Describing Photos, NO

There was a big discussion on "The Blind Community" Facebook page about describing photos.  I had no idea this was such a hot topic until after Merritt's wedding.  I posted a photo along with a link to her  Smugmug Gallery.  Basically I was putting it out there that I'm a legally blind photographer.  A lady commented in a snide fashion about this being "The Blind Community" and was I going to describe the photos.  She said other blind people may be intrested but she wasn't.  I responded that the interested people would ask and I skip posts that don't interest me.  In my opinion she simply wanted something to complain about. 

I could have responded, "Bride and groom standing close together in front of the Kansas City, Missouri Temple."  Would this have been enough?  I have no idea.  Do I need to describe the couple's facial features, their attire; if it is a full-length, three-quarter length, or head and chest; the part of the temple that is showing, what?  Merritt had described her dress to me but what I imagined was different from the actual dress.  

Later on still another blindness oriented site someone posted a picture and another person asked for a description.  For some reason the picture posted without the caption.  I decided to exercise my describing abilities.  I described the scend and materials but I don't think I did it justice.  If the person who asked were to go to the place in the picture I wonder if he'd think it had been described well.

Facebook is a place for sharing what we want to share.  If you like it good, go ahead and hit like or leave a comment.  If you don't like it say so in a respectful comment and maybe an interesting discussion can get going.  If you expect regular people with many other things to do to describe in enough detail to make the description worthwhile your expectations are unrealistic.  Captions help tell the story in these posts but don't describe the photo.  Here's and example.

Lessons From The Language Boot Camp For Mormon Missionaries

The Missionary Training Center, which prepares young adults to spread the...

NPR|By NPR Staff

  This is the last photo I will describe unless if's for a stock photography agency.  People may be very interested in what every photo on Facebook (where I got this on) says but I don't believe it.  The photographer is situated above the subjects so the tops of heads can be seen. Ten Mormon missionaries, two of them women, standing in a circle with their heads bowed and arms folded in prayer.  They are in a classroom with the door open.  Desks can be seen behind some of them.  One desk has papers beside it on the floor.  The side wall has a coat rack with 5 black jackets and 1 blue jacket on it.  The back wall has three flags hanging sideways from it; Union Jack, another flag that incorporates the Union Jack, and a flag that looks like the Samoan flag but the star is wrong. 

If I described this picture for a stock photography agency I'd simply say, "Mormon missionaries praying at the MTC." I've had my rant.....moving on.