Friday, November 02, 2007 Seares: Politico’s photo woes By Pachico A. Seares News Sense
CEBU City Councilor Jun Pe once summed up his political career: "I lost in 2001, finished No. 8 in 2004, and also ended No. 8 in 2007."
Hardly spectacular. And Junpe thinks his photos in Sun.Star may have helped his streak of tail-ending. "Why do I always scowl and not look 'guwapo' in your photos of me?"
Of course, he exaggerates the paper's influence on election results. But as to his photos: that's how the camera sees the man.
A candidate for mayor once complained about his photos in Sun.Star, saying there must be a sinister plot to make him look like a B movie villain.
Photo Group chief Alex Badayos and his photographers checked file photos. The finding: That's how the politico really photographs. Cameras hate the guy.
There's this story about Pope John XXIII watching uneasily as photographer Yousuf Karsh, commissioned to take the pope's official portrait, set up his equipment.
Turning to a bishop, Pope John said with a sigh, "God knew 77 years ago that someday I would be pope. Why couldn't He have made me a little more photogenic?"
Cruel camera
Thus, a non-photogenic politico needs to beat the cruel camera by assuming look and pose that yield better photo results for him.
Watch a camera-savvy politico as photographers descend. What he does: show his better side, not a jutting jaw or balding patch of hair. What he doesn't dare: close eyes, look up at the ceiling, yawn, frown, or grimace.
Arduous, but the stiff price pays for not seeing in print a photo even a politician's mom can't love.
But good heavens, no one does poorly in the polls just because he isn't pretty in news photos.
