The camera conundrum

All year we’ve been standing in front of things, cranked neck and peace sign, toothy whites bared for the lens. The benches are set up all over the nation, at movie theaters, museums, and amusement parks.

At every tourist trap there is a set-up photo-op, but this exhibit was made specially and exclusively as one. Women in black clothes stood idly near each painted wall, eager to tell us where to stand and which way to turn.

The Trick Photo Exhibit is where the fun house meets school picture day. So one morning before work showed up clutching cameras and were shepparded through the show.

We escaped killer snakes, caught big fish, and painted on the Mona Lisa Smile. We slipped ourselves inside each silly photograph and hoped to disappear into the art. Last we left giggling, a dozen new photos to take home on our memory cards.