The previous posts about my proposed book of travel photographs do sound a bit worthy, not to say unduly serious. Travel often involves both humour and sheer delight.
How might humour be expressed and captured? Most frequently and obviously through:
– Signs
– The juxtaposition of people/activities and signs
– Intriguing faces, postures, gestures, actions etc.
– The conjunction of disparate things
– Curious objects
In some instances there may not be anything inherently funny in the subject, but it may appear strange or bizarre, and hence a source of wry humour, to someone from a different culture. Similarly, the juxtaposition of two quite ordinary pictures may create a humorous exchange of ideas and associations, an approach developed by the magazine Lilliput in the 1930s and 40s.
If humour is included it should be relevant to the purpose of the book, not humour for humour’s sake. Ideally it should be subtle, maybe with wit and irony. It ought to avoid the visual equivalent of slapstick; and should not seek cruelly to make people the subject of mockery.
Photo: Amber, Jaipur, India, 2004
Photo: Christchurch, New Zealand, 1996