Webcam Truth

Have you ever seen yourself through the lens of a webcam? Well, I have, and what a shock it was. Truth was revealed just as I’d never seen it before. The stark reality of everything was there to see and hear with no escape. Rembrandt made a series of self-portraits throughout his life; therefore it was no shock to him when he grew old to observe exactly how he looked, but for me to behold a ‘movie’ portrait of myself as a septuagenarian, without seeing transitional renderings of my appearance through the lens of a webcam, the experience was more shocking than I imagined it would be. Yes, I’ve looked at photos of myself and encountered reverse images of myself in the mirror almost every day of my life, but they did not prepare me for the impact of a moving three-dimensional webcam image. The camera doesn’t lie, so the saying goes, but a two-dimensional static image only bears some resemblance to the source; whereas animated three-dimensional images render the truth more accurately. If you want to see yourself as others see you, perhaps the best way is to watch a video clip, because the camcorder or digital camera will accurately record details you would rather not want to see, even if you know about them or subconsciously put the facts out of your mind. After watching the video clip you have a choice - you can face up to the truth and accept what you see, or you can attempt to put the truth out of your mind. Even if you delete the video clip, the truth cannot be changed and perhaps the best option is to thankfully accept it.