minniev Loc: MIssissippi

Puzzle: The more I've followed & thought about this thread, the less I've understood it, perhaps because it is hard to see it through other eyes than my own. Question for myself: why would I, who love taking photos, spend thousands of dollars to travel to one of the most beautiful places on the planet, and not take/use my camera to try to capture that?

Possibilities: Maybe someone who earns their living through photography needs a break from it. Maybe some photographers are more into the tech stuff and enjoy talking about photography more than doing it. Maybe folks who mainly enjoy studio or street photography will experience something new and different out in the wild and not having their gear will help. Maybe some people have a hard time having fun because they're wagging a ton of gear everywhere. Maybe a family member hates this hobby.

Then What? If we don't take photos when we travel, when do we take them? I explore my area and keep several local photo projects going all the time but that doesn't keep me from wanting to see what I can make of Crater Lake or Kinderdijk if I'm lucky enough to be there. At least half my photos are from adventures in national parks, other countries, etc. In all seriousness, I'd like to know more about how those in the no-photos-when-traveling group came to this conclusion. Not saying you're wrong, but there's definitely something I'm missing.

Ralloh Loc: Ohio

I don't think it's about whether you want to take photos on a vacation or not, it's more whether you want to lug a bunch of gear around. A good point and shoot (I hate that name since they almost rival a good dslr) can capture excellent photos and be tucked away when not needed.

dcampbell52 Loc: Clearwater Fl

For me, it is about what I am comfortable shooting with, and how I feel. The wife and I, each have point and shoots that we carry. But, I use mine in situations that I don't want my DSLR exposed to. Above all, I don't want to spend hundreds of dollars on a vacation, then get there and go "Oh my gosh, I sure wish I had my dslr and the what ever lens." My camera is not that hard to carry. And, I have gotten tons of photos that, to me, are priceless.

Rongnongno Loc: FL

This is not about NOT about not taking pictures but about overdoing it. This quite different. I see too many folks living their vacations through the view finder and forgetting the rest. 'The picture' becomes everything else and I have seen some very annoyed family members(?) next to them.

What puzzles me too is the 'need to ask': "What should I take for my vacation?"

This is quite different from: "I do not understand why anyone would want any picture". I take pictures too, 10 in six weeks because for me, at least, quality and/or uniqueness is important. 100 pictures of an over photographed monument? Really? Shooting a miserable lion in an enclosure is fun? (I don't even enter zoos since I am an adult).

I went to Strasbourg (Fr) and visited the cathedral there. I took two pictures, of two gargoyles because they seemed to be looking down and watching the activity... I gave a legend to the two, in French: "Mais qu'ils sont cons!" (You have to know that this area has been the subject of quite a few wars about who owns this region and the killing stopped only with the end of WWII 'epuration*').

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A shameful episode of the french 'liberation' that led to denunciations, abuses, outright murders for greed, jealousy, revenge over who knows what... All of this under the name of 'justice'. wikipedia link

minniev Loc: MIssissippi

That could be one reason why I don't understand, because my gear load is so small I barely know it's there. If I was hauling around a bunch of heavy stuff I'd likely feel differently.

Evie Loc: Sacramento

Ducking under my desk

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

ALaska does have an "L" in it. :roll:

Rongnongno Loc: FL

Do you need new lenses to read?

n3eg Loc: West coast USA

I photograph vacations because my memories have more DOF (depth of fun) but less DOF (depth of field.)

You must really hate people who shoot video on vacations, Rong.

Rongnongno Loc: FL

I do not hate, I do not understand.

weberwest Loc: Ferndale WA

Well, this is my first post on UHH - I have been watching and savoring this site with all the input from great photographic minds for about 6 months. I do not consider myself an accomplished photographer, even though I have been at it for the last 50 years or so - but the response from Rongnongno just screams for a reply. We travel extensively - up to 5/6 months a year all over the globe, and one of the joys is to capture the local flair and relive it later at home. I do not go to Europe or Asia and return with a best of 10 pictures, more like 3-6000, and then I have the joy of working on them, researching what I just took - I learn more of a trip after I return, do my research and post my pictures on my website - and I play them on a continuous loop in my home, so instead of looking at a framed print or painting, every 10 seconds I see one of my creations again on the TV and it keeps reminding me of the wonders in the world we saw. Well - I give it to you, sometimes I miss something because I look through my viewfinder, but I bet you a million bucks that I can see details and wonderful places and events that you cannot remember after a month or a year - no matter how stellar quality your memory may be. So - I feel a bit sorry for an attitude of going to Europe for 6 weeks and returning with a grand total of 10 pictures, just to say that I am not the tourist which probably you are anyway.

mechengvic Loc: SoCalo

I hear you. Is like a teenage girl who can't decide what dress to wear on her date and is asking all her friends and driving her folks crazy, the whole time not understanding that what she wears is not as important as how she behaves, and what's between her ears... Her parents don't hate her, they just don't get why she doesn't realize that she's the prize, not the dress.

The most important component of our travels is us! Us being there and being aware and alive in those moments.

STVest Loc: LA - that's Lower Alabama

But the photos we make will provide us with Total Recall -- and we can virtually relive the trip every time we look at the photos!

mechengvic Loc: SoCalo

I agree with you 100%. And I'm also willing to bet that you would know exactly what you would take with you! I could tell you every detail down to the color of my cleaning cloth! I organize my camera bag in my sleep! I think it's that unsuredness that confuses Rongno...

STVest Loc: LA - that's Lower Alabama

Okay. You may need some help (you know - therapy). I have not yet gotten that obsessed. But, now that you have planted the seed it will probably be a part of tonight's dreams.
New tag line: I don't count sheep; I count pixels!