life at 1/100th of a second… 14 apr ’11

“Photography is savouring life at 1/100th of a second”
-Marc Riboud

auckland lifestyle photographer

i am surrounded by people who often say to me: “how can you enjoy yourself at |insert place/event here| when you’re lugging that giant camera around?” or: “you’re not even really here, you’re watching everything through that tiny window”

so, finding a quote like the one above resonates with me. there are others out there who feel most like themselves while recording their world through a viewfinder, & to deprive us of it assuming that you are somehow relieving a burden is at best a misguided kindness… at worst an arrogance (oh dear, that’s a harsh word isn’t it).

photographer Chris Orwig says, in a recent guest blog post for Photoshop Insider:

“Photographers are an interesting bunch. …we discover that life’s small mysteries and moments can be magnified. Somehow we get more out of life with a camera in hand. When we take pictures, we see more clearly, we remember more deeply, and we live more fully… We are driven to create something that is one of a kind. We want to expresses our unique voice and vision. It is something we have to do. Taking pictures satisfies an internal thirst. It is an essential part of who we are.”

auckland lifestyle photographer

some people scorn this worldview, and feel pity for those so dependant on a little clicking box for enjoyment. but you can no more turn off the art in an artist than you can prevent water from wetting things. without a camera to hand, we are often even more distracted; mentally frustrated by the lost opportunities to capture & create.

so be tolerant of your “mad” photographer friends, and consider that the behaviour which you find so vexing today may well delight you in years to come, when your own memories of the day have grown hazy & faint! 🙂

(ps: i highly recommend visiting the link above for Chris’s guest post: it’s a fantastic read!)

One Response to “life at 1/100th of a second… 14 apr ’11”

  1. Kirsten says:

    I get frustrated at Doug because often when we go walking I want to bring my camera along.. and he’s like.. can we just do our walk without it today haha. – because I keep wanting to stop and take photos. And then, a beautiful sunset appears before us and I want to kick him for making me leave my camera behind ha ha ha. Totally feel this post 😀

    I like the part about remembering more deeply. That’s one of the reasons I love photography. I love to remember things and photography helps me do that 🙂


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