Kathy & I attended a dinner the other evening and I happened to be seated next to Herb Jackson, retired Davidson College art professor and well-known artist. We spent some time chatting about what he had been doing since his retirement from the college, and the conversation at one point gravitated around to travel. He mentioned that they had recently traveled to Europe. I think he said they had gone to Italy, Romania and Switzerland…something like that. I mentioned that Kathy & I were thinking about taking a photo workshop in Italy next year. He asked me what appeal a photography workshop would have as compared to a normal tour, and I explained what appealed to us about the one we were considering, that it has a nice mix of sightseeing, culture, food & wine and photography, and that that was how we like to travel. The typical photography workshop “death march” is not for us, and that is the appeal.
Herb said that what bothered him most about traveling with a camera was that he was always afraid that if he spent a lot of time figuring out what to photograph that he wouldn’t spend any time enjoying the scenery. He said he doesn’t take a camera. As an artist he said he prefers to take in the sights, remember the visual elements that appeal to him then incorporate them into his work later, from memory. He related a story about a time when he had done video for the wedding of a friend and how when it was over and he was editing the footage he couldn’t remember the events. He was obviously there and participated, but because he was so focused on his “job” he felt that he didn’t actually partake of the event.
Kathy & I have found that a mix of sightseeing and photography is the way we like to travel. It’s very hard to find that balance, but there are times when it is appropriate to put the camera down or leave it in the car and just enjoy the moment. It’s possible – and sometimes even better – to enjoy a sunrise on the beach without a camera, sitting on the sand holding hands, than to be fussing over a camera and tripod.
Kathy likes to say that a sunset is best viewed through a wine glass. There are times that I agree. And of course there are times and places for being out with a camera. Deciding the when and where is part of what we enjoy about travel. I guess you could say that we like to photograph while we travel, rather than travel to photograph. I figure there is a sunrise and a sunset every day, there’s always a better one somewhere else and that if I miss a few in order to do something more fun or rewarding that’s OK.
Find your personal balance. Be sure to get out there and photograph, but don’t forget to enjoy the scenery while you are there!
Great post, Tom: I would certainly have to agree with you on these points, both about the death march as well as having experienced the same thing as Mr. Jackson. When my son was playing high school basketball, I took my camera to most every game and came home with hundreds of photos; however, very few memories. I remembered certain plays, but the overall flow of the game was lost to me.
After a while, I started leaving my camera behind for important games, such as playoffs and rivalries. I enjoyed the game much more. Sure, he didn’t have so many photos for his Facebook page, but we had a lot more to talk about. Similarly, my older son had me take photos for his wedding. I did all that I could to get out of it, because I wanted to enjoy the wedding, but he was having none of it. 🙂
Even now, when I travel, sometimes I leave the big camera and only take the iPhone, just in case I see something that I ‘have’ to photograph, but sometimes, I return to the room empty handed, and I’m OK with that, It is about balance.