A former student recently emailed us with a request: could we take her picture down from our website? “It’s ten years old – I don’t look like that anymore”, she explained. Unfortunately, we had to say no. Our website also serves as an archive, and we want to keep it intact and searchable. We only make exceptions in rare cases.
Photos can be a bit of a sticking point. You ask someone for an interview, and they happily agree – until they hear their photo will be taken. Suddenly, there’s hesitation. “I don’t like having my picture taken”, they say. Why not? More often than not, it’s because they’re uncomfortable being in the spotlight.
Behind the scenes
I get it. I’d rather not see my face in a newspaper or on a website, either. Maybe that’s part of why I became a journalist – to stay on the other side, behind the scenes. I still remember when our editorial team decided that our “About us” pages should include not just short bios with a few personal details, but photos too. There were plenty of grumbles and protests – was that really necessary? Well, yes, for the same reason we include photos with our interviews: readers like to see who they’re dealing with.
So, we had a photo session. And then another one a few years later, to keep our pages up to date. I was never entirely happy with the results – let’s just say the image I have of myself doesn’t quite match the photos. And I wasn’t the only one who preferred to steer well clear of my own bio page. One colleague even quietly swapped their photo out for a more flattering one after a while.
Stunning portraits
To be clear, the issue isn’t with our photographers. They take stunning portraits; just look at our up-close-and-personal interview series. Seeing how great their work turns out often helps put interviewees at ease about having their picture taken.
There is one thing to note, though. In the past, your photo would appear in the paper one day and be used to wrap potato peelings the next. The article – and the picture – would disappear. Today, everything is online and always just a search away.
But when it comes to pictures, I actually see that as an advantage. Ten years later, I usually feel much better about an old photo of myself.