Layers like a carrot

Sometimes while browsing our great Internet, often with stumbleupon, digg or just following links posted to Twitter, I find things that change the way I think about the world. The image on the left is one of these things.

Frankly don't even know where to begin. This image is so rife with amazing detail, nearly every element speaking volumes that it is difficult to choose a starting point.

The most obvious individual in this picture is, of course, the aspiring rock star. He almost looks like a young Jack Black – with the aggressive facial expressionn, rocking guitar stance, and baby fat that implies. Furthermore, I respect his enthusiasm, especially considering crowd he's performing for. He is dedicated to his art, giving his entire heart to the performance, letting out a primal scream from the very depths of his being. It is obvious that the rest of his family do not support him in his efforts, as none are giving him any attention despite the intensity and presumed volume of his display. What is more important to this boy's family members than his musical endeavors? Let us consider each in turn.

On the left we have a woman with her hand on her cleavage. This begs the question: why? Does she have an itch? Is she just adjusting her shirt? Careful analysis of the image yields an unsettling answer, one that requires taking a closer look at the second woman to the right of the image. Notice the position of her hands and the direction of her gaze, as well as the laughter of the first woman. One can only conclude that these two individuals are playing a game of "breasketball", a game typically played by adolescent males in which players attempt to toss objects into the cleavage of another individual (often a female, or obese male). Why two women of advancing age have chosen to engage in this pastime is one mystery one cannot solve by merely analyzing this image.

As we come to the final individual captured here in medias res, we realize that this is no innocent picture of a family moment. Unnoticed by the other members of the family (excluding the person behind the camera - more on that next) the pants of this man – presumably the patriarch – are not entirely on. While some may ask, "why?" as we did before with the two woman, the true question here is one akin to the classic "glass half full/half empty" dichotomy – is this man putting his pants on, or taking them off? How we answer this question has a profound impact on the tone and connotations of this image. In the first scenario, we make the more innocent, yet still bizzare, assumption that he was merely caught unawares, and is rushing to pull his pants up. Perhaps he was even listening to the boy, and only when it was necessitated by the impending threat of being photographed did he seek to rectify the integrity of his dress. Then there is the other side of the coin, the darkside of the moon, a clockwise coriolis effect if you will. In this scenario, the man is in fact removing his pants. The potential sinister motives behind this act are even more unsettling than the act itself, and in the interest of the little faith you may still have in humanity, I will not explore them.

This of course leads us to the final character in this tableau – the photographer. When regarding any image, one must always consider what it reveals about the individual who chose to capture it. Who are they? What brought them to this moment in time? Why did they feel the need to release the shutter at that precise moment? These are questions each viewer must answer for themselves. In the act of viewing, they become that final party. A photographer seeks to reveal something to the viewer in their pictures – but it is ultimately up to the viewer to make a determination of what that is. I myself, in sharing with you what I saw here, became a part of this event. I have formed a relationship, however tenuous, with each character in the scene, and that in turn has taught me something about myself.

This image of what first appears to be a simple family moment reveals so much more upon closer inspection, and I hope you, the reader, will take time in the future to seek the deeper meaning in the things you find on the Internet. This is truly a world of wonder.

- Nick

A final word:palaver