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Enjoy the moment

January 20th, 2009

Pop quiz: You’re observing a once-in-a-lifetime event.  There is plenty of professional media around, and their photos will be readily available afterward. What do you do?

  1. Take a photo
  2. Enjoy the moment
  3. Miss it because the jerk in front of you spilled his drink on your shirt

All too often, people choose the first option.  Instead of enjoying the moment, they make a misplaced effort to take a snapshot.

I noticed this while watching the Obama inauguration today.  Throngs of people, cell phones and compact cameras held high, looking at LCD screens instead of what was right in front of their eyes.  Did they really think that they could get better photos than the professional photojournalists who shot with superior vantage points, superior expertise, and superior equipment?  Why distract themselves just to make an inferior product?

Some events are meant to be enjoyed, and others are meant to be recorded.  Similarly, there are many beautiful things in this world, but not all of them work well in the photographic medium. I find that if I attempt to split my attention between photography and enjoyment, both suffer.

The Grand Canyon is well known as a subject for photographs.  However, the images I captured during my time there were halfhearted.  I made a few, sure, but I made a conscious decision to stow my camera for most of my hike.  I was more concerned about experiencing the canyon, hiking between the rim and the river.  It was beautiful.  Attempting to capture that beauty would have ruined it for me.

Yes, I acknowledge the value of pictures in jogging memories.  In certain social situations, where I am one of the participants and there is no press corps standing by, I will take snapshots of my friends and me.  Even then, I am careful not to let photography become the focus of the event.  But a fleeting moment that is better covered by others? No.

Knowing when not to take photos can be just as important as knowing when to snap the shutter.

  1. Simon
    January 21st, 2009 at 21:42 | #1

    All your photo links are from the Boston Globe. Is that a sign? haha

  2. wojo
    January 23rd, 2009 at 21:56 | #2

    i know your point here, and i respect it entirely. but how many people do you know actually want photos that are of publishable quality? i can say that i bet there are thousands of people who now have a background image on their phone of Obama being inaugurated. taking a picture like that is tacky – but not pointless or without merit.

  3. January 24th, 2009 at 20:36 | #3

    As one of those people who took photos (and even video) of the inauguration from the National Mall, I did it because I wanted to be reminded of what the atmosphere was like from my point of view. No professional photograph will be able to recreate the memories I have of the bitter cold, cramped spaces, and sore legs from standing for hours upon hours waiting to be apart of history.

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