Send to Printer Visit Yahoo! Canada Lifestyle
Print:
Back to Post

To snap or not to snap?

Posted Tue, Jul 24, 2007
POST A COMMENT »

My nine-year-old and I were leaving a restaurant the other evening when he stopped to check out a display of firefighter gear: bright yellow coats, shiny red hats and glossy black boots.

I reached for my camera.

"Do you want me to take your picture in front of all the firefighter gear? That way, you'll have a photo to remember our dinner out tonight."

"No, thanks. This isn't the kind of memory that's supposed to be in a photo. It's the kind that's supposed to be kept in your head."

I've been mulling over his comment ever since — about photo memories versus in-your-head memories — and I really think he's on to something.

Sometimes I wonder if digital photography has made our generation a bit snap-happy — a little too eager to reach for the camera because it's so convenient and inexpensive to do so. It's easy to get so caught up in photographing special moments that you miss out on the moment behind that photo — a fabulous day at the beach, a family reunion or your baby's first steps.

And then there are the events for which cameras were invented: pageants, sporting events and graduations. Photo-obsessed parents have become such a problem at some events that some schools and clubs have taken to hiring videographers and photographers to produce "official" DVDs and photographs so that they can prevent overly enthusiastic parent-photographers from upstaging their own kids.

So how do you decide when to click and when to capture the moment? When do you pull out your camera and go for that perfect shot and when do you leave it packed away in its case, preferring the pictures you are carrying around in your head?

Leave a comment

5 Comments

  • 1. Posted by Mia T on Wed, Jul 25, 2007

    Rosie O'Donell (sp?) Says the same thing..." Sometimes I have to decide if I want to live the moment or capture it." It's a good point. As a person who has over 6000 pictures of her little one in 18 months perhaps I'm not the best person to comment though. I try to capture everything, the "special" and the "mundane". What am I going to do with those pictures....well I have no idea. But I look at them, and I remember.

    Report Abuse

  • 2. Posted by Lamont Doodlenicker on Wed, Jul 25, 2007

    My wife and her mother were very camera happy with my daughter, photographing everything and anything. Hundreds upon hundreds of photos. She recently passed away at age 5. I wish that they (and I) had taken thousands more.

    Report Abuse

  • 3. Posted by lavish on Thu, Jul 26, 2007

    As a Professional Photographer, I say that portraits are one of the most precious things in this life! When our memories fade, how will we remember? Through portraits of course. As I say in my studio "Capturing a moment in time and making it last forever."

    Report Abuse

  • 4. Posted by IronCanadian on Thu, Jul 26, 2007

    I want to say that I recently rummaged through my parents boxes of pictures and Polaroids of when my siblings and I were young. These were memories I either never experienced or was far to young to remember, but it gave me the opportunity to relive moments in our childhood, see my grandparents who have long since past and see captured moments of my father who passed a few years ago. Don't forget pictures aren't just for the person who's taking them, pictures are also for your kids, your grand kids and your great grand kids. Point the camera everywhere around you, someone will enjoy your point of view and the picture you took.

    Report Abuse

  • 5. Posted by anndouglas on Fri, Jul 27, 2007

    You all make excellent points. It's amazing when you look at your children's faces at different stages -- how much those faces can change from season to season and year to year. I love the fact that my digital camera dates photos for me. I was terrible at keeping prints in order in their original envelopes and often have to mentally "date" photos by the wallpaper or other background elements. (If it's the rose-colored carpet, it's definitely the '80s.) :-)

    Report Abuse

LEAVE YOUR COMMENT
character(s) remaining

You must sign in to leave a comment