I walked around Seoul for twelve hours that day and experienced so many wonderful things. I remember them all vividly now, years later, but I have no photos of it.
It was a relief to not document everything. I appreciated everything as a one-step process instead of a two-step process. I could just feel amazed, instead of feel amazed and hold up my camera to record it. Besides, how often do I look at those photos later, anyway? I find it more useful to refer to my journal of how I felt, instead of what I saw.
A few times, GPS could have helped, but because I didn’t have it, I had to go ask strangers for directions. Getting lost led me down some great little back roads I never would have found if I was following the map.
So now I intentionally travel without a phone.
I feel free and untethered. A break from connection.
Where you are is partially defined by where you are not. When you’re somewhere, you’re not somewhere else. But when you use your phone, you’re everywhere. You keep in touch with friends. You hear what’s going on at home. You see the screen exactly as you do anywhere else.
It’s wonderful to be cut off from everywhere else — to be more fully only there.
And it’s so nice to not know the time or where I am. Clocks and maps are useful inventions, but I see a moment better without them.
I appreciate a moment more when I know I’ll never see it again. I remember that day in Seoul better than I remember most photo-filled travels.
I think a large part of taking photos and recording things for a lot of people is that they like to journal and record things, in part, for future generations to have.
Like it's great you had those amazing experiences, but in a sense it's as if they're also going to die with you as well (assuming you even have children).
Of course, nothing wrong with what you're describing. I definitely can feel there's value in how you approach it, and I often fantasise about spending an entire year without technology at all.
How you remember something has more value than how it was. Over time it will morph in to the truth you experienced. In the same way a painter captures what they see not what is in front of them.
Enjoy the ride. Thank you.
And then I remember that this may well be the only time in my life that I will see these places, meet these people, and try these things. That the more I bring with me, the less mental room I have to savor, enjoy, and process the world around me in those precious moments.
I’m going to bring either my X100F, or splurge on a GFX100RF. That’ll be it. No flashes, no tripods, no laptops, no international high-speed data plan. Just me, a point-and-shoot, and unlimited EDGE data for the odd GPS route.
I want to use my photographs to remind me of times gone by, traveling alone, when my memory is foggy or old age has caught up with me. I don’t want to be in photographer mode, I want to be in-the-moment mode.
I loaded up hard. R5, the "holy trinity" (15-35/2.8, 28-70/2, 70-200/2.8), 100-500, and an 85/1.2. I used two lenses, mostly one (the 28-70).
I am going on a trip, two weeks in Maui. And I'm going to take an X100VI, for most days, and mirrorless with 2 lenses for 2 or 3 of the days tops. I have an SSD with a CF/SD reader, and both cameras I will have have USB-C charging so I want to enjoy, but not have the experience be secondary to photography.
We did manage to pull out our phones and grab a video. A year later, I’m so glad we did — even more fun than seeing the cassowary step across the trail is hearing our voices excitedly whisper to each other about how big and close it was.
I’m jealous of your trip. Not a day goes by that I don’t reminisce fondly on ours. And I’m sure you’ll strike the right balance between being a photographer and being in the moment :)
That's wonderful for you, but my brain doesn't work that way. My memories tend to get very fuzzy over time, and photos are a very powerful aid for me in recall. My photos of a trip with my wife to France last summer are already reminding me of details I've forgotten. I just took a trip to Japan last month, and I expect, before too long, that the same will be true of the photos I took there.
> It’s wonderful to be cut off from everywhere else — to be more fully only there.
You can take photos and still fully be there. There are many many points on the spectrum between not having a camera at all, and viewing the world through your phone's screen because you are taking photos or video of nearly everything.
> But when you use your phone, you’re everywhere. You keep in touch with friends. You hear what’s going on at home. You see the screen exactly as you do anywhere else.
