post card perfect

 So, by now,
you know that I've been obsessing about photos and touristic desire to capture everything (in turn, sometimes making them exotic) and so forth.

So, here is another posting, but something shorter (hopefully) and sweeter.
I've recently finished a slender book (with tons of pictures) entitled The Victorian and Edwardian Tourist by John Hannavy. As the title signifies, the book is about Victorian and Edwardian tourist industry, and the book starts off by introducing to us, Thomas Cook. Yes, that name you see when you go abroad, in tourist districts, often on signs of traveling agencies or little offices that will cash your traveler's check for you. I had no idea that he was from the 19th century, nor that he was the first person ever to arrange package tours. Oops, I digressed again. This is not about Thomas Cook, but about postcards and my post-card-like photos:)

So, postcards. Hannavy tells me that:
"the postcard era redefined the manner in which tourists communicated with those left behind at home. Now, the written description yielded to the photographic one. Perhaps more importantly, the messages on postcards quickly became more anodyne-- a cursory shorthand, a message no more than 'Wish you were here' gesture. The excursionist's personal view and account of the holiday experience were replaced by the photographers." (p 86)

More on the same topic...
"the postcard era ran in parallel with the growth of amateur photography, so carefully written Victorian letters were gradually replaced by increasingly ubiquitous Edwardian holiday snaps." (87)

And the writer also tells us that later on, along with postcards, larger photographs were for sale at tourist sites, just like today! How very interesting. The stuff these photographs are made of seem to be exactly the same as today-- pictures of the "natives" working, and the great scenes that often escape the excited eyes of an ordinary tourist. Those were all for sale. What's really interesting about the photographs of "working natives" is that, because of technological limits, the photographers of the 19th century had to find models who were willing to stand still/ hold their pose for quite a long time. The required exposure time was very long, compared to what we are used to now. Thus, like the pretty ladies of the "marvelous tropics" who modeled for  Gauguin, ladies in Egypt, for instance, made some money posing long hours for the photographers. And tourists would buy them. The bigger the photo, the better-- because the shipping rates were expensive, buying and bringing back a huge photo from your trip abroad was a sign of your wealth. You could hang it up, and talk about it whenever someone comes to your drawing room.

I brought this up, because I figured that I was using these postcard-like pictures for the same purpose. I didn't blow them up and hang them in my study or anything, and certainly, I didn't ask anyone to pose for me (except that Van Gogh man whose job, as it were, was to pose in front of tourists like me), but what I mean is, these photos were to function as postcards after I got back from the trip. I would post them up on my webpage, with some comments like "A cozy corner at a cafe I had coffee at, after the stroll at the Blue Mountains" or something. Or, the comment could be a little more sentimental-- "how I would love to be back there, without a worry on my mind". Or something a little more inviting, like "Would you like to sit in that corner with me?" OMG that all sound terrible. But these pictures were useful, because they would do much of the talking for me. The picture of the train station above-- it tells a story, right? I obviously went to Gent. And the rest, I would supplement with comments like, "Gent was the reason we chose Belgium as the place to visit on our honeymoon. And it didn't disappoint. The town was pretty, although not very exciting--which suited us fine, for we weren't really looking for excitement, but a good town to relax" or something of the sort.

Photographs often talk for you, as did postcards way before our time.  And, a friend pointed out, it is a great way of capturing that moment, the fleeting moment. (here is a link to her blog: http://www.frozendry.blogspot.com)

Of course, post-card perfect photos are not all that I take while on a trip...and it's not only when I'm on a trip that I take such photos. Since I live oceans away from my family and friends, and since we now all have facebook pages, I like to take such pictures while in Lafayette, and post it on my FB wall. Or send it to my family. It's a way of communicating, of showing them the bits and pieces of my life as well as a way of sharing my perspectives, I guess. And besides-- it magically transforms the ordinary, mundane stuff your town is made of, into a glittering, beautiful scene. Isn't it great? Your boring Thursday, which is comprised of class and work and grading and another class, becomes the more intriguing, because you are able to use your phone-camera or your camera proper, as a magic wand. I like this magic wand. So, instead of worrying too much  (I would still like to be retrospective and thoughtful), use the wand and enjoy the magic. Even the tiniest thing will inspire you. Even the smallest detail, will open a new horizon-- perhaps not when you are taking postcard-perfect pictures, but oh well. That does you good too. :)

I don't think the Edwardians would have taken a picture of coffee or hot cocoa, but I did! And under this posting, I think I said: a nice cup of coffee did us all good, after walking about the woody areas of Sydney on a chilly morning. The Blue Mountain was beautiful, but the fog, not so much.

2013. 2. 7