Screw living in the moment. Lets take pictures instead!

** An after thought to this blog: When I was in the process of putting together this post I had a clear goal of conveying my thoughts on the over-usage of photography. When writing I never had a specific person in mind that I was directing these thoughts towards, however, several people have thought that this was the case. First, let me say that this blog isn't "applicable or directed" towards anyone at all. That was not the intention of this post in any way, shape or form. Second, I never said that I was an exception to the content in this post. I take pointless pictures all the time and it was myself more than anyone else that influenced my conclusion that photography as a whole is overused. To remedy these problems I have edited out some parts of the original blog.**

After a wonderful trip to a friend's estate in Washington a question was left stewing about in the back of my mind on the trip home. To get in the right frame of mind for hearing the question, think about the oldest picture you have ever seen. The oldest picture I've seen (bar Google searching "old picture") is an ancient black and white of my great great grandma's family lined up on the main street of some old town in Texas about 700 years ago.

The picture seems even older when you consider the fact that photography hasn't even been around for 200 years. The first permanent photograph was taken in 1826 and photography in general didn't become affordable and practical till the early 1900s. Back in these days family pictures weren't an annoying annual event but rather a once in a lifetime occurrence, if even that. In the late 1800s standard Daguerreotype photographs would cost up to $10 just for one copy- that's about $255 today. If that was still the going rate per picture, I can name several friends who would have had to take out two mortgages to pay for their vacation to Washington.

So, a bit of history on photography is all fine and good but what's the point? The answer lies in the question that I had contemplated for 15 hours in the back of a VW Jetta next to a cooler of frozen Salmon fillets: has photography lost it's special purpose? Has this art lost all meaning with the advent of digital photography? Have pictures with real purpose become a thing of the past when cameras became a part of the 15-year-old girl's cell phone?

The answer to these questions is undeniably yes.

By simply regarding the massive amount of pictures taken on my road trip, I realized that quantity now speaks more than quality. Girls in general have a specific knack for abusing the sacredness of photography by taking absolutely meaningless pictures in large doses. No, I don't care to look at the picture of me talking to my friend in the back seat of the car. No, I don't care to look at a picture of someone taking a picture of you taking this picture. No, I don't care to look at the same picture as before but from a different angle three steps to the right as if it will drastically change the captured content.

In fact, the frenzy to document every moment of a special moment leads to the photographer not being able to live in the moment itself. Instead they live in the moment through pictures. When I was in Las Vegas a couple months back the crew I walked down the strip with had to take countless pictures to ensure they remember the experience. Apparently the camera in their minds wasn't good enough to let them simply soak the moment in and enjoy just being there.

Photography should be used sparingly. Used to remember highlights of vacations, family gatherings, unique experience. Used to remember important moments in your life. It shouldn't be used to recreate a down-to-the-second visual timeline of an ordinary everyday circumstance. Because that's boring and mundane. And a hundred years ago you wouldn't spend $10 on mundane.

-- Chad Waite, Daily Derbi

P.S. Whitney Hopes, if you are reading this you are the exception to the girls take bad pictures rule.