It's a shame that so many people have such a bad relationship with their tech that they can't put it away. I absolutely do use my phone for mapping and navigation and other useful tasks while I'm traveling, but I tend to put it on do-not-disturb mode, and ignore it much more than I do at home. I still wander around, without a particular destination in mind, and get "lost" often enough to spontaneously run into interesting things. Sure, I'm not fully disconnected, but I don't see that as a negative.
Everyone sees and feels the world quite differently without a camera. With one, part of you is preoccupied and looking for images, not with being in the place and feeling the experience.
I might loose out in the pictures-of-my-trip competition, and in the I've-"done"-that-place conversation. But I don't want to be the person who "did" somewhere. I want to be the person who got to know it a bit, who lived it, who met the locals, and who remembers the place and the feelings.
This is most painful when I try to “imagine” my wife’s face, my family, friends, favorite parts of nature, etc, but am left with nothing.
For me, this means that I struggle to remember things from my past beyond major life events. Even major events can be fuzzy for me.
As a result, I’ve always tried to snap quick pictures of what I’m doing, even if it means I have to “step away” from enjoying the moment for a brief second.
A few months ago, I loaded my 30k+ pics (across ~10 yrs) stored on a hard drive into an Immich instance. I can now easily look at those pictures and remember my past in a way that I simply couldn’t beforehand.
This has been an unbelievable improvement in QoL through an improved self-identity, remembrance of my past, and reconnection with memories of lost loved ones.
I can agree with the author on the disruptive nature of picture taking. But for me, none of what I listed above would be possible without capturing my memories in moderation and with pointed intent.
I've never been great about taking photos, but my wife always remembers. Recently spent some time consolidating all of the to Immich and being able to see the "memories" every day is incredible.
When I explain it to people, I always ask them to close their eyes and picture an apple on a table. I then ask them what color the apple is. Everyone I’ve ever done this with (except a sibling) answers a color.
I then say, “to me, there is no color, no apple, no table, no outline; nothing.” Always a leads to fun discussion :)
Well that was a fun side quest for the evening. One thing I read is aphantasia is common among siblings also.
Except I don't really visualize what was there, but I "feel" them. It's not just a grocery list of elements for a scene, rather I have a strong sensation of being in the moment.
Both my mom and my sister has multiple times expressed surprise at my recall.
On the other hand, old pictures doesn't really do that much for me. Sure it's fun to watch them, and maybe they jog some memories, but I don't feel I need them.
That said, I'm open to future me regretting not taking pictures, so when on vacation or similar I do try to take some pictures.
For example, I have a great spatial memory, which is obviously not due to my ability to “see” things in my mind. Instead, when asked how I can remember spatial things (e.g., “which way did we come from on our hike?”), all I can say is that I simply “feel” the path.
If you’re curious, this is because different parts of our brain are responsible for visual spatial processing vs. visual object processing. The dorsal visual pathway is responsible for spatial processing, and the ventral visual pathway is responsible for object processing, like faces. This is all “bottom up” visual processing.
Bottom up visual processing is independent from internal cognitive activation of these pathways, which can arise from frontoparietal engagement of the same “endpoints” as the dorsal/central visual pathways. This is “top down” processing.
My ability to “feel a spatial cognitive map without images” argues that there are some miswirings between my frontoparietal cortex and my temporal cortex. This is why I can still recognize faces, objects, etc., but can’t see them in my mind.
Visual imagery during dreaming adds an entire other layer onto the topic :)
Here are some good reviews and articles on the topic:
[0] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S10538...
[1] https://www.cell.com/trends/cognitive-sciences/fulltext/S136...
[2] https://academic.oup.com/cercorcomms/article/2/2/tgab035/626...
I’ve also learned over the years that photography is actually a gateway to being present for me. I spent the first 30+ years of my life in my head. Photography helps me pay attention to my surroundings, and is a kind of mindfulness practice in many ways.
When I go back and look at old images, it always surprises me how much I’ve forgotten.
