Missing the experience, to get the shot.

[LV Moose]

Have there been times when, in trying to "capture the moment", you actually missed the "feeling" or the overall experience of it? Take a sporting event, or a kids birthday, watching animals in the wild, or being at an historically significant event. I think there have been plenty of instances when by trying to take good shots, I've missed something more important about being there.

I'm sure we've all had those moments when you think, "Damn, I wish I had my camera."

I wonder if there are times when, looking back, we should think, "Damn, I wish I had left it behind."

Thoughts?

[DAMphyne]

Weddings

[Wilt]

Yes! I rather enjoy Disneyland than to photograph it...the camera doesn't enter the park! I find that when I cover a family event, like a first birthday party, I don't get to enjoy things to the same degree as if I was merely a guest. I think that a lot if it is the whirring mind anticipating things and planning what approach works better. My photography quality goes down but my enjoyment goes up with a few beers ingested.

[polarbare]

sporting events.. if you're watching the game like a spectator you're missing a lot.

[deletedpenguin]

Wilt mentioned Disneyland, and that's actually what popped into my head when I read this article. The last two times I went to Disneyland, for example, I had my gripped 30D with me and backpack full of lenses. I didn't "miss much" per se, but it makes you look at the park differently. I don't think you're necessarily taking it all in anymore, but you're looking at the details that you want to capture. I suppose you miss some, but personally it makes you look at situation differently than you otherwise would.

I enjoy photography, and I enjoy capturing the surrounding ambiance. If I had children, or were at a wedding, it might be a little different.

With that said, we're headed back to Disneyland next month, and I'm thinking of picking up a "high end" point and shoot, as I've done the DSLR thing, and just want to travel lighter, while still being able to get shots here and there.

[ETS]

When I visited Denali National Park, Alaska in 2003. I was awe struck by the scenery. A Kodak p&s was the only camera I had at the time. Was so ga ga that I just set it aside for most of the trip and just took it all in.
Going back again this June with my XTi. We'll be taking a ship cruise as well. I plan to wear the camera out this time.

[LeuceDeuce]

Ballroom dance competitions.

Each dance has 6+ couples on the floor for 90 seconds, and you are constantly scanning looking for shots. You never know which couples are coming back in the next round, so you can't skip someone knowing you'll get a chance later. At the end you don't really remember what happened :)

[parhelion77]

I'm definitely separated from the event when shooting concerts. I know whats happening and all, but I'm emotionally dis-attached. :(

[deserttarheel]

I leave it behind whenever the event is something I want to actually be part of. On the other hand, if I'd rather not be at the event, my camera is a great cover!

[timbop]

Actually, WRT to disney, I find that the photography is more of the enjoyment - for the most part. Our last vacation I brought my 5d, 24-70, 70-200/2.8IS and monopod, and enjoyed having the full kit most of the time. However, by the 5th day my shoulders were killing me, so I only took the brick and 5d to the kennedy space center. Big mistake, and I regret not burdoning my shoulders for another day. This was 5 days before a launch, and on the "backstage" tour we were within a half mile of the shuttle on the pad. Man, I really wished I had the 70-200 with me.

Of course, on the waterpark day the camera stayed home and that was a lot of fun, so I do know what you mean.

[timbop]

if I'd rather not be at the event, my camera is a great cover!

Agreed!!:D

[Sparky98]

I find that I either get involved in the event and take few if any pictures or I take lots of pictures and "miss" the event.

[TheHoff]

I don't understand the DSLRs at Disneyland. Take a P&S, shoot a few snaps of your family, and enjoy. The 'details' and 'landscapes' of Disney have been shot 1,000,000,000 times before and I think we'd be better off as a society saving the electricity it would take to process and store the same images again.

[RaymondXTi]

I don't understand the DSLRs at Disneyland. Take a P&S, shoot a few snaps of your family, and enjoy. The 'details' and 'landscapes' of Disney have been shot 1,000,000,000 times before and I think we'd be better off as a society saving the electricity it would take to process and store the same images again.

haha, funny you mention because my girlfriend's birthday is coming up towards the end of March and she's been wanting to go to Disney for a while now. Since they have that deal now for a free pass on your birthday, we're taking advantage of it and heading there for the day.

I don't really care to go to Disney, so I'll be taking my camera and shooting around while she enjoys the sights. Sorry to waste your electricity. :lol:

[TheHoff]

You're making little baby polar bears cry :(

[mbellot]

I don't understand the DSLRs at Disneyland. Take a P&S, shoot a few snaps of your family, and enjoy. The 'details' and 'landscapes' of Disney have been shot 1,000,000,000 times before and I think we'd be better off as a society saving the electricity it would take to process and store the same images again.

True, but there are things that haven't, and that only happen once.

