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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

#261

Post by RangerScience »

elif wrote: post #260

Missing a moment because you were "fiddling with your camera" is relatable. So inspiring is also the view looking out over the LCD ocean at a concert. It's easy to think that this tool is disconnecting us from the moment. But I'm here to offer a different perspective as I get to go to the zoo every day. For the first couple months in went no camera, only rarely taking a phone picture. Then I decided to get back into…

I think part of it is the form factor of the camera; enough that I wish there was some kind of phone case that could pop out (from some flat shape) and make it feel like I had a real camera in my hands.

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

#262

Post by alonsonic »

elif wrote: post #260

Missing a moment because you were "fiddling with your camera" is relatable. So inspiring is also the view looking out over the LCD ocean at a concert. It's easy to think that this tool is disconnecting us from the moment. But I'm here to offer a different perspective as I get to go to the zoo every day. For the first couple months in went no camera, only rarely taking a phone picture. Then I decided to get back into…

I think you're definitely engaged, but not so much with the moment itself more with the act of taking photos. It does make you focus on the subject, but in a very specific way. Even in how you described it, the main focus was on capturing the shot. It quite literally makes you look at things through a certain "lens".

You can see how that might be a bit of a problem when you're sharing the moment with others. You might end up being really focused on getting the photo and not as much on actually being present with them.

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

#263

Post by HSO »

elif wrote: post #260

Missing a moment because you were "fiddling with your camera" is relatable. So inspiring is also the view looking out over the LCD ocean at a concert. It's easy to think that this tool is disconnecting us from the moment. But I'm here to offer a different perspective as I get to go to the zoo every day. For the first couple months in went no camera, only rarely taking a phone picture. Then I decided to get back into…

looking for sth vs looking at sth

active vs passive

it depends what one wants but I have experienced the same.

it also applies not just to photography but anything creative really, like drawing cityscapes eg -> looking for a good angle or view where one could sit and sketch it out and then just look at the scene and let it infuse or impress you until you can recreate the scene and fill out the details in your bed maybe or wherever

i think the ugly aspect comes not from taking the picture itself but from whether you were actually looking for a memory, a creative act, or social validation ("oh look where I was fancy schmancy")

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

#264

Post by throwawaybob420 »

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.

lol. This is such an odd way of living your life. I mean, historical significance? How would you even know that?

And why should it matter if someone else took a similar photo? it’s your photo you’re taking it like come on man am I taking crazy pills over here?

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

#265

Post by michaelt »

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

Some people learned this lesson in the days of clunky, fragile, expensive cameras.

If you were carting around 5 lbs of DSLR camera and accessories, you weren't scrambling up that rock or going into the sea or getting on that rollercoaster.

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

#267

Post by mixmastamyk »

__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.

Made some sense when photos were expensive, but now they’re nearly free, less so.

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

#268

Post by cryptoegorophy »

throwawaybob420 wrote: post #266

Very pretentious article. And some of these comments are highly self absorbed to be honest. Have fun “remembering” your vacation and various moments of your life, I’ll be looking over my photos and videos when I’m 80.

Exactly. People were saying apple’s Live Photo feature was a scam. I was heavily using it with kids growing up, now it is awesome to look at those photos/mini videos together with kids. You will definitely not remember a lot of moments with your kids, so try to video record as much as you can.

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

#269

Post by theoreticalmal »

FredPret wrote: post #79

My wife and I went on a giant trip a couple of years back. I took tens of thousands of pictures. They're now our Apple TV background. Every time a new photo comes on the slideshow, it sparks a memory and moment of joy. It's like the trip is paying dividends. Of course I wasn't glued to my camera and still enjoyed it, but there's definitely a balance, and I'd err on the side of overrecording. Especially if the memorie…

I would be slight more opposed to taking pictures on vacations if Apple didn’t have fantastic tools for capturing, sorting, and re-surfacing the photos to my attention. My phone and watch backgrounds cycle though Apple-chosen photos, which are usually spectacular. I frequently pause through the day after noticing a particularly fun picture and have a nice little 10s reminisce of the memory surrounding it

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

#270

Post by snozolli »

Taking photos is part of how I stay engaged. I've always caught flak from friends for taking so many photos. Oddly enough, they seem to forget thar attitude when they're poring over the collection of photos of themselves later.

I've not missed nearly as much by taking photos as others have while performatively objecting to me taking photos.

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