Does photographing a moment steal the experience from you?

Activity of the Week #1- TedTalk

In her TED Salon Erin Sullivan, who is a travel photographer, presents a question to her audience at the salon. She asks, “why are we even taking photos in the first place?” this question was asked to make her audience better understand that while we are all taking pictures on our cameras and smartphones we can also be missing out on actually living in these moments. She adds that sometimes when we take a picture of something we’re not actually taking the time and energy to actually experience the image that our photos represent. This message is important because of the 2.87 billion smartphone users globally, 43 percent of smartphone users take pictures with their camera daily, according to a report by technology research consulting firm techARC. in conclusion, Sullivan advises her audience to always have an intention behind the pictures they take because this is the only way to enhance your experience.

After viewing and reflecting upon this TedTalk, I looked at the camera roll on my personal smartphone. Scrolling through about 400 photos led me to realize that only a select number of pictures actually meant something to me. The photos that did have meaning to me, however, were pictures that I can recall my intentions and the connotations behind them. For example, one picture that stood out to me was a picture I took at a concert of one of my favorite artists. I patiently waited until my favorite song was played and as the audience roared and lights flashed I captured my ‘perfect picture.’ This picture also holds a special place in my heart because the artist I saw that night passed away in December of last year. This goes to show that with our advanced access to photography, the predominant purpose of the pictures we take should be to recall fond memories of past adventures instead of forcing ourselves to reflect on colored canvases with dwindling importance as time passes.