I do think it can be taken too far, but at least for me, it’s been an invaluable tool for all of the reasons you mentioned.
I’m curious how you capture pics. I use my iPhone. Over the past few years, I’ve also started taking short videos, as the iPhone video processing is just unbelievably good. The videos capture nice audio context, and really help me remember the “being” of the memory. iPhone pics are good too, but of course the sensor size is the main limitation. I have been thinking about looking for a dedicated small digital camera.
Curious to hear what you use!
But I still use my iPhone for some things - especially video.
There are some great compact micro four thirds cameras on the market that are better than a phone but still small enough to carry regularly. The “Micro Four Nerds” YouTube channel is a great resource if you’re curious. She covers many of the really compact every day carry cameras on the market and best lenses for various scenarios.
MFT cameras are a great gateway into the hobby, and some of the more vintage looking bodies just inspire me to take them everywhere and take photos.
Highly recommend looking at used gear on sites like mpb.com or keh.com. Can usually find lightly used equipment for significantly less than retail pricing.
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" pictures (blurry pictures from funny angles don't count...). Especially from important moments. Yes, I was there living the moment. But with a picture, I could relive it for a bit.
It's not hard to find the balance, though, I guess. You don't have to constantly be filming everything. Maybe just get the group together for one picture at the end of the event and that's it. Good enough.
That's what'll I try from now on at least. Report back in 10 years...
So for years, I smugly avoided taking photos—too cool for clichés. It only hit me much later that I wasn’t missing out on better shots of monuments… I was missing pictures of the people I was with. Family and friends looking younger, sometimes happier, and—how shall I put it—sometimes still alive.
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.
It's easy (an often correct) to assume that most such photos will never be seen again, or maybe scrolled by quickly at best, but the fact is one doesn't know the motivation of the photographer, nor how they might change their motivation in the future to actually make use of that photo.
The article is appalling. To me it more effectively conveys his character than his ideas. Maybe for some people it really is hard to find a balance.
If I was to guess what might take me out is if I was addicted to instantly posting them, watching the likes and comments flow in, and viewing my friends posts, at the same moment.
I take the pictures and then a day or two later I post 5-8 of the best, if I thought this particular experience was worth sharing. The point being I’m not thinking about posting and likes during the experience. My time spent on photos is < 1%
My favorite shots are selfies… one with the two of us on the tarmac in front of the plane on arrival, the other on a random street.
I lost my wife to cancer, and regret that pre-kid, we took very few pictures relatively speaking, and I cherish the ones I have.
I suspect this is true for large scale exhibitionism and voyeurism (which is what this is, you are either a subject or the voyeur in these pictures, and if you are both, then you are narcissist). It's been going on for decades and it's heinous. The sheer scale of it will not allow our society to stand back and examine it. I consider all these things part of our current public crucifixions. And like litter, the harmless gum wrappers (the selfies, the "look where I am" photos, etc) have accumulated into a pure garbage world. That's the power of accumulation, and now we all live in Garbage Land.
Our society is nasty and has been for as long as we can remember. It takes constant reflection to clean the grime and address our hygiene, in all its wonderous forms (put the fucking camera down please).
Rorschach out.
-----
I had an idea for a small short story about the after life where God pulls you into a small video editing room and makes you sit through every frame of what your eyes recorded. It would take a lifetime to get through, and every time you are committing a sin he pauses the giant film and you feel the utter presence of judgement. This goes on for every frame until you are begging for mercy with a newfound realization of just how damning the concept of an "observer" is. Smile, someone's watching. Sure as hell aint going to fool him with our curated album (can't we just look at the good stuff?). We look at all of it or none of it. Which brings us to the final point - did you fool anyone?
Yes, yes there was. It was called "The Final Cut" from 2004. Just one more of many proofs of Robin Williams' stellar acting talent.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-6-the-life-review/i...
This podcast somewhat changed my life.