We (me, wife and three daughters 8, 4 and 4 at the time) went to Disney(world) last April. Included in the itinerary was dinner in Cinderella's castle, a dank and dark place that would confound any P&S.

I came away with some nice shots (thank you 1DMkIII + 24-70/L) of my girls enjoying the entire experience, but avoided covering it like an event (camera to face 100% of the time). It was an fun show (fairy godmother and mice) and my girls still talk about it.

I would never take a P&S to Disney, but I also won't ever let taking photos control the experience.

[timbop]

I can't stand using a P&S, which is why I got a DSLR in the first place. You vacation your way, and I'll vacation mine, thank you very much.

[Blue S2]

I separate my intentions. When I go to travel with family or friends, I make a point to let others take the photos and try to be "in the moment" more. If its somewhere scenic, I have often tried to take a few ours on my own early in the morning to photograph and explore. I try to make my personal photo work distanced from outings with others. It's harder to concentrate with friends and family around too if they weren't there for the same reason.

When I do go out with friends or family, I always strip the kit down. I'm not working, so why haul gear. 5DII with one lens. Usually a 35L, 50 1.4, or occasionally a 24-105L. A fast prime on a 5D in a holster is quite light and not a burden to carry at all.

[tzalman]

I know for sure that my wife isn't glad to see the camera coming along. How many times have I left her standing bored on the sidelines while I circled around looking for the best angle, zoomed or changed lens to find another perspective or simply stood waiting until people or other moving elements got to the compositionally right place? To say nothing of the many concerts, etc. where we paid for two seats but I hardly sat next to her. The woman has the patience of a dozen saints, but at the same time I know that the pressure of the guilt I feel for neglecting her has cost me some shots.

[DC Fan]

The shot is the experience. Your goal should be to use your pictures to tell the story of the event or the place where you are. An example:

http://www.fansview.com/racing/10252008b0871.jpg

The story of this cross-country ATV race, always one of the toughest in the country, was how it was made even tougher when overnight rains turned the course into a river of mud. It took hundreds of images and tracking through woods and mud to get this image, something that sums up the experience in one picture. The picture tells a story, something that's a vital part of photography.

[John_B]

Have there been times when, in trying to "capture the moment", you actually missed the "feeling" or the overall experience of it?LV Moose,
For me, No!
As I enjoy taking photos :)
And then there is later on, when you can see the great photos of the time....

But there have been plenty of times of "Damn, I wish I had my camera."

[rral22]

As a generalization, you can either take part in something, or you can photograph it, but seldom both.

There are some times, however, when I find photography helps my experience of the event, but it must be a very slow, contemplative "event" for that to work. Sitting by a lake waiting for the light to become just right can often be enhanced by thinking and preparing for the photography that will happen. But even that experience gets "changed" by photography because once I see that perfect light, I start taking pictures of it rather than just being there in that light.

Photography is its own experience that fully occupies your consciousness if you are doing it properly. That means you must, of necessity, give up other experiences at that time.

[nphsbuckeye]

I don't understand the DSLRs at Disneyland. Take a P&S, shoot a few snaps of your family, and enjoy. The 'details' and 'landscapes' of Disney have been shot 1,000,000,000 times before and I think we'd be better off as a society saving the electricity it would take to process and store the same images again.
Disneyworld hasn't seen the likes of me.:cool: And plus, many people bought their SLR for purposes such as that, so it would be silly for a person to buy an XS and not take it (afterall, how many people do truly own L glass, I doubt very many at all).

Back to the OP, sporting events. I'm a huge fan of sports, but when shooting for the paper, I'm there only for one purpose.

[DC Fan]

I don't understand the DSLRs at Disneyland.

Probably because Disneyland started using DSLR's first.

In 2000, Disneyland had an instant photo service where you could get a color print made at the park, on the spot. The camera they used was the Kodak DCS330, (http://www.dpreview.com/news/9907/99072701dcs330.asp) a modified Nikon Pronea APS body. (http://www.zdnet.com.au/reviews/coolgear/cameras/soa/Kodak-Professional-DCS-330/0,139023377,120150699,00.htm) It was the most affordable DSLR at the time, 3 megapixels for the low price of US $5,000.

People who now carry DSLR's at the park are just following the example that was set nine years ago.

[DStanic]

As a generalization, you can either take part in something, or you can photograph it, but seldom both.

There are some times, however, when I find photography helps my experience of the event, but it must be a very slow, contemplative "event" for that to work. Sitting by a lake waiting for the light to become just right can often be enhanced by thinking and preparing for the photography that will happen. But even that experience gets "changed" by photography because once I see that perfect light, I start taking pictures of it rather than just being there in that light.

Photography is its own experience that fully occupies your consciousness if you are doing it properly. That means you must, of necessity, give up other experiences at that time.

