As an avid photographer, I enjoy taking pictures with my friends and family to preserve memories and show my value for other people when updating social media. However, many people - including myself - have caught onto a familiar trend of covering our faces in photos.

This pose seems to stem from insecurity and the dysphoria of facial features; causing a person to aim to hide that specific feature to make themselves seem "prettier". Mainly young people are shown to be more insecure which is further proven by the fact that their body and mind is changing - resulting in unwanted alterations.

Additionally, many young people will want to avoid being photographed in situations where they are dissatisfied with their appearance our don't want their face to be shown on social media. To please their parents, most young people opt to cover their face in an attempt to hide their identity as well as any parts of themselves they're dissatisfied with.

The majority of people (specifically young people) will choose to cover their face when taking photos or being photographed as part as the common "nose cover trend" - which is seen as a cool pose that avoids the awkwardness of a simple smile. Despite these reasons, there are still people who will cover their mouth as a fun pose to fit in with society and look like their peers. Social influence is a very strong component in a teenager's life and will impact their decision making skills to "go with the crowd".

In my opinion, this small pose is insignificant today yet is interesting for psychological analysis. It's common knowledge that covering your face is a sign of nervousness so in my experience of photography it leaves much to be said about a person's psychology when they pose for a photo. 

When talking to another young person on the subject of this article, the anonymous 15 year old stated: "I think that the reason why people cover their face in photos is because if they don't they'll end up unhappy with the photo when it includes their least liked features."

Overall, the decision to cover your face in a photograph may suggest your own low self esteem or attempt to fit in.