Over the weekend, I met up with local entrepreneurs who has ties with India. All of them are of French origin. One of them is involved with a NGO which works with kids and their developmental activities. As part of their work, they conducted a workshop with kids from France and India. This was conducted at different locations and different times. The kids were given a camera, taught how to use and were asked to click pictures. They observed a curious phenomenon from the end results.
The kids from both groups were enthusiastic. They clicked a lot of pictures. The French kids took pictures of monuments and other structures. The Indian kids wanted to take pictures of their close ones. They wanted the pictures of their grandparents, family members and their houses.
I am not sure on the "why" behind this phenomenon. While in Gent last month, I asked a fellow traveler, who was French, to take my pictures. After two pictures, he remarked, "You do take a lot of pictures of yourself. I prefer taking pictures of the buildings and landscape". I was tongue-tied for a response to this comment which made me look like a narcissist.
Similarly, when I traveled in Cote D'Azur in June, I was playing the photographer for two Asian couples. They too returned the favor. Like me, they wanted a picture of them with the buildings and landscapes as the backdrop. They were not interested in clicking the pictures of buildings or the landscapes alone.
It never happened unless there is a picture to prove it.
ReplyDeletePeople generally take such pictures to relive the memory of the time you took the picture. Some people want to see themselves on the camera, others want to look at the pictures which they took.
Some people also like to show off. In these cases, all the pictures taken will be of them in front of something.
@SPrabhu - Thank you.
ReplyDeleteYou should have said --- We are like this only .
ReplyDelete@Kavita - Like I said, I was tongue-tied. :)
ReplyDeletethis reminds me my friend once had told me: if you are not there in the pic, what's the use?
ReplyDeletewe do click loads of pics with us in them
the click camera with the reel for 32-34 snaps - each snap precious hence well choreographed pics with all concerned members marking their presence in them
@Sujatha - he he he. I like "well choreographed" part.
ReplyDeleteThat is an observation.
ReplyDeleteWe love taking pictures, we love sharing them. We don't mind a picture of the monument alone after taking a picture in front of it.
We love 'we' :)
If we happen to build a house, we would take photos of it in all angles possible (without being in it) because there is 'we' involved.
Ain't it?
@SpicySweet - So, "we" is the key. :)
ReplyDeletefinally an answer to a question i was asking myself .... WHY don't i like snaps without people in it ... :)
ReplyDelete@Laks - :) The personal touch?
ReplyDeleteso true... :)
ReplyDeletewaise.. you could have said that we click our pics because we value ourselves... lol ;)
@Madhulika - he he. It is not as black and white as you say even though we value ourselves.
ReplyDeleteYou have set about started a probable reasearch topic on comaprative behavioural traits in taking photographs. ;-) BTW, I belon to the category of monument clickers.
ReplyDelete@ThatAndThisInMumbai - he he he. I noticed a lot of your monument clicking samples on your website. :)
ReplyDeleteWhile I do take pictures of the monuments. I also like to take a couple of them of the same scene with the people I am traveling with. The pictures with people will hold an interest all through your life. Pictures of monuments are everywhere.. on the web, in a book...
ReplyDeleteI've noticed this as well. I think it's a mindset...some people like people in their photos, some prefer to capture the landscapes alone
ReplyDelete@Radha - So true about pictures available on the web. But there are camera lovers who click the monuments.
ReplyDelete@Nishitak - Thanks for dropping by and expressing views here. :)
I will surely come back For more.
ReplyDelete@Rajendra - Thanks.
ReplyDelete