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Five reasons to leave your camera at home
When packing for that dream trip, a camera is usually high on the list of essential items. Actually, it's not as important as some people think. Here are five reasons to leave your camera at home.One less thing to worry about
It puts a barrier between you and the people
Nothing makes you stand out more than pointing a camera at a complete stranger. An unsuspecting market stall owner or farmer or palace guard is busy trying to do his or her job, and suddenly some tourist comes along and sticks a big lens in their face. Not a good way to get the locals to warm up to you. In some places, posing for photos has become a business and you'll be promptly asked for cash after you take a shot, or be badgered by flocks of children asking for their photo to be taken. Some countries have strict rules about what you can photograph. I once got told off by a cop in Tehran because I took a photo of a statue. The statue was fine, but including the post office behind it was forbidden because it was a government building. With no camera in sight, you'll get a lot less harassment.
Really, does anyone care?
There's nothing quite as boring as looking at someone else's holiday snaps. Oh sure, your family and friends will make admiring noises and ask to see more, but that's because they like you. They'd like you more if you closed the photo album or computer and took them out for a drink.
It can interfere with the moment
When my wife and I attended an archaeology conference in Oxford, we and the other participants got invited to walk among the stones of Stonehenge at dawn. As the sun rose between two of the standing stones it cast an eerie glow through the mist. Everyone hurried to take a picture while I stood there in awe. The conditions were such that nobody got a perfect shot. I ended up with the best memory of the event, still vivid after seven years, because I was actually looking at the sunrise instead of trying to capture it. (Full disclosure: this was mostly due to the fact that my wife was holding our camera at that moment, otherwise it would be her bragging right now.)
Over at Postsecret, where people send in heartfelt messages and confessions on anonymous postcards, someone who says he plays Mickey Mouse at Disneyland tells parents not to rush over and take a picture of their kid cuddling him because the best part of his job is seeing the kid's face light up at meeting him. Taking a shot distracts both him and the kid from a magical moment. Who are we to disagree with Mickey Mouse?
You can get better pictures elsewhere
Chances are you're not a professional photographer. Even if you are, when you're on vacation you probably don't have the time or inclination to take professional quality photos anyway. The pros work under ideal conditions with expensive equipment, and often wait hours, days, or even weeks for the perfect shot. Benefit from and reward their labor by buying postcards and coffee table books full of amazing images of the places you've been. Or check out our Photo of the Day section.
So when you're packing for your next vacation, rethink what you're putting in your bags. Your trip might just be the better for it.
There's nothing quite as boring as looking at someone else's holiday snaps. Oh sure, your family and friends will make admiring noises and ask to see more, but that's because they like you. They'd like you more if you closed the photo album or computer and took them out for a drink.
It can interfere with the moment
When my wife and I attended an archaeology conference in Oxford, we and the other participants got invited to walk among the stones of Stonehenge at dawn. As the sun rose between two of the standing stones it cast an eerie glow through the mist. Everyone hurried to take a picture while I stood there in awe. The conditions were such that nobody got a perfect shot. I ended up with the best memory of the event, still vivid after seven years, because I was actually looking at the sunrise instead of trying to capture it. (Full disclosure: this was mostly due to the fact that my wife was holding our camera at that moment, otherwise it would be her bragging right now.)
Over at Postsecret, where people send in heartfelt messages and confessions on anonymous postcards, someone who says he plays Mickey Mouse at Disneyland tells parents not to rush over and take a picture of their kid cuddling him because the best part of his job is seeing the kid's face light up at meeting him. Taking a shot distracts both him and the kid from a magical moment. Who are we to disagree with Mickey Mouse?
You can get better pictures elsewhere
Chances are you're not a professional photographer. Even if you are, when you're on vacation you probably don't have the time or inclination to take professional quality photos anyway. The pros work under ideal conditions with expensive equipment, and often wait hours, days, or even weeks for the perfect shot. Benefit from and reward their labor by buying postcards and coffee table books full of amazing images of the places you've been. Or check out our Photo of the Day section.
