Sometimes you need to make a hundred photos to get one really good shot. Sometimes you need to write a thousand words to end up with a few good sentences. The value is on selection.
I try to clean up my photo roll everyday and go through older journeys regularly. But it takes time. And making photos can temporarily feel more satisfying.
I think these days, for me anyway, photography is kind of analogous to say Pokemon Go. I bring my camera with me when I go on hikes primarily because I want to see what kind of interesting scenes (aka "monsters") I might encounter and capture.
Sure, there is that ego payoff when other people enjoy my pictures. But I'm pretty sure even if you told me there was a 100% chance no one else would ever see my pictures, I'd probably still grab my camera on the way out the door most mornings.
I think we've lost a little intentionality with images, but I also like seeing random pictures come up in my photo library that remind me of a trip, even if it's something dumb! There's this book, Camera Lucida by Roland Barthes where he talks about two facets of photography - studium, or the technical and contextual details of the image, and punctum, the emotional resonance of an image. I kinda like that framing, and I do think there's a little less punctum in the photo world these days.
I never really owned a camera, so most of the photos I had were those that people gave me (mostly family sharing pictures of family occasions, for example). On vacations, I would buy some postcards to remind me of special scenery: the pictures on those cards were better than anything I could've taken! When I was dragged into the cell-phone era, I still barely took any pictures. Now I do take some, but usually only a few a day if on vacation. I rarely take selfies and don't share pictures on social media.
The funny thing is that I do like looking at photographs, especially those that are of historical or artistic interest. I just don't feel like most of my life is either, and doesn't need to be closely documented. I also like photos to be curated: I don't want to see 15 images of the same thing, just the best one or two. I do wonder, when I see hordes of people wildly snapping pictures at every landmark, or when I hear people say they have 30,000 photos on their camera roll: who really looks at all those pictures?
Yeah, I don’t know what happens to all of those pictures either. And not taking photos, instead just having experiences, is a great way to move through the world, and I’d be the last person to pass judgment on how others do so.
And why photos deserve to be carefully shared. I love them so much. (I won't tell you the lesson your last photo reminds me of, but that it was important and from my microbiology professor. =)
Weirdly I take about the same number of photos these days when I'm travelling as I used to with a film camera i.e about a 'roll' a week (between 24 and 36 pictures).
Bound to ask whether Michael will continue to take "too many"?
Sometimes you need to make a hundred photos to get one really good shot. Sometimes you need to write a thousand words to end up with a few good sentences. The value is on selection.
I try to clean up my photo roll everyday and go through older journeys regularly. But it takes time. And making photos can temporarily feel more satisfying.
Both things are sooooo true.
(I’m right with you there, yelling in delight about those special cloud formations!!)
I think these days, for me anyway, photography is kind of analogous to say Pokemon Go. I bring my camera with me when I go on hikes primarily because I want to see what kind of interesting scenes (aka "monsters") I might encounter and capture.
Sure, there is that ego payoff when other people enjoy my pictures. But I'm pretty sure even if you told me there was a 100% chance no one else would ever see my pictures, I'd probably still grab my camera on the way out the door most mornings.
💯💯💯 agree. Even if I were the only one to see them, I'd still take the pictures.
I think we've lost a little intentionality with images, but I also like seeing random pictures come up in my photo library that remind me of a trip, even if it's something dumb! There's this book, Camera Lucida by Roland Barthes where he talks about two facets of photography - studium, or the technical and contextual details of the image, and punctum, the emotional resonance of an image. I kinda like that framing, and I do think there's a little less punctum in the photo world these days.
I’ve never heard of that and now I’ve learned something new. I wonder how much the punctum is diluted by the avalanche of photos?
I never really owned a camera, so most of the photos I had were those that people gave me (mostly family sharing pictures of family occasions, for example). On vacations, I would buy some postcards to remind me of special scenery: the pictures on those cards were better than anything I could've taken! When I was dragged into the cell-phone era, I still barely took any pictures. Now I do take some, but usually only a few a day if on vacation. I rarely take selfies and don't share pictures on social media.
The funny thing is that I do like looking at photographs, especially those that are of historical or artistic interest. I just don't feel like most of my life is either, and doesn't need to be closely documented. I also like photos to be curated: I don't want to see 15 images of the same thing, just the best one or two. I do wonder, when I see hordes of people wildly snapping pictures at every landmark, or when I hear people say they have 30,000 photos on their camera roll: who really looks at all those pictures?
Also, if it's not already clear, I do consider your photos to be of artistic interest, as well as giving me a flavor of places I may never get to see!
Aww, thank you very much!
Yeah, I don’t know what happens to all of those pictures either. And not taking photos, instead just having experiences, is a great way to move through the world, and I’d be the last person to pass judgment on how others do so.
And why photos deserve to be carefully shared. I love them so much. (I won't tell you the lesson your last photo reminds me of, but that it was important and from my microbiology professor. =)
Well, now you have to tell me!
Yup.
Weirdly I take about the same number of photos these days when I'm travelling as I used to with a film camera i.e about a 'roll' a week (between 24 and 36 pictures).
Bound to ask whether Michael will continue to take "too many"?
Can a leopard change its spots? LOL. Neither can I. So, yeah, I will continue to take too many pics!
Then I'll continue to be your counter weight!
Hi Yin. I'm Yang!
🤣