I agree compeletely!


I went to the Toronto Autoshow last weekend (I'm a big car nut). I brought my DSLR with the 10-20mm and a flash, cause I knew that it would be EASIER then using a P&S. Sure enough, it was a great combination and I didn't have to stand back 10ft to fit the car into the frame. I didn't take alot of pictures though (I went with the intention of getting lots of the new Camaro) but that was okay, cause I had a great EXPERIENCE. Besides, soon those cars will be in the dealer showrooms and then on the streets anyways and those pics woun't really matter anymore.

When I shot my wife's friends wedding past summer, I put myself in a position as a PHOTOGRAPHER, that was my JOB. Considering it was my first wedding, I think the pictures turned out pretty good. I had a fun time photographing the wedding but I definatly had to seperate myself from the experience in order to do the job.

If you are going to an event for the EXPERIENCE, I really think P&S are great. If you can bring a DSLR without a bag full of gear, that's fine too.

[mandt]

Since I'm the only one taking pictures, I'm never in the "memories" that I've created for the family outings.

[hollis_f]

Twice the opposite has happened.

When I travelled to Turkey for a total eclipse I'd spent ages running through what I'd planned to shoot, how I was going to change the manual settings in a controlled fashion, how I was going to take time out to shoot wider angle views, etc. When it happened I was just so gobsmacked that I could hardly remember that I had a camera, let alone my planned sequence of exposures. So I just looked at it, exclaiming various profanities and randomly adjusting shutter speeds and pressing the remote release. Luckily some of the shots turned out OK...

http://photos.imageevent.com/frankhollis/eclipse/websize/eclipse%2006.jpg

The second time was going to see Mountain Gorillas in Rwanda. This time I planned nothing, but we did have an hour so I could get over the initial wonerment. But I still found I had to remind myself to take a few shots of those magnificent creatures...

http://photos.imageevent.com/frankhollis/africa/kenyarwanda/websize/Kenya-Rwanda%20070921%20300.jpg

[jgrussell]

Before I went to Africa last summer, the best advice I got from forum members was: put the camera down. I remembered that enough during the trip to feel like I really had and enjoyed the experience. But at the same time I would have been bitterly disappointed if I could not sit here, on a cold snowy winter night, and review the photos I took of the trip...

[MJPhotos24]

I shot a game the other day and saw the highlights on SportsCenter, there was stuff on the highlights I didn't see during the game shooting it as I was focused elsewhere. Let the images tell the story instead of worrying about if I saw it as a fan.

[tonylong]

If you're shooting as a hobbyist you have to pick and choose, and there are no rules. I grew up going to Disneyland, so the last couple of times I went there I wanted to take pictures but still for convenience I brought advanced super-zoom compact cameras. I left the DSLR gear at the hotel.

When I set out to do some specialized shooting, though, such as a sport, I don't take that so casually. You have to get acquainted with the "moments" of what you need to shoot. I tend to pay a lot more attention to types of shooting that require closer and faster shots.

[lungdoc]

I think for outdoor daylight event "people and scenery" photography we tend in general to overstate the benefits of a DSLR vs. a quality P&S/ultrazoom. It's also often the settings where the size and weight of the camera interfere more than the actual act of taking pictures.

[neilwood32]

Actually, WRT to disney, I find that the photography is more of the enjoyment - for the most part. Our last vacation I brought my 5d, 24-70, 70-200/2.8IS and monopod, and enjoyed having the full kit most of the time. However, by the 5th day my shoulders were killing me, so I only took the brick and 5d to the kennedy space center. Big mistake, and I regret not burdoning my shoulders for another day. This was 5 days before a launch, and on the "backstage" tour we were within a half mile of the shuttle on the pad. Man, I really wished I had the 70-200 with me.

Of course, on the waterpark day the camera stayed home and that was a lot of fun, so I do know what you mean.

Im doing a similar trip in May to Florida but i think im going to take the DSLR and the P&S over the pond with me.

That way, when im walking round the theme parks (Universal, Disney) and not really bothered about "photography" i can take the P&S but when i go to the other locations (Kennedy SC and poss Busch gardens), i can bring the best of equipment with me.

Of course the main problem for my plan is going to be the weight (7 KG hand luggage allowance). My bag just comes under it so i might have to trim the accessories down a bit.

[birdfromboat]

I see more stuff when I am looking at everything with the eyes of a photo hunter, more likely to miss things when I feel no real need to keep looking past whatever has momentarily caught my attention. I might stop and smell more roses without a camera, but I will notice all the other flowers more often when I have one. hunting for images= 5d and some lenses, hoping for images=g10, ready for an image if caught without a camera= cell phone, totally unprepared and uncaring about the potential of capturing an image= enjoying an event best left unphotographed.:o