So when you're packing for your next vacation, rethink what you're putting in your bags. Your trip might just be the better for it.
Reader Comments (Page 4 of 6)
Pat Feb 5th 2010 4:06PM
So many people have expressed my ideas so perfectly that I will only add that when I travel (and I have been to all seven continents and over 50 countries), the main things on my list to take are camera, passport, e-ticket and medication. Everything else can be left behind. The last time I went to Sri Lanka my luggage was lost for four days. I washed out my shirt and underwear every night and wore my jeans three day. When I did wash them I ended up having to wear them still half wet the next day. While I was more than glad to see my luggage, not having it didn't ruin my trip but not having my camera would have...This is how I feel: If you can be flexible, have a sense of humor, travel light, and be with friends of the heart...Life is good!
m Feb 13th 2010 10:46PM
If you are going to worry about a camera being stolen, why leave the house in the first place? Do you worry about a flat tire on the rental car causing a wreck?
As far as being a barrier, you don't know those people any way. Do you think you'll be instant friends without the camera? That they're going to invite you over for a home-cooked meal if you don't?
Does anyone really care? Yes I do, that's why I take the pictures. If people ask to see photos, I'll share them. Otherwise those are MY memories.
I've taken thousands of sunrise/sunset pictures and they captured the moment. When I take those pictures as a photographer (as opposed to being just an observer) I may take several hundred to capture the small changes as things progress. If you can't figure out how to set your camera to take a decent sunrise picture, then get back to enjoying the view, you probably shouldn't own a camera anyway.
If I wanted to get someone else's pictures of something, why would I even bother to go?
I'm thinking you may be one of those people who consistently cuts off heads/feet in people shots and who always has the subject right in the middle of the image.
Nancy Feb 5th 2010 11:31AM
There's a lot of truth to this. I was in Penang (Malaysia) with friends a few years ago, and one of them was so anal about taking pictures of every little thing that it was actually a bit of a pain. She missed out on simply experiencing a lot of it because she always had her face stuck behind a camera. Buying coffee-table books is a GREAT way to go, esp. in a place as picturesque as India or Cambodia.
Sign Guy Feb 5th 2010 11:50AM
If that's the case, I don't want to se one more picture on any of your blogs!!!
Dina Feb 5th 2010 12:43PM
I totally disagree with the author. My camera broke the first time I went to Israel. True, I could (and did) buy postcards of the major tourist attractions, but I have no pictures of the amazing friends I made or of some of the more unusual, non-tourist attractions.
Dennis Feb 5th 2010 11:31AM
What planet did you grow up on?
bunny Feb 5th 2010 11:39AM
I think your advice to leave the camera at home was stupid and inappropriate!!!
I like to take "artistic" snaps: flowers, trees, buildings, views......... I ALWAYS have my small digital camera with me for this purpose.
I don't, as a rule, take snaps of people unless I ask their permission first.
My trips are that much richer as I can show a few snaps to family and friends.
I am NOT advocating taking snaps in museums or other restricted places. I think some "common sense" is in order [I KNOW "common sense" is not so common]. Flash snaps do damage artworks and cause stage performers eyestrain....... But a few well chosen snaps can bring back memories of an amazing trip!!!
jeff Feb 5th 2010 12:10PM
What are you smoking?
I take the pix for ME not necessarily others. I see pix of my family vacations and I am *instantly* taken back to that moment. Usually it's the pic that sparks the memory in the first place.
Liz Feb 5th 2010 12:21PM
Sean the dude that wrote this article must be rebelling aganist the founder of facebook that said privacy is no longer a standard in our lives today. Or Sean works for the Spanish police, who I have been told, jack you up for taking pictures of them!
Either way this is a odd article.
jmataan Feb 5th 2010 12:31PM
Totally disagree... you can live in the moment and enjoy it but you cannot only rely on your memory... it seems that this writer is very idealistic but not realistic.... people tend to forget...
