Recently I attended a couple of friend’s wedding as both a guest and best man, with absolutely no photo or film duties at all. I was there to celebrate the couple and enjoy the experience with my wife, amongst our friends and family.
It was really wonderful. I didn’t take a camera, and I didn’t pull out my phone for a single snap shot.
Don’t get me wrong, I love photography and being of service with my camera. It’s an incredible profession for which I am forever grateful to be a part of and make a living from.
However it was really great to be at this wedding in full , with no ‘ulterior’ motive as it were. This got me thinking about this blog and expressing something I have felt for a while now.
I’ve become very aware of over recent years (with the advent of cameras in our phones) of people’s obsessive fervour to photograph absolutely everything, all the time. I’m sure you know what I mean. Just go to any concert, event or gathering and witness the crowd experiencing the entire thing through the lens of their cameras.
We often don’t discern when a photo is either needed or appropriate.
We simply fire away and the photo gets lost in the sea of thousands we’ve taken. The photography is done with no purpose, just an automatic Pavlovian response which I feel can devalue both the experience and the photography.
I quite often go to dinner with friends and take no photos at all. I know, crazy right? But is it really needed? Sometimes it absolutely is and it’s great to capture the moment. However what use is served by me mindlessly taking shots every single time we meet? There is of course the narcissistic urge to post everything to social media, but what is the true purpose of the photography?
I do both paid and volunteer work for different organisations and sometimes I wonder why a particular event is being photographed, especially if it’s one that has been done many times before and is basically repeated over and over again. It can be important to document how something changes and evolves and I am onboard with this.
But how often do we stop and question if in fact the photography is actually needed in truth? The default setting seems to be just photograph everything.
Now getting back to my friend’s weddings. There were plenty of people taking photos, both professionally and socially. The photography was more than adequately covered and I felt there was no need for me to act in this capacity.
The true gold in discerning when photography is not needed, is the space it then allows you to be fully present and connected to the experience.
I love the connection I have when photographing too, it has its own magic. But being present at a wedding, dinner, concert, or gathering with the intent of simply being there in full, is really wonderful to experience. It allowed me to really connect with people for the purpose of connection alone, not with the interaction to have an end game and culminate with a photograph.
Now it might be weird that as a professional photographer I’m suggesting that you shouldn’t always take photographs. What I’m really saying is to take a moment, really feel what’s needed in a given situation, and then decide whether to pull out your phone or perhaps leave it in your pocket to simply enjoy the experience. You might be surprised at what is on offer and how much you appreciate it.
Additionally you might also be surprised at what this realisation can bring to your photography when you do discern it’s needed, and you then shoot with true intent and purpose. Bring this to your photography and you’ll be amazed at what is possible.
Credit: Clayton Lloyd for image