My daughter asked me “What’s up with the myth that Vampires don’t show up in photographs?”
My kids are of an age where everything in the universe is digital and immediate. She is also in a world where Vampire teens are engulfed in popular culture about Vampires. Yes, this is a challenge for all Vampire parents because our kids are, well, different that other teens.
OK so let’s get back to the question. What’s up with the myth that Vampires don’t show up in photographs?
We DO show up. It IS a myth. So is the one about mirrors. We show up.
The reason you don’t see us in photographs is because we are around for a long long long long time. For example: If my mom showed up in photographs from 1843 – 2012 her image, her face, the same face would be in ALL of those photos. That same face that looks like the same lovely 36 year old woman. Only the clothing and hairstyles have changed. After a while someone would put two and two together and we’d be busted big time.
We DO show up in photographs but we’re careful about when and where we are photographed. It’s common sense.
The myth comes from silver.
First of all if someone hits me in the heart or brain with a silver bullet it will do serious damage. Same goes for anyone, no matter what you are (regular human, werewolf, goblin, whatever). If you stab me with a silver fork it will seriously piss me off but not kill me.
To make a long and stupid story short: At one time in history, silver was thought to be “pure” or something like that. So since “Vampires” were unpure (not true but I shall continue with MY version of the story) silver would of course kill Vampires.
Mirrors and photographic processes used silver. That made some people reason that silver and Vampires don’t mix SO the properties of the silver will reject the images of a Vampire. Yep, there is some really great scientific reasoning going on there.
So what about reflections in water or windows? What about digital photography? We reflect. We also ponder, muse, wonder, and think about these things but as artists and for heaven’s sake, look at how many times your teen takes photos of herself. It is mind boggling – and all of us Vampire parents know that our kids DO show up on Instagram and Facebook and YouTube and everywhere else looking like regular kids.
So anyway, now you know.
SAY CHEESE!
~ Juliette aka Vampire Maman
Vampire Maman 
Limburger !!!!!
HA!
It was also a commonly held myth that the reflection was your soul and vampires, being soul-less creatures of darkness, therefor had no soul to be reflected in the mirror. Stupid myth, of course, of mirrors would have been a fool-proof way to know exactly what kind of person you were dealing with ala Dorian Grey and his portrait. Sadly, when people don’t know something, they tend to make things up.
Good point. I’ve heard that but don’t want to tell the kids. The lore behind Vampires is rich and always interesting. Just thinking that would include half the guys I’ve dated, humans and otherwise (soul-less creatures of darkness).
Coincidentally, I’m reading Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and I just read the scene where Dracula doesn’t show up in a mirror. I suspect Stoker was part of a misinformation campaign.
OK I have to admit that I love that book. Mr. Stoker had a fine imagination and I only wish he’d written more books. I don’t think he ever imagined how Dracula and HIS Vampire lore would spark the public imagination and become so much part of our popular culture. In saying that, sure it wasn’t accurate (you should have heard the skuttle butt in the Vampire community when the book came out) but it sure is fun (and nobody sparkles)
I’m enjoying the book so far. To be honest, it is the first vampire book I’ve ever read.