Originally Posted by
sentient02970
The Age Of Digital Photography
First of all I'm not going to piss on the technology of digital photography. I personally think it's astounding in both quality and versatility. I also am in a business that builds parts that enable such technology. For me, it's the way society has "embraced it" that has me a bit put off. I'm also writing this based on last night's experience on date night with my partner and I which still has me a bit steamed.
After a nice little dinner we walked it off down at the lake waterfront and marina. The place has a nice little boardwalk and can get a bit crowded with tourists this time of year but that usually doesn't detract from the experience. It was sunset over the lake and the view, like almost any other night there, is gorgeous. The two of us really loved it. But what blew us away was how 90% of everyone out there on the boardwalk we either looking at the sunset through their phone lenses or setting up digital SLR shots (some people had actual tripods) for groups. I was wondering how many of these people were actually enjoying the experience for what it was and not how it was going to look on some social media site. I'm also blown away by how much of this I see at concerts. Phones up in the air and me wondering "is anyone actually watching the show through their own eyes?"
The best part came when the two of us found a nice spot to look out from which was apart from the snap happy tourists when we were interrupted by a woman in a straw hat with an SLR strung around her neck asking "could we possibly get a photo here without you two in it?". She apparently was trying to photograph a group who had shown up next to us to pose in front of the sunset. I responded jokingly (and slightly serious) that I was looking for ways to photo bomb them but we reluctantly moved anyhow.
So what I've come to realize is that photography in the digital age means just about ANYONE with a phone or a few spare bucks carries something that they feel they need to use to capture photos at just about every special moment. Sure, convenience is nice, but I recall photography being something of a hobby for some people and you'd see a couple of those folks here or there catching shots, not every single joe-tourist out on the town. On top of that, add the entitlement of people to "choose how the shot is done" while invading the freedoms of others to just enjoy themselves without having to be told to "please move out of our shot". Then I ask myself how many of these photos are actually going to be recalled as something nice as a memory to look back on or just another "Like" catcher on Facebook to say "hey we were here, isn't that awesome?" and then forgotten within a week. Maybe I'm an old fogey but good lord..
/rant