Thursday, August 16, 2012

Maury According To Google

Every once in a while, I Google my own name. Usually what comes up is pretty predictable: recently published photo credits, articles I’ve written and so on. Sometimes I spot a link to a book of photos that had some of my work in it and was published decades ago or a reference to a note I had posted on a long forgotten message board. Occasionally I find someone using one of my photographs who has sort of “forgotten” to tell me about it. That’s when I call Stan-My-Lawyer. But I always find it amazing – and often frightening – to look at the stuff out there about me and for anyone to see. I am also reminded that I am happy that I came of age long before “social media” really blew the lid off everything. I mean, I am fortunate to not be shown as the winner of my neighborhood’s Beer Bong Competition. Actually I have no idea what a beer bong is, but there was a time when I probably would have known. And I would have been a contender in any competition that involved beer. Fortunately I survived those years.

Anyway, back to Google: Recently, scrolling down my listings there I clicked “Images For Maury Englander.” This category usually turns up on most searches for just about anything, but this was the first time I noticed if for me. So of course I had to see what they had found.

I confess to amazement - not something I admit to easily-  at the collection of photos that appeared. I didn’t go through all the pages, but there were lots of ‘em. And a total mish-mosh of subjects: corporate executives next to tattooed babes next to anti-Viet Nam protests at the Pentagon and some snapshots of my cat Jake.  And of course lots of shots of me: travel snapshots, me working, me with corporate execs, me with tattooed babes, me and Jake.  There were also a few hundred photos that had nothing to do with me: other “Maurys” or “Englanders” pop up in the mix.  Clicking on any one of the photos brings up a link and you get to see what Google thinks are similar shots.  All I can say about that is I am happy Google is not editing my photos.

Here is part of one page, just the way it comes up.   The photo of Dr. Martin Luther King was shot at the UN in 1967; the snapshots of me in Nepal were shot a year ago and one of the tattooed babes was in the most recent Mermaid Parade in Coney Island this summer.  Chronology is apparently not a factor in Google's selection.

Me According To Google:


So, I am not sure that this will work, but for those of you who are curious about some of the visual minutia of my life, along with some really cool stuff and historic images (well, historic events that I shot, anyway), here is a link:

https://www.google.com/search?q=maury+englander&start=10&hl=en&sa=N&prmd=


www.MauryEnglander.com

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