3 ms·

Its pretty sad isn't it? Decades ago I used to travel a lot and always brought a camera with me (SLR + lenses) - only ever 'saw' things thru the lens, missing t

by ejb999 3y ago

Its pretty sad isn't it? Decades ago I used to travel a lot and always brought a camera with me (SLR + lenses) - only ever 'saw' things thru the lens, missing the opportunity to be in the moment - I woke up to what was happening and now I rarely photograph places or events when I am experiencing them - if I want an awesome photo to look at of some noteworthy place or event, I can find thousands on line, many taken by people much more talented than me. I feel like people don't really experience their lives anymore - they document them for social media and clicks. Goto the L'ouvre in France, and there are hundreds of people waiting in line and jamming into the space in front of the Mona Lisa to get a picture of the painting (or more specifically selfies of them standing in a crowd with the Mona Lisa in the background) - and yet there are huge spaces and exhibits in the building of equally awesome pieces of art and history that people don't even bother to visit

hotpotamus 3y ago
I had a similar realization when going to one of the final Space Shuttle launches in 2010. I brought some fairly good camera gear along, but I saw people who had invested staggering amounts in cameras/lenses (or at least spent a decent chunk on renting them) and thought, I'll just watch the thing and then look at theirs if I want to see anything again.
axelthegerman 3y ago
> if I want an awesome photo to look at of some noteworthy place or event, I can find thousands on line, many taken by people much more talented than me. 100% would be neat if there was a service surfacing those. On the other hand there is nothing wrong with a quick snapshot and then go on enjoy
Cthulhu_ 3y ago
I mean there's multiple ways to enjoy things. You enjoyed photography, then you realised you could also enjoy the trip / experience itself. Both are fine. And you can do both at the same time too. I think tourists taking a picture or recording an event is not even for themselves anymore, it's to post online and get views/likes/engagement.
nicbou 3y ago
On the other hand, photography is a hobby on its own. A camera can push you to go out more, pay attention more. I started sketching again because someone reminded me that drawing is the art of noticing. I gave up on photography because I found the camera to get in the way, but I'm not above taking a few good pictures for my own memories. I just don't let it interrupt the moment anymore. I think that social media is the main culprit here. When proving that you have a good time becomes as important as having a good time, your behaviour changes.
SkyMarshal 3y ago
I came to the same realization back in the 2000s and stopped obsessively photo'ing everything then too. You can either live in the moment or try to capture it, but rarely both. I'll still snapshot the occasional impressive sunset or other natural scene, but without trying to interpose a selfie on top of it.
- sottol 3y ago
  Personally, I split my time. I really enjoy a strenuous hike to a point of interest around sunset, setting up, and taking photos of the sunrise or sunset. But that's my personal time and I'm usually alone. On the flip side I usually only take (some) smartphone photos documenting the experience and the people when I'm out in a group. I like the "here's what you did N years ago" collages and reconnecting with the people involved over the shared experience. Trying to combine both usually leads to someone being disappointed, either the photographer because they're rushed or the others because the photog is holding everyone up. I feel like good photos take a lot of planning, time and some luck. But the chase inspires me to get out more and not do the exact same thing everyone else is doing (all the time) to get something even remotely unique. It also requires scouting the locations for a while and finding the right composition takes some exploring the area. Plus, long exposure photography gives you a lot of time to be in the moment when every photo takes a minute to expose and you get to progressively watch the landscape and lighting change waiting for the right time to snap your photos.
Roark66 3y ago
I'm the opposite, 20+ years ago I visited places with people that are long dead by now. I can barely remember their faces. I'd love to have some photos from that time.
- ChatGTP 3y ago
  Use your smart phone to take a few photos, and enjoy the experience, there is a happy medium to be had.
  - Roark66 3y ago
    There was no smartphones back then :-) I think I had a blue Ericsson phone that had a tiny one color lcd display and no camera. Now, things are different, but my argument is specifically that taking photos is does not have to be in contrast to "living in the moment".

by ejb999 3y ago

hotpotamus 3y ago

I had a similar realization when going to one of the final Space Shuttle launches in 2010. I brought some fairly good camera gear along, but I saw people who had invested staggering amounts in cameras/lenses (or at least spent a decent chunk on renting them) and thought, I'll just watch the thing and then look at theirs if I want to see anything again.

axelthegerman 3y ago

> if I want an awesome photo to look at of some noteworthy place or event, I can find thousands on line, many taken by people much more talented than me. 100% would be neat if there was a service surfacing those. On the other hand there is nothing wrong with a quick snapshot and then go on enjoy

Cthulhu_ 3y ago

I mean there's multiple ways to enjoy things. You enjoyed photography, then you realised you could also enjoy the trip / experience itself. Both are fine. And you can do both at the same time too. I think tourists taking a picture or recording an event is not even for themselves anymore, it's to post online and get views/likes/engagement.

nicbou 3y ago

On the other hand, photography is a hobby on its own. A camera can push you to go out more, pay attention more. I started sketching again because someone reminded me that drawing is the art of noticing. I gave up on photography because I found the camera to get in the way, but I'm not above taking a few good pictures for my own memories. I just don't let it interrupt the moment anymore. I think that social media is the main culprit here. When proving that you have a good time becomes as important as having a good time, your behaviour changes.

SkyMarshal 3y ago

I came to the same realization back in the 2000s and stopped obsessively photo'ing everything then too. You can either live in the moment or try to capture it, but rarely both. I'll still snapshot the occasional impressive sunset or other natural scene, but without trying to interpose a selfie on top of it.

sottol 3y ago
Personally, I split my time. I really enjoy a strenuous hike to a point of interest around sunset, setting up, and taking photos of the sunrise or sunset. But that's my personal time and I'm usually alone. On the flip side I usually only take (some) smartphone photos documenting the experience and the people when I'm out in a group. I like the "here's what you did N years ago" collages and reconnecting with the people involved over the shared experience. Trying to combine both usually leads to someone being disappointed, either the photographer because they're rushed or the others because the photog is holding everyone up. I feel like good photos take a lot of planning, time and some luck. But the chase inspires me to get out more and not do the exact same thing everyone else is doing (all the time) to get something even remotely unique. It also requires scouting the locations for a while and finding the right composition takes some exploring the area. Plus, long exposure photography gives you a lot of time to be in the moment when every photo takes a minute to expose and you get to progressively watch the landscape and lighting change waiting for the right time to snap your photos.

Roark66 3y ago

I'm the opposite, 20+ years ago I visited places with people that are long dead by now. I can barely remember their faces. I'd love to have some photos from that time.

ChatGTP 3y ago
Use your smart phone to take a few photos, and enjoy the experience, there is a happy medium to be had.
- Roark66 3y ago
  There was no smartphones back then :-) I think I had a blue Ericsson phone that had a tiny one color lcd display and no camera. Now, things are different, but my argument is specifically that taking photos is does not have to be in contrast to "living in the moment".