Why are we taking travel pictures? Read link in first post before answering.

WestEndBoy

This article has got me thinking. Are we taking pictures to say "we were here" which may or may not be a variation on a "selfie"? Or are we trying to capture something about the culture or setting that only a picture can? Or something else. I don't think any answer is good or bad, but just an insight into what drives photographers in this particular genre. I believe that the article below captures part of this topic. Please read the article before posting.

http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2014/10/13/me-tourist-social-media-selfies-and-travel/?intcmp=features

I am looking forward to everyone's comments.

proudgeek

I was prepared to answer this in a very different way until I read the article. I rarely take pictures with my phone. I don't do selfies (actually, this isn't quite true; I have a picture of me taking a selfie of my wife and I as soon as we'd finished our vows and walked up the aisle, back in 1991). In fact, I rarely take pictures of people when I'm on vacation (only at my wife's insistence). I do travel to a lot of cool places and take a lot of pictures, but mostly because these are my souvenirs. Long after the stupid mug has broken or the t-shirt with the dumb saying has worn out, I'll have the amazing images in my library, either on my wall (my real wall, not the Facebook kind) or on my computer, which I can revisit again and again. It's not about proving to anyone I was "there," it's to remind me of what it felt like to live through that experience.

Golf007sd

The modern smartphone have done a great job in allowing, moreover, opening up the doors to people in taking pictures. I welcome them into the world of photography and I look at this in a positive way. Lets us hope that these individuals passion for photography, bring them to the point in buying a D-SLR....regardless of the brand.

The journalist story has validity...ask any street photographer. But, informing your friends and family, what, where, and things you are doing, is part of life and travel itself. We are living in the "information age." Information moves fast..very fast; in our society....thanks to all those that participate in using todays technology. It has brought humanity, more than ever before in being more proactive. It has it's pro's and con's...putting the tools away is being short sighted. Hence, I disagree with his Leave it in Your Pocket section. I would be willing to argue that many not only remember the venue they visit, capturing an image and looking back at it later in the day or days to come, make that experience that much more rewarding.

For me personally, photography, fine dining, and golfing...are all part of my vacation travel plans. I do take the time to "smell the flowers" and enjoy the moment. Take an image and sharing it with the world is part of that joy and reward.

NSXTypeR

Hmm, the way I look at it, you could look at it that way. Or you can say because they are so infatuated with the selfie, they lose out on the experience. But who's to say they're there for the experience? Maybe all they want is that selfie, and they're happy with that. Since "experience" is subjective anyway, there really isn't one right way to do anything.

So if they're there for the selfie, so be it. And if they're there for photography, good on them too.

Looking back though, I don't like taking selfies too much either, but I've been in family photos in scenic locales.

The way I look at it, there's definitely a healthy balance between the two extremes. Similar to the discussion in the wedding photography thread, it would be hard to enjoy and soak in a wedding if you were the official photographer and the father of the bride.

Bokeh_Hunter

As with most articles from that internet venue, is it just a Troll baiting, angry author who is annoyed with something and trying to create a division between people that doesn't exist. The angry and annoyed opinionist is published far too much. The only point he made was that he believes his way of experiencing "travel" is the only way that should exist. It is just a ridiculous article.

Selfies, Travel photos and the like, are nothing more than postcards for the 21st century. I personally enjoy social media for one reason only, to follow friends and family. With the ever increasing pulls from every direction in our daily lives, we are becoming less connected to others as we just don't have time to write, call or visit them. Now with social media, selfies, etc. I get to see their kids grow and see various experiences they share. As with anything new, social norms are being developed and will continue to change as technology changes. Some will fade away (and sometimes come back), some will stay, and many will be laughed at 20yrs from now when we wonder why in the hell did we pose like that?

MikeGunter

Hi all,

I read the article, disagree with it.

Some of us take vacations to take pictures, whether it's of the destination or of whatever.

@Bokeh_Hunter - quite agree.

As always, my best,

Mike

heartyfisher

Yup.. for me the camera is a part of me.. it does not distract from the experience. I still feel the ache in my soul as I remember my visits to Pearl Harbour and Hiroshima even without looking at the photos I took. in many ways photography enhances the experience for me as I would have spent some time trying to immerse myself in it and to try to capture the experience in a photo.

kenadams

I'll give him this, sometimes, one should really take a deep breath and just enjoy the vista through one's own eyes, not a camera viewfinder.

sevencrossing

Mark Murphy
.....They get captured in your psyche, not in your iPhone

There is absolutely no reason why they should not be captured in both

kenadams
sometimes, one should really take a deep breath and just enjoy the vista through one's own eyes, not a camera viewfinder.

Spot on Ken

before capturing a subject with you camera . You have to take in and understand you subject

ThomasHorton

Another article writer who thinks there is only one reason to take pictures.

