Smile Venice a street people photo series showing people having lots of fun feeding pigeons in St Marks Square by Paul E Williams. Once every main square in European cities used to have a man selling bird seed, so tourists could have the fun of feeding the pigeons. Pigeons became so tame that they would sit on tourists hand to feed of seed. Today there are virtually no squares where you can feed pigeons in any city. Photos by photographer Paul E Williams
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Smile Street People Photo Series – Feeding The Birds Venice
“The need to take a photograph has long been an important part of a day out or holiday. It is proof that fun was has in exotic places to use as a memento or to impress friends and family. I am constantly struck by how people change infront of a camera. Perfectly normal looking people take on a larger than life persona whilst other, who really don’t look like they are enjoying themselves, suddenly become happy smiling people.
“Smile” is an exploration of the masks we put on for the camera to prove to posterity that we live in a perfect happy world in which we live the good happy life. With the advent of the selfie the mask that people invent is even more utopian and unreal as any social media site demonstrates.
It is the unique power of photography that a fraction of a seconds pose can send out a powerful message and the smile is the gesture universally chosen by day trippers and holiday makers. They do not choose video for these moments because it is impossible and rather disturbing to watch someone hold an artificial smile for any period of time. Still photographs allow people to practice and perfect the persona that want to show the world. To do that on video acting skills are required which few of us have.
“Smile” is a intimate intrusion into the lives of some of the happy trippers I have come across on my travels and the world that they create for themselves for a fraction of a second. Thanks guys”. Paul E Williams.