We’re used to the staging of social media posts. They’re planned, thought out, edited and delivered performatively. We don’t know a person’s life between the pictures, but our brains fill in the gaps.
Sometimes, the staging is poor, and we see the wires that help people pull off the trick. Often, we just fall for the fakeness of the moments.
No moment feels more staged than the reaction shot to a proposal in a heterosexual couple’s Instagram post. The guy always wears a far superior outfit to his regular clothes, and he takes his girlfriend to a location where they would usually not travel. Just another afternoon, right?
Of course, the dead giveaway has to be the lurking photographer. That is unless your photographer is a secret agent.
I was sitting on a park bench by a lake when a nicely dressed couple walked hand in hand towards a dock a small distance away from me.
This sight was abnormal for 4:30 pm on a Thursday. I assumed it was some Instagram influencer. As I watched the couple’s awkward attempt to take the selfie, movement in the distance caught my eye.
A teenager was creeping up on the couple. He hid behind a light pole, waited for a second, and then sprinted to a bush. Next, he somersaulted across the grass, landed on his feet, and perfectly hid behind a tree while holding a camera.
My first thought was that this acrobatic gentleman was a cheap private investigator digging up dirt. He was acting like Will Ferrell in a secret agent movie.
Then, the couple on the dock clasped hands. The photographer and I realized it at the same time—he’s about to propose!
The photographer was too far away for the reaction shot manufactured to make this woman’s Instagram friends jealous! Could he make it in time?
The photographer sprinted in true secret agent form, reaching the couple just as the guy got down on one knee.
Photographer in position…and he gets the shot! The woman’s shocked face. The tears. And the “yes.”
A cheer erupted behind me as a group of friends and family rushed to congratulate the newly engaged couple. I wondered, did the photographer enthrall them?
Of course, the event was staged. Between the photographer, the family, the outfit, the Thursday afternoon stroll, it had to be produced. Everyone knew this event was staged, except, it appeared, for the photographer.
Our hero moved away from the action to catch his breath, exhausted—another successful mission.
He was a true professional and committed to the moment. When we see something online, can we hope for a better behind the scene story?