Therefore there are many events where I won't bring a camera. I'll experience it as it unfolds. It's more rewarding that way. In fact, many large events are already so well-covered by a professional camera crew -- why bother? I mean, I'll just go look it up later on Facebook anyway, right?
My current exception is astrophotography; firstly possible to see bodies that are much, much fainter with the assistance of the smartphone camera. The photos reveal details I could never detect with an unassisted eye. For example, last year's big comet: I stood at an intersection to sight it, and it was invisible until I pointed my camera in that direction. And astrophotography is a nice technical means of stargazing in specific ways with a specific field of view and live time constraints. I mean, if I really want to see a huge arbitrary starfield, there are plenty of apps that can simulate it for me. But if I curate my own star photographs, I can edit them, add notes, and share them around.
saw, not read, saw in movies, saw in photographs, saw in magazines. all that can fit into your SSD
So just make freaking daily journal. there is plenty of space. You will be surprised what everything you did forgot. you will be surprised how your brain worked few years back. etc etc
And computer can hold more and retrieve faster then any other mechanism.
Also most wealthy people i know have their own "CRM system", where they note contents of phone calls, meetings etc, it is even easier with current state of AI/ML transcription services. They note names of children, spouse of their business partners. Hobbies, life situations, birthdays.... and they WILL look you up, right before you enter their office for joint meeting, so they can have conversation with you...
However when i look back to the photos from the past im happy i took them because my memory fails me or sometimes skews things.
i am happy i have these photos.
The solution isn't to throw away our technology. It's to develop better habits and better relationships with what we use to enhance our lives. Because that's the point: to enhance our lives, not to diminish them. If you feel that your tech is diminishing your life, that's probably a sign that you need to re-examine how you use it. Throwing it away entirely is a wasteful response that might "fix" the diminishing effects, but will also deprive you of the enhancements.
Before smartphones (and/or decent camera phones), I used to carry a small point-and-shoot digital camera with me nearly everywhere. I loved having it with me, and friends always enjoyed when I'd share photos of moments where most people would never think to bring a camera to capture. Being able to ditch that camera and instead use an often-better smartphone camera has been so freeing and wonderful. But I don't live behind the screen of my phone; I snap photos quickly, and rarely take video (though lately I've been disappointed in the lack of video over the past decade, so I'm re-evaluating my stance there).
We can have a healthy relationship with our phones. Commercial interests of course want us to be glued to them 24/7, but that's not how it has to be.
(And I feel like the author of this piece maybe doesn't even disagree with me; he says he still takes snapshots on his phone in his hometown. He's more talking about the mindset he gets into when he has a "real" camera: one of detachment from his surroundings.)
I first visited Chicago in 2006 and took a bunch of pictures. It was all a blur to me.
Later I became a Chicago resident in 2017, and suddenly those pictures had a new meaning for me. I began to appreciate the details more. Some things didn't change (Metra tickets were clipped on top of the seat in 2006, and it still was in 2019). But the UChicago campus had evolved since my first visit in 2006. Evanston had also changed greatly.
As a new Chicagoan in 2017, it was cool for me look at 2006 pictures again with new eyes and new knowledge (e.g. I now knew the Chicago grid system, the dibs system, that deep dish isn't actually that deep, that the quality of Harolds' Chicken Shack is branch specific, etc.).
In fact, my primary regret is that I didn't take more photos - there are things I remember visiting, like a specific cafe, that I don't think I'll ever be able to locate again because my memory is far fuzzier than the photographic record.
While I often enjoy this experience, this just is not compatible with hanging out with people who aren’t into it. Your friends/partners will hate you. Your kids just will not stand for it in anyway.
I’ve gotten some photos I like doing this (when my friends/family were not present), but coming home from a family vacation, the photos I enjoy more are almost always the random snapshots of my kids taken in 2 seconds on my iPhone.
