While watching CSpan or coverage from Olympia on Legislative debates, I am sometimes struck by the thought that one could concentrate more fully on the content of speakers' presentations if it were not for the distraction of some of those in the first row behind a given speaker, many of whom apparently want badly to be seen or see themselves on camera (or both).

On the other hand, it can lighten things up.

For example, behind a given speaker, an ear will appear, then half a face attached to the ear, then the full face, as the individual, in an effort to be seen, feigns straining to see more clearly, some point out in front and to the left or right of center of the speaker, and in so straining, gets his full face within camera view.


Or, someone directly behind the speaker and therefore largely blocked from on-camera, will squirm in apparent discomfort, un- cross and recross his/her legs, shifting, so that one elbow rests on the opposite knee, conveniently putting him/her in camera view on one side or the other.



Or, an otherwise absorbed listener, will, upon realizing the camera has shifted to him apparently think of some humorous thought to pass on to his neighbor, leaning sideways within camera view, whispering, some apparently humorous inside joke/observation, smiling--but not for the camera, mind you.