Taking pics vs. experiencing
January 6th, 2009
Sometimes, though, I realize that I get so obsessed with trying to get a great photo, that I don't really experience the place or event. One good example was a whale watching trip. For a while I was just pointing the camera at the water, hoping to catch a perfect shot of an emerging whale. After about the 3rd time I failed to SEE a perfect view of an emerging whale b/c I had the camera pointed elsewhere, I decided I was primarily there to see whales, not take pictures of whales. A few minutes later a mama and baby whale came up right next to the boat. Didn't get a picture of it, but got to see the amazing sight for myself...
I know there are lots of more serious photogs than me on this site and I'm wondering where different people draw that line between capturing great photos and experiencing the event or place you're photographing?
There's a birch clump a few minutes drive from me. It's in the open and backed by foliage. It will be perfectly illuminated by the sun about 20 minutes before sunset.
My only problem is to get there at that time.
'For I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
And miles to go before I sleep.'
R. Frost.
For something like whale watching where everything is so transitory, if you have a hunk of metal and glass in front of your face, you can miss something, and it can distance you. You can't take your time, observe, and then decide to take a picture. It's one or the other. I'd much rather experience it and let others take the pictures. But again, it depend on the mindset at the start of the trip.
Most of the time, I'm looking for certain kinds of images, not just making any good image I find. Once I have that camera in front of my face, my mindset is completely different, so I prefer to make a trip either a photo trip or not take any at all. I become an observer rather than a participant.
If you so much regret taking pictures at a beautiful place you can usually go back to take those pictures.
I often leave my camera at home as well if I know it will interfere.
I usually shoot pretty close to home and in my daily travels make mental notes of everything I want pictures of.
I've been eyeing up a tree for about 2 weeks now :)
Also, I find doing it this way, I can wait till the lighting and weather are exactly as I want them. For me theres nothing worse than taking a picture and later looking at it and going 'I wish I had taken it later in the day' or 'I should've taken it from over there instead'.
Of course it all depends on what you're taking pictures of.
I can usually count on things being there next week or even next year (I have an idea for another tree that will take at least a year to complete)
But it is the correct opinion of course. (It's mine too)
We didn't do any of that, instead we just drove around looking at the scenery, and eventually we'd come upon wildlife and take pictures of it. It was funny, because we'd usually find some maybe a mile down the road from where all these photographers were waiting.
If you sit around waiting for a shot to fall into your lap instead of just going out there, having fun, and shooting when the opportunity arises, then you've pretty much missed the point.
I spent most of my vacation looking through a viewfinder or at an LCD, but I still had a really good time.
I don't think I could go on vacation without a camera; it would drive me crazy. And more than likely, if I was on a whale watching trip, I would be looking for whales through the viewfinder. But; as for vacation photography as a whole, I have some ideas.
The difference between an experienced individual and an amateur is that the former will look for ways to make shots creative; the latter will just take a lot of pictures and hope they get a good one.
I, unfortunately, fell into the latter category on my most recent vacation; I've since fallen in love with photography, and I now think about every shot I take carefully instead of just snapping away. That's really the downside of digital; if you start on it, you tend to lose focus on composition.
You know that you are obsessed with photography and are becoming what could be called a "real" photographer when you look at every little thing and think about how it could be made into a picture. This is all in my opinion, of course.
Sometimes, though, I realize that I get so obsessed with trying to get a great photo, that I don't really experience the place or event. One good example was a whale watching trip. For a while I was just pointing the camera at the water, hoping to catch a perfect shot of an emerging whale. After about the 3rd time I failed to SEE a perfect view of an emerging whale b/c I had the camera pointed elsewhere, I decided I was primarily there to see whales, not take pictures of whales. A few minutes later a mama and baby whale came up right next to the boat. Didn't get a picture of it, but got to see the amazing sight for myself...
...
I've always felt that some things are just for us- meaning those missed shots. If I leave the camera behind, those things don't seem to happen. I try not to worry about getting every shot, relax, and have a good time without obsessing. I'm learning to be a bit more selective. However, I need to be experienced enough to catch a great shot as a reflex. This is how I have the best time.
When I'm at a family event; reunion, birthday party, holiday, etc. I leave the cameras at home. There are too many moments could I miss. Rarely do I do any photography. During those few occasions that I do shoot anything, I use someone else's point and shoot- and only for a couple of snapshots. Again, this is how I have the best time.
i go to as many car shows as i can, and i go to every pro wrestling event they have here and have thousands of pictures from those events. for me, its a combination of reasons. i just love taking pictures, and i love to have those reminders of the things ive witnessed. some may say you miss out on alot of whats happening, but i havent experienced that yet.
one example is the last few WWE shows i went to. during each of those 3 shows, which average 3 hours in length, i took about 700 shots average each show. that averages to between 3 and 4 shots per minute. the friends i went with all asked if i actually saw the matches, or if i was too busy shooting the shots i wanted to see any of the action. when we all talked about the shows after we got home, i was the one that remembered more details from it than they did.
i completely agree with Digital Matt and Jazz. if i go anywhere and dont have my camera to shoot pictures so i have reminders of whatever it was i went to see, im just not as happy as i would have been if i had brought the cameras with me. i guess it just boils down to, in my opinion, whether or not youre able to devote enough time to what youre photographing, and whats happening past the lens to make both enjoyable.