Now that cell phones exist and I got a super powerful camera in my pocket at all times. I really enjoy taking snapshots. Which for non-photographers are the lowest quality of photos that someone takes(1 out of 5). Occasionally, I'll do a trip to take a picture of something, but I tone down the seriousness of it and make sure that i'm not doing more than enjoying the moment and taking a snapshot. What I really missed was getting out there, it wasn't the photography. The photography just forced me to get out there.
I didn't account for my memory being shot even in my 30s. I would love to have a couple of photos or videos of some events, but I don't, and I can no longer remember what it was like at all.
I certainly enjoy having a few pictures and maybe a short video of a concert to help stimulate my brain later on when I’m reflecting on the experience. But then I put my phone down and enjoy myself, and to try to not be rude to anyone else (and I hold my camera no higher than my face).
I also think that with modern stabilization it’s easy to be taking decent videos while not being too focused on operating your camera.
The biggest challenge I have with this technological age is that even healthily moderate documentation becomes a data management nightmare. It feels like I’m constantly deleting irrelevant photos and pruning my library and it’s still far too big.
I did lug my DSLR into the delivery room, I got decent pictures without asking the medics to move, and I was present in the moment too. If anything, I wish someone took pictures of me that fine day.
My biggest challenge is making sure I don't lose it all due to corruption (local) or a shuttered service (cloud).
Ed: Do you own a video camera? Renee Madison: No. Fred hates them. Fred Madison: I like to remember things my own way. Ed: What do you mean by that? Fred Madison: How I remembered them. Not necessarily the way they happened.
so we did. and 30 seconds later we saw something incredible and I screamed "GETTTTTT THE CAAAAAMERAAAA!"
for the rest of our vacation, that was our tagline. You can't live outside the time you live in. Everything is a trade off. We enjoyed the trip a lot.
As long as you are willing to "see", usually there's something interesting to be captured. Imagine solving a puzzle. It doesn't have to be relevant to your daily life, but super fun, nonetheless.
Flashcards help. They aren't a substitute for learning the language, but flashcards definitely help.
Pictures help me remember many, many things!
There were quite a few odd things said in this article, and they all seem, for the most part, like a Ted talk: a lot of flash, but very little substance, especially when reality has to be taken into account.
Three angles:
A - For that one picture that's worth you might need to take a dozen.
Or sometimes 60 in burst mode. Liking to take photos in the first place makes it a different exercise and one might spend more effort and be more critical of that one good photo, but I'd assume people not that into photo will also need more sample to find the ones they really like.
B - You only know which one turns out well after the fact. I'd push it further: if you want to live in the moment and not be pixel peeping next to your newborn, you better not care too much about the result and just snap at every chance, especially as you won't be handling you camera while holding your kid.
And that's the same for every occasion. Just snapping a bunch of pictures when it's less distracting is to me the best strategy yet.
C - Unsurprisingly the pictures I absolutely loved weren't the same as my kid's for instance. A decade later he actually looked at his birth photo, and stopped for almost a minute at each one of them, and the one that hit him the most wasn't his. but a random shot of his mother looking at him. I'd feel so sorry if I didn't take that shot, it was horribly framed and totally unthought, but that's the one that hit him. Btw I'm in almost none of these shots, didn't think of it and wouldn't have cared to at the time.
For the second child we had a different doula, but requested her to do the same. Unfortunately that doula was at lunch when the birth happened and missed the whole thing. I managed to get a couple pictures taken with my cell phone but they ended up pretty garbage.
I admit I just went and peeked, but honestly we don't ever look at either of these sets. The newborn photos we really cherish in both cases are the ones that were taken in the hospital the next morning after everyone had gotten a little rest.
When I see pictures of my grandmother, I of course care. I grew up around her and she didn’t pass until I was 28. Only 2 of my relatives from the next generation were old enough to know her.
Everyone else probably just shrugs.
I also bring a camera just because it feels like a security blanket of sorts, because you never know if something is going to come up, and the phone's wide angle lens might be insufficient.
