A question about vacation and going places.. Why on earth do you go anywhere if it is to live the experience through a lens? Watch National Geography then. Why does any one even ask...

Rongnongno Loc: FL

Why on earth do you go anywhere if it is to live the experience through a lens? Watch National Geography then.

Why does any one even ask what to take with them???

I am always puzzled by this frame of mind and questions...

Probably just me thought.

wasatch Loc: Salt Lake City, UT

Yes it is just you ;-)

We take cameras and shoot pictures so we can remember them later on and share our experiences with others (sometimes without them wanting it).

I have a wall that has 12x16 canvases of pictures my wife and I have taken on vacation. We enjoy it.

Bob Yankle Loc: Burlington, NC

Rongnongno wrote:

Why on earth do you go anywhere if it is to live the experience through a lens? Watch National Geography then.

Why does any one even ask what to take with them???

I am always puzzled by this frame of mind and questions...

Probably just me thought.

Probably for the same reason I became a software programmer - I didn't want to be bound with something someone else had programmed, I wanted to do it "my" way. And I suppose most phtographers know in their own mind just how they would like to shoot a scene, often in ways that have not been done before.

All that being said, the best advice I ever got was from a professional photographer friend of mine who gave me this advice when we were discussing my daughter's wedding: "Don't even think about bringing a camera with you! That's the photographer's job, and you paid him big bucks to be good at it. If you want a certain shot, he will be happy to oblige. You are the Bride's Dad - just be sure you are in the moment and create some beautiful memories. "

STVest Loc: LA - that's Lower Alabama

Rongnongno wrote:

Why on earth do you go anywhere if it is to live the experience through a lens? Watch National Geography then.

Why does any one even ask what to take with them???

I am always puzzled by this frame of mind and questions...

Probably just me thought.

Shortly after retiring, hubby and I made an arbitrary decision to take up photography as a hobby, hoping it would inspire us to get off the couch and out the door. I really enjoy shooting, even though I am still struggling mightily to be any good at it. The major benefit of this endeavor has been how I now look at the world. I really LOOK at it now. Yes, if all I wanted was to have a pretty picture, I could buy postcards that are far prettier and far cheaper than anything I can produce. But, I find a great deal of pleasure in the pursuit. I don't have to ask what I should take; all of our traveling is by car, so I take it all! If my mode of transportation ever restricted what I could take, by asking for your advice, I would then have someone to blame for NOT having what I needed/wanted at location!

Rongnongno Loc: FL

I guess you are all missing the statement 'live the experience through the lens'.

I travel quite a bit and I see too folks that are so much into 'their' camera that nothing around matters, family, kids, whatever...

I do not see the point of doing that. At all. That is why I stated: Watch National Geography instead.

Last April we were in Europe for six weeks. Number of pictures taken? About 10, if that much. Out of the 10 7 were panoramas, 2 family and one was a street portrait, after asking for permission.

ecobin Loc: Paoli, PA

We take very active vacations and my wife and I enjoy it much more with the cameras in hand. Many do not but so many do!

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

Rongnongno wrote:

Why on earth do you go anywhere if it is to live the experience through a lens? Watch National Geography then.

Why does any one even ask what to take with them???

I am always puzzled by this frame of mind and questions...

Probably just me thought.

Yes, it's just you.
Some are turned on by just starring at a screen all day, that is a vacation. For more exotic places, they go to Wiki(I think its in Hawaii) !! :lol:
SS

TucsonCoyote Loc: Tucson AZ

Rongnongno wrote:

Why on earth do you go anywhere if it is to live the experience through a lens? Watch National Geography then.

Why does any one even ask what to take with them???

I am always puzzled by this frame of mind and questions...

Probably just me thought.

YES!
My Dad was a camera head .....then a week later we would all have to sit and watch a rerun of where we'd been!
......now most of his slides are faded .....so my sister says,
but we all have memories and sometimes search for photographic evidence of the way it was ! :) :thumbup:

photon56 Loc: North America

Rongnongno wrote:

Why on earth do you go anywhere if it is to live the experience through a lens? Watch National Geography then.

