Missing a moment because you were "fiddling with your camera" is relatable. So inspiring is also the view looking out over the LCD ocean at a concert. It's easy to think that this tool is disconnecting us from the moment.
But I'm here to offer a different perspective as I get to go to the zoo every day. For the first couple months in went no camera, only rarely taking a phone picture. Then I decided to get back into photography, something I hadn't been into since 35mm.
The whole experience changed, and I became more connected with the animals. While everyone around me is thinking "oh boring, the animal is not doing anything" I'm thinking "oh look at that twitch.. if I just am a little more patient I can get the shot" I'm the only one looking at the animals as they wake up. I've even made a 30 second rule, where I keep video rolling for 30 seconds after I've personally lost interest.
Not only has photography brought me closer to the animals, it has been a philosophical exercise in patience, grace, and remaining in a moment with fixed attention.
I think you're definitely engaged, but not so much with the moment itself more with the act of taking photos. It does make you focus on the subject, but in a very specific way. Even in how you described it, the main focus was on capturing the shot. It quite literally makes you look at things through a certain "lens".
You can see how that might be a bit of a problem when you're sharing the moment with others. You might end up being really focused on getting the photo and not as much on actually being present with them.
it depends what one wants but I have experienced the same.
it also applies not just to photography but anything creative really, like drawing cityscapes eg -> looking for a good angle or view where one could sit and sketch it out and then just look at the scene and let it infuse or impress you until you can recreate the scene and fill out the details in your bed maybe or wherever
i think the ugly aspect comes not from taking the picture itself but from whether you were actually looking for a memory, a creative act, or social validation ("oh look where I was fancy schmancy")
I think part of it is the form factor of the camera; enough that I wish there was some kind of phone case that could pop out (from some flat shape) and make it feel like I had a real camera in my hands.
But I'm here to offer a different perspective as I get to go to the zoo every day. For the first couple months in went no camera, only rarely taking a phone picture. Then I decided to get back into photography, something I hadn't been into since 35mm.
The whole experience changed, and I became more connected with the animals. While everyone around me is thinking "oh boring, the animal is not doing anything" I'm thinking "oh look at that twitch.. if I just am a little more patient I can get the shot" I'm the only one looking at the animals as they wake up. I've even made a 30 second rule, where I keep video rolling for 30 seconds after I've personally lost interest.
Not only has photography brought me closer to the animals, it has been a philosophical exercise in patience, grace, and remaining in a moment with fixed attention.
The exact opposite of this blog post.