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 memories can pop up every now and then.
At some point you learn to take pictures to evoke memories.
The real question is, do you remember the memory or the picture?
-
Ed: Do you own a video camera?
Renee Madison: No. Fred hates them.
Fred Madison: I like to remember things my own way.
Ed: What do you mean by that?
Fred Madison: How I remembered them. Not necessarily the way they happened.
-
I used to own a DSLR, it was great for planned shots when settings things up for something special (e.g. my dog in mid air jumping over a fallen tree in the woods).
It's a nice hobby but I lost interest and now I just shoot stuff randomly with my iPhone.
It's a nice thing to have, but I think there's a purpose in forgetting, keeping track of everything can become a burden.
We're too obsessed with this, people can't even take a jog any longer without tracking pulse, calories, route etc.
It's too much, and it's making many of us miserable.
I had a friend that spend a concert mad that someone was filming with an iPad on his peripheral vision. Kept talking about it and was the main topic when reviewing the concert to other friends.
Just live your life, you want to take pictures do, you don't don't, you want to post your whole life in Instagram do. Life is whatever you want it to be.
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 wanting deep down to do the same but held back by their own perceived judgement of others potentially turning on them.
...yea, lost me there. Going places because of an interest in the museums content or a locations outdoor experience and having other people around these same points of interest but facing you instead of the {thing} is highly noticeable, and from my lens, strange(as in difficult for me to relate) that the {thing}'s appeal appears to be only as a backdrop to the selfies. The ones that walk up, take the many selfies and move on to the next POI/selfie-spot. I am sure many people enjoy {thing} and then take a quick single selfie and move on to enjoy next {thing}, but I never make note because they didn't spend the entire moment standing in front of {thing} facing others and taking a roll of films worth of slightly different snapshots of themselves.
Have you considered that maybe your "live in the moment" crowd, is living in the moment by noticing others around them and making that observation is not in itself a judgment of anything. Unlike the iPad concert broadcasting crowd or the selfie-enthusiast/collector that runs up to {thing} and leans against the information plaques while having no awareness of the people standing near by reading it.
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.
In my interpretation the author of the article is doing this almost more out of respect for those around him than himself. As a photographer he was always preoccupied with looking for a good shot rather than enjoying the company he was with.
Even when he talks about the pictures of his child’s birth he looks at it through the lens of a professional photographer - it’s not about the memories attached to the photos, it’s about the composition being ‘generic’ vs the photo saying something interesting.
I feel like this article is really more about work/life balance than taking out your phone to grab a snapshot. That’s just how I read it. Also what a sad ending.
I'm not taking the picture to capture the immense beuaty of a landcape, or the magic of a sitaution, I'm not a good enough photographer, and if it's any place worth shooting, there will be much better pictures available of it online anways. I take pictures to document, not as proof, but as an anchor point, so I can remember who, and where. Having a picture of just the landscape does not matter, but having one with the people I'm with, in that landscape, matters.. I can remember travels from "oh, these people were definitely there, because I remember taking a picture of them"
A great photographer can pull out the camera at one anticipated moment, already have the moment and the picture in their heads, since they know their gear and then do it. This is of course the polar opposite of just shooting everything and hoping something will stick which is the approach many people seem to take today. Sometimes I wonder whether they even take the time to wade through the bullshit pictures after..
That being said, as a photographer I like smartphone cameras, since the best camera is the one you have around. But in most situations photographing without asking is disrespectful anyways, so it is reserved for the special occasion and then I try to crystalize the moment into few good photos instead of ruining it with running around and covering everything.
anonu•5h ago
twic•5h ago
snoman•5h ago
It’s one thing to miss a moment, like the author of this article did, because you’re fiddling with a camera but it’s also a thing to capture a moment and have it forever. How many times have you shown someone a photo and they say with amazement and excitement “No way! I’d almost forgotten got about that!” - many for me.