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On Not Carrying a Camera – Cultivating memories instead of snapshots

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

#141

Post by WWLink »

riffraff wrote: post #111
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…

I'm with you here! I take lots of pictures. I picked up that stupid habit when I was a teenager with my family's digital camera. Eventually got a small canon for christmas and kept it in my pocket until I had a smartphone.

I'm not the kinda person to hold my camera up in the air filming a concert or whatever. But pictures of family! Pictures of random food I enjoyed or found cute. Pictures of random cute things in the store. Pictures of friends and cars and the beach and whatever else.

So much changes in the world. I love looking back at old pictures. During covid my mom and I would get together and dig through and find old stuff to post on facebook. It was a lot of fun.

I mean. I have pictures of random old cereal boxes I found amusing at the time. I have pictures I'm quite proud of, and others that just capture random happy moments.

I don't know what people mean about change? Things change a lot. People change, things change, the world changes. I have pictures of vegas casinos that were demolished years ago. Foods that aren't made anymore. I have a random picture of a quarter pounder meal from like 2005. Why not? XD

Those sorts of things cost me no time or effort really. Whipped out the camera real quick. Click. Put it away. Go back to enjoying my life. :)

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

#142

Post by WWLink »

vachina wrote: post #130
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…

Some questions I ask myself before I take the camera out: 1. Is it a picture someone else would’ve already taken? 2. Does it have our faces in it? 3. Will it have historical significance in 10 years time? If all of it answers no, I rest easy knowing I missed nothing.

What if the picture does have historical significance but you don't know it yet?

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

#143

Post by lwansbrough »

In defence of the Polaroid: the novelty is a hit with people, it creates not only lasting memories but souvenirs from a time and a place. They’ve got vintage appeal and the often bad white/colour balance means that the focus of the photos is usually about the people and the moment, and less about the quality of the photography itself. I think they’re kind of the perfect balance.

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

#145

Post by RataNova »

lwansbrough wrote: post #143

In defence of the Polaroid: the novelty is a hit with people, it creates not only lasting memories but souvenirs from a time and a place. They’ve got vintage appeal and the often bad white/colour balance means that the focus of the photos is usually about the people and the moment, and less about the quality of the photography itself. I think they’re kind of the perfect balance.

There's something about the immediacy and physicality that makes the moment feel more real, more grounded

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

#146

Post by RataNova »

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…

That idea of just one intentional photo, like a group shot at the end, feels like a smart middle ground

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

#147

Post by sneak »

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…

There are a lot of different reasons for taking photos, though

I carry my camera 24/7 because I am a photographer who makes visual art and I might make art any time of any day. It isn’t about publishing or social capital or performance, it’s about making the best art I can for me and myself alone.

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

#148

Post by zoover2020 »

1659447091 wrote: post #114
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.

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…

Tangentially related: on each trip I make, I try my best to get a run in on Strava during which I explore a city or area with one or two pictures I make _during_ the run.

They're my favorite memories. NY's Central Park, London's Hyde Park, Norway's fjords, Barcelona's beaches... The best part is that these feel like very tangible memories and take zero physical space to store!

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

#150

Post by wseqyrku »

RataNova wrote: post #146
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…

That idea of just one intentional photo, like a group shot at the end, feels like a smart middle ground

I don't like those pictures, those almost always look artificial and empty. I think you can have your camera at your disposal and capture the picture of the moment as it happens. Sure, take a group shot but don't count to three as it most definitely ruins it.
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