Photographs help you remember these special moments..... How many times have you looked at an album and see pictures that just trigger those great memories?
Who cares? I do! I love looking at photos. I appreciate my family and friends' experiences and the photos give me a snapshot of their special occasions/trips/events...
Why would I buy a professional photo that doesn't have a meaning to me? The conditions are different.... the experience is different... the people are different...
It’s so easy for this writer to feel smug but he's missing the point, photographs are personal to a lot of people... it’s a great memento of experiences and help convey these great times.
Robert Feb 5th 2010 2:40PM
What a moron...although I'm a moron for wasting my time reading this. Yes, forget memories...forget that picture of you on the beach in Hawaii or that once-in-a-lifetime shot of you and your family in front of the Eifel Tower...in fact, why travel...just sit at home and go on the internet and pretend you went somewhere...sheesh!
Jerry Lewis Feb 5th 2010 12:37PM
Going on a once in a lifetime vacation without a camera to capture the moments would be like trying to paint a picture without paint.
Sean is obviously one of those unfortunate souls who places no value on good memories and experiences that would otherwise fade with time if stored only in the mind. A photgragh is a real time memory that is not subject to distortion of time.
Being considerate of your surroundings and others while experiencing a wonderful vacation or trip is not difficult for mature minded people.
Looking at old pictures of one's best life experiences is one of the best ways to remind ourselves that life really is good. Enjoy your experiences for a lifetime, not just for a fleeting moment.
One of the most precious times in my life was when I spent an entire afternoon with my ailing mother just before she died looking at all the enjoyable experiences we shared as a family. Re-living the past can help us all keep our present lives in proper perspective.
TAKE LOTS OF PICTURES AND ENJOY THEM FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.
T. Burniston Feb 5th 2010 12:42PM
I totally disagree. There's nothing like great memories on film. Our whole family enjoys the trips down memory lane. What if we never had photos of our kids growing up? Their birthday parties? Their graduations? Their marriages? Their kids? What a travesty it would be not to have those photos especially for future generations. No, I will not leave my camera at home!
carolyn dougharty Feb 5th 2010 12:46PM
For me anyway, travelling with a camera is all about balance. I WANT the photo of me by the Irish farmhouse, I WANT the photo of me with Machu Picchu in the background. However, I know when to put the camera down, and enjoy the moment---like when on a whale watching trip in Baja last year. The battery was dying, the water was rough, and who knew whales could be so fast? I just put the camera in my pocket, and savored the experience. Plenty of photos to go around taken by my companions.
r310lambert Feb 5th 2010 1:15PM
My mom is retired and travels often. I cringe at the phone call to come over and see her photos. They are of things that are significant to her and very boring. With every picture is a story too. My sister and I have to flip the page when she wont move on, it gets very uncomfortable. My point, dont force people to look at your photos, they are for YOU, nobody is interested. I also cant stand when I am with a friend and they go online to Facebook and show me all their stupid poses and friends, YAWN!!!!
SweetP Feb 5th 2010 1:14PM
Obviously written by someone who doesn't know how to snap pics. As time goes by memories will fade but photos last forever!
charmaine a nygaard Feb 5th 2010 1:27PM
This is a foolish article.
I have traveled a lot and have never lost a camera. the photos I took bring back wonderful memories.
Perhaps you are a professional photographer loosing business, because people now have such sophisticated cameras.
Bring your camera, unless you are in a country where photo taking could get you in hot water.
james Feb 5th 2010 1:23PM
This guy is just jealous because he is a lousy photographer. There is no reason to leave a camera home. If people get annoyed by this then just pass them by, as they are not worthy of being a subject to what could very well turn out to be a tremendous photo.
Jim Feb 5th 2010 3:32PM
What a dumbazz writer!!!
Chaz Feb 5th 2010 1:45PM
I couldn't disagree more. We find lot of pleasure reviving many great past memories of people, places and events going through all of our many many pictures.