Have to say that even though I bring a camera everywhere; I have a hard time photographing while skiing or mountain biking. Also blew it at Burning Man this year. I was so overwhelmed by the event that I only took a hand full of lame images. Plus I was drunk the whole time. 07's Burn will be much different photography wise.
When I go away, I am bound to have my camera gear on me as not to miss THE opportunity. And I sometimes feel as if - mostly so while being away - I begin to see "the world through an inner viewfinder", to look for "frames" - which as such is not too bad for it sharpes your eye for a motif.
But I see how so dearly WANTING to get a good (preferably even perfect) photo of the whales put itself before your enjoyment of the whole experience. And maybe that is where amateur photographers such as you and I and all those who can only just take advantage of an upcoming opportunity but don't get paid in order to go out and WAIT for said opportunity have to sit back and admit that there can be more to life than THE PERFECT photo.
(And I would still hope for it to arise out of a given situation, mind you!)
That is exactly why I don't think I would enjoy professional photography. The perfect vacation for me is when I can experience something and at the same time take artistic photographs. It is absolutely no fun to be cramped for time, and rush pictures. If a picture doesn't have motovation, it will turn out terribly.
If there's a reason to go back and make prints, I revisit with the appropriate camera equipment. I already have a pretty good idea of time of day, lighting and the final print.
In general, if the area contains things which are reasonably famous, I buy picture post cards rather than wasting time taking the same picture that others have taken -- under ideal conditions.
For example, I went to an art gallery today with my parents (we know the owner well, so photography wasn't an issue), and I brought my camera. My parents wanted to see the glass and talk with the owner, and I knew that I would get bored spending 45 minutes doing that, so me taking my camera was a good way for me to stay interested (and I got some neat shots).
I went to the Denver Zoo to see their non-denominational holiday lights with some friends a few weeks ago, and I knew that many animals wouldn't be out and so it would mainly be a bunch of walking and looking at lights, so my camera was again a way for me to escape from that. As in a geology field trip, I can claim I'm documenting it as opposed to paying attention to the lectures.
But for something like whale-watching, I probably would bring nothing more than a simple point-and-shoot, simply because it's a transient event, hard to capture, and it doesn't look nearly as captivating on a photographic image as it does in real-life. Same with Thanksgiving dinner.
Another example: After going to a local botanical garden last week with my parents - the first time I've been there in years - I brought along my camera to take pictures and it wasn't the best of ideas because it was just too crowded (we went on December 26), so I couldn't take the time to frame my shots, and the low light level meant longer exposures and no tripod meant lots of blurry results. So for something like that, I should have just gone without a camera to enjoy it, and then gone back when it's less busy with a camera and tripod.
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j32/WakeBalla555/DSC00881.jpg
I choose commitment to the potential of the image, which has its price (your friends stop talking to you after you stop noticing them because your mind is "in the basement" judging the light etc), but has its upside too. i.e. You might have nailed a great pic of a whale jumping, posted it, we would all say "whoa cathmc that's awesome!" Then you could print it nice and have it forever.
If you go with a camera to take shots or reminders or the day, then thats one thing.
If you went to shoot the whales then thats a different thing and therefore warrents much more focus on the photography aspect rather than the enjoyment
My experience is, that I see a lot more when I take my camera gear with me. I then spend more time with the scenes/objects, landscapes which I capture on film or sensor. Therefore, my experience is much deeper and intense when taking pictures.
That is, when I want to experience a landscape, a country, architecture .. if I want to RELAX however, then I leave my gear at home ;) But then, for me relaxing is best done at home anyway, vacation for me is to experience.
HOWEVER, if you shoot at events, then things are different, you won't get much of the event, maybe even miss food and booze there, then you are fully occupied by the taking images business ... therefore events which really interest me stay undocumented by my cameras. I leave the documentation of those events to people who think it boring, they can better concentrate on taking pictures there ;)
Instead of a memory of something 'neat' that I can only relate in emotional terms, I see the curves and the colors and the interplay of all the above. Making pictures becomes a way to capture those memories and show them to other people so they get to experience what I have seen.
To me it is the difference between telling someone how good an ince cream cone was and actually bringing them to the place for us to share another cone together.
Glad to see I'm not the only one.
I think I have a thing for trees. Especially oddly shaped ones.
I have two I want pictures of. One's real tall and skinny and nearly bald on one side. I havent quite decided how I want this one to go. But Im leaning towards b&w and maybe as a silhouette.
The other one we call 'The Lion King Tree' because it looks alot like that tree at the bottom of the gorge in the lion king just before the stampede.
I want 4 pictures of this tree. One in every season.
But it does require tresspassing... which I'm sure wont be a big deal around here, people are usually pretty good. But I still havent mustered the guts to climb the fence.
And of course I have many ideas of trees I havent met yet but hope to one day.
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