Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

On Not Carrying a Camera – Cultivating memories instead of snapshots

hedgehogreview.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

111–120 of 333 posts

Re: On Not Carrying a Camera – Cultivating memories instead of snapshots

#111

Post by riffraff »

planck_tonne wrote: post #11

There must be a balance. Recently I met some people that were constantly filming and taking pictures of everything. It was ridiculous IMO, for the same reasons OP mentions. This is not new. For me, it began with the rise of the smartphone. So I made it a point not to waste my time photographing things. 10 years later, I regret having essentially no pictures of anything. In particular, no "good" or "frameable" picture…

Here's my 20 years report:

When I was an exchange student I lived with other people and we went out partying every night, had a ton of fun, and still had a ton of fun rewatching pictures of the night the next day. This was a time where you'd have an actual camera. Sometimes me and friends from that era share back the pictures and have a laugh.

10 years report: Nowadays google photos regularly shows me those "memories" from years ago of my kids (turning 9 and 11), and about half the time I share them back with my wife and viceversa, and we get moved a bit or have a fun moment.

I really don't see why taking pictures would ruin an experience, unless you go _wildly_ overboard to prioritize the picture.

Re: On Not Carrying a Camera – Cultivating memories instead of snapshots

#112

Post by riffraff »

__MatrixMan__ wrote: post #99
andrehacker wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I was young and easily swayed, I took life advice from a well-known Dutch comedian (Youp van 't Hek) who loved to mock tourists taking those cringe “holding up the Leaning Tower of Pisa” photos. The message was clear: tourist photos were tacky, and besides, you could always find a better photo in the gift shop anyway. So for years, I smugly avoided taking photos—too cool for clichés. It only hit me much later th…

I have a friend who refuses to take pictures without people in them. It seemed dumb at first but after several years of pictures piling up I can see he had a pretty good point.

This is old advice, I remember it being framed as "if I wanted a picture of a monument I'd buy a postcard", and postcards basically no longer exist.

It made some sense to take pictures of panoramas or art when you could show something to people that could not see it otherwise, but in this era it makes no sense (unless you enjoy photography as a hobby).

A goofy picture of you kissing some old bronze statue? Dumb, but yours.

Re: On Not Carrying a Camera – Cultivating memories instead of snapshots

#113

Post by riffraff »

XorNot wrote: post #48
memhole wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On a backpacking trip, a guy and I were hiking together for a moment. I was snapping photos of the landscape and he started to chastise me for it. He made the same point. It’s about the people you’re with. Eventually, all the photos blur together. He’s not wrong. I’ve got tons of pictures of the outdoors. Not that they aren’t beautiful. Pressed, I mostly couldn’t tell one from the other.

Conversely having high res camera phones is magical when you have children. They really do grow up so fast.

From the other side, having good pictures of your parents (ideally with your kids) is a good idea.

They also go away faster than you expect.

Re: On Not Carrying a Camera – Cultivating memories instead of snapshots

#114

Post by 1659447091 »

memhole wrote: post #46
andrehacker wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I was young and easily swayed, I took life advice from a well-known Dutch comedian (Youp van 't Hek) who loved to mock tourists taking those cringe “holding up the Leaning Tower of Pisa” photos. The message was clear: tourist photos were tacky, and besides, you could always find a better photo in the gift shop anyway. So for years, I smugly avoided taking photos—too cool for clichés. It only hit me much later th…

On a backpacking trip, a guy and I were hiking together for a moment. I was snapping photos of the landscape and he started to chastise me for it. He made the same point. It’s about the people you’re with. Eventually, all the photos blur together. He’s not wrong. I’ve got tons of pictures of the outdoors. Not that they aren’t beautiful. Pressed, I mostly couldn’t tell one from the other.

One of my main reason for using Strava* is for keeping context with my travel photos.

Even if it's just walks around a city center, I have a thing for photographing street art, and uploading the different photos to my walks and it places them at their locations on the recorded path/map of the walk (or hike) to be revisited/replayed when feeling nostalgic.

It also helps to be more discerning about what photos to keep (do I really need another wide landscape shot?) But once the "worthy" photos of my walk/hike are added, I remove the others from my phone and make the recorded activity private for me to enjoy. The context + notes with the photos in one place makes it all mean so much more when I revisit them. I completely ignore all social bits of the app, but this might appeal to some since you can share/fork an activity to the accounts of people that where with you.

