Most of these "photographers" probably survived to display their treasures.
J ----- Original Message ----- From: "Alan C" <c...@lantic.net> To: "Pentax-Discuss Mail List" <pdml@pdml.net> Sent: Monday, September 26, 2016 8:41:39 AM Subject: Re: OT - "We live not to be there, but to be seen to be there." Well at least she knows what the herd have become. Rude perhaps but at least no-one was injured. Iv'e seen people get out of their cars in Kruger to take selfies with dangerous animals. Some haven't lived to tell the tale. Alan C -----Original Message----- From: Igor PDML-StR Sent: Monday, September 26, 2016 4:08 PM To: PDML@pdml.net Subject: OT - "We live not to be there, but to be seen to be there." This morning someone sent me a link to a brief blogpost on Cnet, which got me (re)evaluating - (re)thinking certain aspects of photography in our lives. The photo was of a crowd in front of a famous politician waving at them, while most people turned their backs and taking selfies of themselves with the famous people being the background. (The link is below, but first the thoughts.) Over many years of taking photographs, sometimes as tourist (i.e. in very touristic places, etc.), - I've been offered by others (friends, relatives, bystanders) to take a picture of _me_. ... or rather of _me__being__there_. Not that I was against those (and sometimes I did want some picture, especially with friends or family), but I was not particularly ego to get those. I wanted to take some interesting (at least to me) of the views from that place. One of the repeated questions/comments I had (usually not from close friends or relatives who already knew what I am after, but from more distant friends): "Why do you need those? - See there, they sell cards with this view already printed." Why was/am I taking those photos? 1. I enjoy _taking_ them and 2. I enjoy looking at them later, as they remind me of good time I had there. And often, aftre many years, I remember the photos I've taken even without looking at them: they are a connection for that place, person, event. ... even though I might not be in those pictures myself. (As an aside, - I appreciate the fact of being in some of those photos more now, as my daughter is growing up, - so, that she can see her dad in those photos too.) Now, getting back to the conclusion quoted in the Subject of this message. Yes, selfie is the fad du jour [is that tautology?]. To this date, most of the selfies I've taken are with my SLR (with a tripod or a mirror help). But I don't want to judge those people who enjoy selfies: to each of his/her own. And to some extent, those people aren't that much different from those stranger on the street who are ego to pose for you even though they are never going to see that photo. (This was a very frequent situation with kid groups in Japan.) My understanding of the said blogpost is that someone is trying to question of how polite it is to take a selfie with a famous person (and hence turning one's behind to her/him) as opposed to piercing with your eyes and listening. That brought to memories yet another story. Long time ago, one famous Russian poet wrote a song that was "thinking" about a family being photographed in front of the monument to the famous Russian poet Alexandr Pushkin. The idea was based on the juxtaposition of the timelessness and greatness of someone whose fame survived the test of centuries, and "todayliness" of the concerns and that-minute problems of that family. I remember that a friend was thinking that the author was criticizing the family, and that that type of photo was awkward or even ridiculous due to the contrast. While I understand that point of view (and I personally do not like taking photographs of people (and myself) specifically with someone's _personal_ monument), I never felt comfortable with that criticism. And I've always thought that the song's author was just bringing up the contrast as a way to highlight the simultaneous distance and closeness of the great and small, old and contemporary, timeless and transient. But back to today's photo, here is what I am curious to hear from you, deal PDMLers: As photographers with different preferences, views and reasons to take photographs, what do you think about what is shown in the photograph discussed in that blogpost? (Please, let's not digress into a political debate about the specific politician, so, let's keep the political comments on mute.) Here is the blogpost in question: https://goo.gl/VC5fU3 . Thanks in advance to all who will respond. Igor -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions. --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