Getting to the OP's questions

"Are we taking pictures to say "we were here" which may or may not be a variation on a "selfie"? Or are we trying to capture something about the culture or setting that only a picture can? Or something else."

Yes, yes, and yes.

People take photographs for different reasons, all of which are valid for that person. Some people like to take artistic photographs, others just want to document an experience.

If a person is happy taking selfies with a cell phone, great. More power to them.
If a person is happy using a Phase One to capture how the flower "feels", great. More power to them.

This is why there are different manufacturers of cameras and each manufacturer makes different models of cameras.

I think the photography world (and perhaps the entire world) would benefit if we cared a little less about what someone else was doing.

Msmoto

I have no clue why I take photos…. maybe to provide some entertainment value and potentially educational value to others? Street people… to increase our awareness of human suffering? Social groups, so folks can remember the event and laugh again? Portraits….mmm… to let us see some of the humanness in our lives?

But, I think for me I will quite often take on a project just to see what happens, an exploratory process. I like challenges, and learning new techniques.

Selfies, well, just not my cup of tea. But, I can see it is no business of mine what anyone else wants to do…. providing no harm is done to others.

Oh, one other reason to take photos in my case is to provide images for my website which is written by four stuffed animals.

Vipmediastar_JZ

I take pictures because it is fun for me. This weekend I went on a road trip to visit family and I took my gear to photograph a pregnancy and my wife's cousins as they all voluntered to have makeup applied by my wife.

Now these road trips are our vacations rather than week long vacations and bringing a camera is essential for me to have nice photos and have nice memories. However I still want to be able to leave the camera and not regret my decision but I am always thinking what if something happens and I need my dslr for it for an unplanned shoot, awesome rainbow scene, local photographer cancels and I'm called up to fill in etc.

When I was about to take the photos I was overwhelmed because I have probably had only 2 weekends this year free to myself and I wanted to just sleep in and relax and enjoy the moment.

I did go fishing the next day and when I was asked to take the camera I said no, I'm going to relax and use my iphone if pictures are needed.

I usually have my dslr with me but today I didn't and I feel great about it. I'll probably have it tomorrow so that I can take pictures of people with their umbrellas and rain boots and some dramatic skies.

Enjoying the moment is essential and if you can capture the moment that would be even better.

tcole1983

Having just gotten back from a very touristy place with more cell phone selfies and pictures as mentioned in the article. Who cares? I take pictures on different levels. I take family pictures for memories. I take pictures to capture something interesting or that I find artfully intriguing. I take some crappy cell phone pictures and selfies just to say I was there or to show someone something. I think cell phones have given people the opportunity to take the same pictures as in the past but now you don't have to ask someone to take it for you (even though I did take a half dozen family pictures or so for people). I do different things with my pictures. Some are blown up and hanging in my house. Some are printed in 4*6s to put in albums. Some are posted online oor Facebook. However I don't get so engrossed that I miss the moment. I rarely don't engage myself in what is going on to enjoy and remember the happenings.

henrik1963

I take pictures because I like taking pictures. I have no better reason than that.

When on vacation I still like taking pictures so I bring my camera. Sometimes I use my D800 + pro lenses as a point and shoot camera. Sometimes I try harder :-) Sometimes people ask me to take pictures. But most of the time I take the pictures I want.

Some people like to play video games. I like to take pictures.

Vipmediastar_JZ

I think this video will fit right in with the conversation

proudgeek

^^Exactly what I was thinking about when I answered.

heartyfisher

LOL that was awesome !

ThomasHorton

That was a sad video.

miller18

Who are we to judge a persons experience of their trip by a photo that took 2 secs to to setup and take. That may be the picture that we see but they may have dozens of amazing photos they don't share, for whatever reason.

Bokeh_Hunter

@Vipmediastar_JZ - love that!

BabaGanoush

My wife and I take pictures when we travel because we like to, and also because as retirees we can afford to go to unusual or exotic places that our friends cannot travel to, either because of money or time constraints. We enjoy sharing our experiences with them. We also belong to the local chapter of an Adventurers Club (sometimes known in other cities as Explorers Clubs), and we're expected to give an illustrated presentation to the club when we return from a trip. Some long-time club members, because of advanced age or poor health, can no longer do any strenuous travel, and so their only opportunity to "visit" faraway places is vicariously through seeing photos or videos of where others have gone. Neither my wife nor I take selfies. We appear in a few of our photos, just enough of them to make fun of ourselves while struggling to put on diving gear or maybe dancing with the locals in Papua New Guinea or Fiji. (Let me tell you, after a half dozen bowls of kava, our "dancing" can get pretty uncoordinated.)

UPDATE: It's one thing to take photos in an environment you're totally familiar with, but quite another to do it in a situation or place that is totally unfamiliar. I like the challenge of having to respond to the unexpected, the unfamiliar.

Golf007sd

Good message toward the end....