Remember when you were young, and smartphone cameras aren’t as robust as they are nowadays? When you went overseas on a trip, saw the Grand Canyons, or a scenic view that’s just so breathtaking, what was the first thing you did? You took it all in, you looked at it from all kinds of angles, felt the breeze on your cheeks, smelt the fresh air and then probably posed for a memorable photo to reminisce a couple of years down the road. However, this smartphone-obsessed generation seems to have got everything in reverse.
Shot by Zayne Seah
Millennials nowadays simply point and shoot. We whip out our smartphones whenever we see nature at its finest, swipe up the camera app, and hit the capture button as if the scenery is on the run. Maybe, we’ll even hastily add in some preset camera filters quickly to plan our gram-worthy photos to post a couple of hours later, think of caption for Instagram and Facebook to show off to our friends. Heck, we are going to even think of how to pose to get #step photos, get our friends to like it, and comment on how hip we are.
Shot by Zayne Seah
We’ve totally forgotten that the experience is what matters, it’s what leaves an impression in our minds for years to come. You might think that you can just reminisce from the countless photos you’ve snapped from your trip. I know this because I snapped over 1,000 photos on my latest trip to Sydney. Some days, I just focused on taking as many cool photos as I could, and on others, I was simply too lazy to snap. Interestingly, I realised that photos, are triggers for nostalgia, but they are by no means, ways to substitute or even recreate how much I enjoyed my trip back in the land down below.
Shot by Zayne Seah
If you are so obsessed with snapping photos, you probably focus far less on feeling the ambience around you, the sights, sounds and people you are with. Looking at the countless numbers of photos you shot of the Opera House is going to be meaningless if you don’t have a feeling or memory associated with it. You might as well look at a brochure of the Opera House if you don’t recall how you felt being there.
Your smartphone, as remarkable as it is, with its dual-cameras, burst shots and paranoma capabilities can never transport you back to a place or a time in your life the way your mind will ever be capable of doing.
Shot by Zayne Seah
So the next time you head out on a trip, leave your phone in your pocket, snap photos of the scene using your eyes, breathe and live the experience, then maybe just take one shot for The Gram. You might find yourself enjoying the trip much more and remembering it far better for years to come.
Shot by Zayne Seah
About the Aut
hor
A Dentist-To-Be Dabbling in Tech Journalism:
Zayne is a writer who reports for VR-Zone, Stuff Singapore and The New Paper on all things tech-related. Follow this geek on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram!
