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There are 261,690 photos of the Eiffel Tower on Flickr. So why do we still take pictures of it?
Yes, 261,690 photos. Of one man-made structure. If every possible photograph of the Eiffel Tower has not already been taken, we're probably coming dangerously close to exhausting the limits of human creativity. Same goes for all the hundreds of thousands of photographs of Times Square, Buckingham Palace, the Pyramids, Angkor Wat, and every other tourist destination to which millions of camera-clad tourists flock every year.
Photos of all these places-- many of the shots better than anything most of us could take-- are on Flickr right now and available for us to download and print out or upload onto Facebook.
But we don't do these things, do we? After we come back from Paris, we don't show our friends other people's photos of the Eiffel Tower, even though many of them are probably better than our own. It seems as if we'd prefer to look at (and show others) inferior photographs of our own creation rather than beautiful shots done by somebody else, even when both photos are of the same thing. But why?
Well, in many photos, we like to stand in front of tourist landmarks as a sort of proof that we were there-- the ol' "This is me in front of the Eiffel Tower" shot. You can't simply download these photos off Flickr, so it makes sense to take these pictures. But, assuming we don't have some great photographic abilities, why do we spend time and energy photographing just the Eiffel Tower itself when so many great photos of it are already available?
I think it's because we get satisfaction when we produce an image, even when it's (sometimes highly) imperfect. It's human nature to hold up something we've created and proudly say, "I made this. Sure, maybe others have done it better, but this was what I did."
And others enjoy seeing what we've created as well (rather than just where we've been), even if it might lack the polish of the work of someone more talented. It's the same reason your mother was always happier to receive a hideous hand-made card on Mother's Day rather than a beautiful one that could be bought from the store. (Well, up to a certain age, I guess.)
If we were really only interested in showing people where we've been, we'd print out a bunch of photos from Flickr or upload a bunch of stock photography to Facebook. But we're equally interested in that "I made this" feeling, the one that comes from showing others-- and ourselves-- how much beauty we can create when we give ourselves the chance.
Filed under: Arts and Culture, Photos
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Tom Johansmeyer Jan 12th 2009 12:05PM
For me, the real photographic fun at the Eiffel Tower was sneaking pictures of the beggars who stand around with cards detailing (in English) tales of woe related to Bosnia.
That and the guy with the "free hugs" sign ...
Fucking AO Hell Jan 12th 2009 12:22PM
because i tend to post pictures of my vacations.
Craig Jan 12th 2009 12:51PM
Exactly. It's a bit disingenuous to print out someone else's photo and put it in your album. How can you have a "Paris Trip 2009" album with no Eiffel Tower?
Jamie Rhein Jan 12th 2009 2:24PM
Aaron, I'm sure you mother would be DELIGHTED, Thrilled with a homemade Mother's Day card. Get busy. You have four months left. If you have a picture of you in front of the Eiffel Tower-even better. Glue it on a piece of construction paper and draw hearts around it. She'd love it.
BrianM Jan 12th 2009 3:45PM
I plan on taking my own photos of it this March, and damnit I am going to take at least 20-50 of the Eiffle Tower alone! So what if it's been taken before, I am not taking a photo for the purpose of taking the best photo possible, I take it to capture the moment and as a keepsake to remember that momement, not somene elses moment there.
KennyGadams Jan 13th 2009 12:33AM
Because the photographer captures the photograph the way they see it. It looks majestic in their eyes. It's a visual of their memory. And it's the other pictures that make them want to see these places.
Kenny G. Adams
http://www.ImageEnvision.com/