Monday 12 July 2010

The Camera Lies.

There’s a young woman who walks her dog around the lanes where I live. She’s what most people would describe as ‘plain’ – no make up, no sculpted hairstyle, a face that is pale and unprepossessing, clothes you might wear for digging the garden...

And then she speaks, and something magical happens. Her voice is soft, cultured without being affected, and feminine. She talks quietly and eloquently. Her dark eyes sparkle and light up her whole being with a youthful radiance. She becomes almost breathtakingly beautiful.

It all goes to show what a fraud the camera is, for it sees only structure. It takes so much more than that to awaken the perception of beauty that lies within us.

And her dog... What a combination they make!

4 comments:

september said...

I can sort-of relate to this; wo years ago I knew a girl who never said a word, hid behind her glasses and always dressed in ordinary clothes. Until the day she took off her glasses and spoke, she's one of the most funny and interesting people I've ever met.

JJ said...

Er... hello Unwritten. What a nice surprise. Feels like I was walking along a dark and quiet road in Connemara or somewhere, and a mischeivous local jumped out from behind a tree and said 'boo!' Failte. And thank you. Black fingernails an' all.

Your friend sounds a bit like my ex.

Zoe said...

Jeffrey. I loved this description. And I'm sorry I have nothing more substantial than my enjoyment of this post to offer as a comment. But this took me by surprise in a beautiful way, I can hardly describe it. You see things that very few other people see.

JJ said...

Thank you, Zoe. This is rather more than 'nothing more substantial.' It's lovely to hear from you.

I think we 'see' people better when we look beyond the surface structure and sense something that comes from making a connection on a deeper level. Or maybe that should be a 'higher' level. I think it comes partly from body language and principally from the eyes. But I also believe there's something more - something to do with a flow of subtle energy. It's why I think the whole preoccupation with glamour is pointless.