people doing various things. Sometimes they're working in their garden, sometimes it's a large group of people to show who's involved in a particular activity. The point is that there is usually a reason for a picture in the newspaper looking the way it does. Please note from this that I have nothing against photographs in general, nor against digital technology (other than the beef I have with all technology).

There is however a particular type of photograph that I really dislike. The pressed heads. This is the photo that results from a bunch of people getting their heads really close together and then taking a picture. Essentially what you're doing is creating a line-up of who was with you when the picture was taken. You get faces and little else. Digital technology has only made this type of shot more prevalent by allowing people to press heads and hold their digital camera out at arms length to take the picture themselves without fear of wasting a shot. Unless you all have some sort of crazy facepaint on this picture is pointless.

Now I know that this picture might be useful to you later when you're trying to remember who exactly came to the bar while you were busy dumping tequila down your throat, but it really isn't very interesting to anyone else.

Perhaps a better idea would be to hand off your camera to your designated driver (assuming that you have the intelligence to have one) and let them take pictures of you when you're shaking it on the table to Abba's Dancing Queen. Now that would be a picture worth showing off later.

I suppose that since I'm on the topic of people taking drunken pictures I should mention another common one. The "WOOOOO!" shot is that picture with a large group in which everyone's face is scrunched with eyes closed and mouth open as they're screaming loudly. I know you're drunk and everything, but it doesn't take much to recall that photos don't include sound. At best you look like you're trying to swallow flies or are part of a constipation support group.

Look, I'm not saying that taking a camera isn't a good idea. How else are you going to remember all the stupid things you did (not saying that like it's a bad thing). But maybe you could try taking some good pictures every once in a while, something interesting, rather than yelling heads.