Going back over previous trips is like being there all over again. I have been accused of having a camera up to my eye in every waking moment and I guess that is true. Am I missing out on the experience of being there or am I experiencing more than those who are kicking back and watching it all pass by. As a photographer a moment lost is a missed opportunity. If I leave my camera home and the light is out of this world, I might as well been out of this world as well. I have missed it. My purpose for being on this earth seems to be to record my experiences, it must be because every other pursuit or hobby just can’t match it. I remember the feeling I got surfing, the thrill of speeding along a crystal clear wall of water. That was pretty special. How could taking photos be better than that? For me it is and when I look back to places I have been, everything comes back and I relieve the moment again. I am the luckiest guy on the planet!
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Cracking shot , Christian – love the detail in the reeds. And well said.
Thanks Stuart
Ahh … a landscape at last, albeit an old one.
Did you check the circle of confusion and work out the airy disc on this one ??
I’m confused Merv!
In terms of missing out, I think that it’s both personally – you see things others don’t, but you miss out on some other things. I love seeing the little things that other people miss, especially when I get a good shot (which is getting easier now I have a half-decent camera), but I know that sometimes I miss out on seeing something else because I’m busy taking the shot. For me, the difference between the person with the camera and the person without, is that the person without is lacking the tools to share the memory and is allowing themselves the possibility to lose the memory altogether. How many conversations have you been a part of or overheard someone say “OMG I’d forgotten that!!”, only to be answered with “I haven’t – I’ve still got the photos”.
Agreed that you’re one of the lucky ones, but at least you’re willing to share the passion and experience you have as well.
I wrote about this Beks because my wife said to me yesterday at the beach, enjoy the moment put the camera down, I was enjoying the moment! hehe. Soon as I put the camera down I get bored!
I love looking at old photos, every one brings back a memory, it is my diary of my life over the past 21 years.
Totally agree – well said Christian. My wife has said the same thing to me too. I just get stressed if i don’t have a camera with me as i know something great will happen!
Now i’m confused !!!
Hey ,is this a Sd shot ??
5d … bloody confusing.
no it was shot on the Phase!
love the detail in the shot.
Agree with you about enjoying the moment, a moment taken is a moment shared.
Great words my friend. I can and do put the camera away once in a while, just to allow me to have time off. In the Kimberley on TN, I went fishing for two days with no camera (of course, we got an awesome sunset and got caught by the tides for 4 hours so I had to borrow Greggy’s Nikon to document it). But photos from the many countries have visited mean I can relive this trips over and over as I process new images. And I almost always look back on the trips and think “I should have shot even more!”.
Thats exactly what happens to me Flemming, always think I should have shot more. Good excuse to go back I suppose.
Great to hear how much you love what you do mate! Beautiful image too!
Personally I think that you can do both…taking photos IS enjoying the moment, and if you don’t take photos, then you probably wont enjoy the moment as much anyway hey because you will be thinking…buggar, I missed that awesome shot! And theres nothing like going back over some winners and re-living the experience again and again.
Sometimes the camera gets in my way though. When I use the camera I must be in the shooters mindset, completely different to a relaxed mindset. I am so focused on light, composition, anticipating the moments etc, moving around, that afterwards I may not entirely have noticed what happened except for what I captured. So sometimes I pack away the camera so I don’t have to be in that mode, but say can sit on Cable Beach and just enjoy and meditate to a sunset (which I don’t need to shoot anyway).
haha good line Flemming, I don’t need to shoot sunsets, especially on Cable Beach, different if you have a camel in them!!! hehe
Yes Sam missing a great shot makes looking at that great scene annoying. My batteries died on my phase once and the sunset was going ballistic. I couldn’t look at it, I packed the camera away and walked back to the car my head bowed and tears welling up in my eyes! AGhhhhhhhh
Great shot Christian, reminds me of being back in the Scottish highlands. I hear ya on the ‘not being in the moment’ challenge, I often hear myself thinking that very same thought and wondering if I’m missing out. In one sense I wouldn’t have visited most of the places travelled if it wasn’t for the main aim of photography.
Thats right Mal, photography gets us to these great places! I have seen more amazing things than most people i know. All thanks to photography
I’ve often asked myself the question if I’m missing out on enjoying the moment when photographing. On the other hand, like Flemming said, I always wish I had taken more photos afterwards. I think it even goes beyond just recording experiences. Through your photography you create your own version of the experience and can relive it yourself later, but also share that way of experiencing the world it with others.
I think in the end it is just bloody great fun and why wouldn’t you do it. Stuff sitting on your arse, get up move around, interact with it, re live it after, frame it, sell it make money from it then spend that money to go do it all over again! It’s a no brainer!! :-0)
Yep, just get out there and enjoy it. It’s easy to take it all in while your shooting , you don’t miss anything and you’ve got a record of it. Can’t simpler than that.
I here ya Christian! The kids and I were camping at Coral Bay, the day was overcast so decided to leave the camera gear at camp, and go snorkeling. We snorkeled for awhile, then upon leaving the water, I looked up to see the whole sky had turned an amazing purple, like nothing I’d seen before. The sky was changing quickly… I just knew that I wouldn’t make it back to camp for my gear in time. I couldn’t believe it, just stood there completely annoyed and frustrated!
I prefer to live in the now, not the “I remember.” There are many times I wish I had a camera to capture a scene but I’d rather enjoy the totality of a place, the smell, the sound, the feel, and not simply the sight. Being a guy, multitasking is not easy for me and if I concentrate on one aspect, I miss out on the others.
At least Michael can bring sound into his work.