*I don't work for them, but been using it over a decade now

Re: On Not Carrying a Camera – Cultivating memories instead of snapshots

#115

Post by boruto »

Please take as many photographs as possible. I never took any pictures while traveling. Partly as I am not photogenic, that inferiority complex stayed with me.

Now for the pictures I took, Me and my daughter spent 2 hours ruminating at those pictures this weekend. Nothing can beat that happiness

Re: On Not Carrying a Camera – Cultivating memories instead of snapshots

#116

Post by markdown »

mocamoca wrote: post #110
planck_tonne wrote: post #11

There must be a balance. Recently I met some people that were constantly filming and taking pictures of everything. It was ridiculous IMO, for the same reasons OP mentions. This is not new. For me, it began with the rise of the smartphone. So I made it a point not to waste my time photographing things. 10 years later, I regret having essentially no pictures of anything. In particular, no "good" or "frameable" picture…

I use a film camera, which removes the possibility of infinite shots. It works for me! And since I must print the pictures, I make duplicates and share with friends and family. You can give it a try: there are very easy cameras!

I don't think there is even a print shop for film in my country anymore, with the last one shutting down last year.

Re: On Not Carrying a Camera – Cultivating memories instead of snapshots

#117

Post by vasco »

righthand wrote: post #109
vasco wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You reminded me of the meme with a gnarly and violent and gory dark ages painting with the caption: No smartphone in sight, just people living in the moment. If your moment is scoffing at others and being all fussed up about how others aren't in the moment... it's a strange way of going around is my point. Live and let live.

Are the people taking excessive photos letting others live (in the moment)?

Too much of anything is a bad thing, that's besides the point as that argument can be made about anything.

Re: On Not Carrying a Camera – Cultivating memories instead of snapshots

#118

Post by 1659447091 »

vasco wrote: post #106
1659447091 wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> They are the first to notice how many people around them are taking pictures True. I notice this a lot in museums, at historical sites, at the summit on mountain hikes, and indoor concerts. And no, I don't want to enjoy a concert through the iPads of the people in front of me and holding them up with no regard to the people behind them either > worrying how themselves would look if they did the same, sometimes want…

You reminded me of the meme with a gnarly and violent and gory dark ages painting with the caption: No smartphone in sight, just people living in the moment. If your moment is scoffing at others and being all fussed up about how others aren't in the moment... it's a strange way of going around is my point. Live and let live.

> If your moment is scoffing at others

You may have misread what I wrote. Noticing others behaviour and making an observation about it as being curious (maybe if I had used that word instead of strange, it would have helped..?)

Not sure who is scoffing? and who is being all fussed up? If that is how you read my post, maybe try again after settling whatever it is about this topic(or maybe completely outside of it?) that appears to be activating and creating these projections of judgement in the post

Re: On Not Carrying a Camera – Cultivating memories instead of snapshots

#119

Post by vasco »

1659447091 wrote: post #118
vasco wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You reminded me of the meme with a gnarly and violent and gory dark ages painting with the caption: No smartphone in sight, just people living in the moment. If your moment is scoffing at others and being all fussed up about how others aren't in the moment... it's a strange way of going around is my point. Live and let live.

> If your moment is scoffing at others You may have misread what I wrote. Noticing others behaviour and making an observation about it as being curious (maybe if I had used that word instead of strange, it would have helped..?) Not sure who is scoffing? and who is being all fussed up? If that is how you read my post, maybe try again after settling whatever it is about this topic(or maybe completely outside of it?) th…

I didn't mean you, I meant people such as my friend from my original comment.

Re: On Not Carrying a Camera – Cultivating memories instead of snapshots

#120

Post by 1659447091 »

vasco wrote: post #119
1659447091 wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If your moment is scoffing at others You may have misread what I wrote. Noticing others behaviour and making an observation about it as being curious (maybe if I had used that word instead of strange, it would have helped..?) Not sure who is scoffing? and who is being all fussed up? If that is how you read my post, maybe try again after settling whatever it is about this topic(or maybe completely outside of it?) th…

I didn't mean you, I meant people such as my friend from my original comment.

Got it. I agree that would not do much but make the moment have completely passed on by..

>> Kept talking about it and was the main topic when reviewing the concert to other friends.

Though if we take a bit of a dystopian recursive view, your friend(and other like them) are living in the moment by fussing about others living in the moment in a way that allows your friend to live in the moment

Post reply on HN