Why does any one even ask what to take with them???

I am always puzzled by this frame of mind and questions...

Probably just me thought.

I think I understand your statement. One must live in the moment. I'll take time at a party or family gathering to get my shooting done. Once done, the camera is put away.

I would view my shooting like that of an angler. An angler spends some quality time (down time) on the water fishing. I spend my down time shooting. It's a great stress reliever. A great way to clear my head and stay focused on what really matters in life.

chrisewers Loc: born UK. live in USA.

Bob Yankle wrote:

Probably for the same reason I became a software p... (show quote)

I was at my son and daughters wedding. I did take my camera too loads of pictures. Was not wedding photographer. Took family shots not posed ones. My wife died around 3 months later. I am so glad I took those pictures. So take the pictures you want when you want. They are a preserved memory. I am a figure of light hearted fun in the family for having a camera with me so often. But I don't care and neither do they. I love my pictures and no one is upset by me taking them and my enjoyment of the day is not ruined. That is my take.

minniev Loc: MIssissippi

Rongnongno wrote:

Why on earth do you go anywhere if it is to live the experience through a lens? Watch National Geography then.

Why does any one even ask what to take with them???

I am always puzzled by this frame of mind and questions...

Probably just me thought.

Taking photographs is a big part of the pleasure I have in traveling to beautiful places - finding ways to frame, capture and process gorgeous scenery. It's hard for me to imagine a landscape photographer being satisfied on a trip without a camera. But, part of the reason I enjoy my m43 kit so much is that it does not intrude on my travels, and there's nothing it prevents me from doing.

There's some trips I take, and others I'm sure, that are purely planned for photography. I'm leaving on one next week, to an island off the coast of New Brunswick. My travel partner is another landscape photographer and we do this sort of thing a couple of times a year. When I travel with my husband, I find a balance between photography, fun, his hobbies and just relaxing.

I watch Nat Geo too, though.

RiverNan Loc: Eastern Pa

I know what you mean...
you think you must BE in the moment and cant be if you want to take photographs.

I disagree. I carry my camera almost everywhere I go, be it out of the country on vacation, or the local market. There is nothing stopping me from enjoying the full experience in either place because I have my camera with me. I choose to pull the camera out when there is a visual I want to take home with me. If I was in Europe for 6 weeks I would have a lot more than 10 pics to take home.

Rongnongno wrote:

I guess you are all missing the statement 'live th... (show quote)

SonyA580 Loc: FL in the winter & MN in the summer

Rongnongno wrote:

I guess you are all missing the statement 'live th... (show quote)

Almost every place I travel to is different. I like to live the experience too, but I also like to go back and look at the pictures and re-live the experience from time to time.

MadMikeOne Loc: So. NJ Shore - a bit west of Atlantic City

STVest wrote:

Shortly after retiring, hubby and I made an arbit... (show quote)

Very well put. We also travel with our cameras. I with my DSLR and a P&S and my spouse with just a P&S. It works for us. Actually, taking photos enhances the experience for us.
Unfortunately we are severely limited as far as the amount of gear we can schlepp goes. Usually I can figure out what I need to take given our destination. If I am not sure - well that's what all the good folks here on the UHH are for.

Mitch35 Loc: Arkansas

Interesting topic and views. My wife retired last year and we decided to consider photography as a joint hobby. I have enjoyed photography for many years but focused on family, friends and where we had been.
Talking a National Geographic photo expedition really flipped the approach. Now I want to photograph what I saw not just where I have been. If it's an old tractor, not just the tractor but what is interesting to me about the tractor. If it is a landscape, what is interesting in the view. The course really focused on framing the photo and gave me new tools to consider in framing the photo to emphasize what I wanted to remember about the subject and to eliminate the distractions. Great tools with a long, exciting trip forward. My wife is excited after her participation in the course as well and now frequently carries her camera. Photography has greatly enriched our lives and our time together.