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May 25, 2009
What Rich People Pictures Can Really Tell Us
Take a look at rich people pictures and you'll get, for the most part, a certain image. It is one of the power and confidence commonly associated with wealth. I'm not just talking about posed-for images of perfect-looking couples or family portraits of several generations of the old school elites of society designed to look good, though a bit static. This aesthetic can also be found in pictures of wealthy singles looking for their significant others as well. What do these pictures actually tell us about the people in them?
Let's say that a guy of average means hooks up with one of the many rich women looking for marriage or even something casual. Let's say they start dating and just as things start to get a bit serious, the family photographer calls. It's his annual photo session with the lady in question. So, does our suitor get his picture taken with her? If so, is it the same type of rich people pictures that she and a wealthier suitor would take? Let's say they are. In that case, what can those pictures really tell us?
Think about it: if someone who knows where to meet rich people, but doesn't have wealth himself may very well come across as possessing the same money-related confidence that actual wealthy people do in your typical rich people pictures. Is that a credit to the photographer? Probably. Could it be a credit to the fact that someone can afford to pay for such a good photographer? Most definitely. Does it say anything about the guy in the picture? Not really, except maybe for the fact that he's a good actor.
In fact, this example really exposes what makes the wealthy subjects of some photographs seem so confident. It's not an actual confidence brought on by their wealth, but rather their wealth paying for the set (an expensive estate, say), lighting and a talented camera person who can bring out the confidence in his or her performers.
When you replace an affluent star with someone a little more down to earth and get the same result performance-wise, the behind-the-scenes engineering becomes apparent and the answer to the question I posed at the beginning gets answered. What do rich people pictures actually tell us about the people in them? Absolutely nothing.
Posted by Dylan at May 25, 2009 2:44 AM
