USVI-On-Line

I made the decision last night that the big camera is staying home.
I will not be a slave to the lens this trip.
In years passed (or is it past?, my grammar is lacking today) I would lug 2 cameras with me where ever we went. Wanting to be sure I would get that perfect shot, that one picture that would be enlarged and hung on the wall at home. While I certainly got some great pics, I also spend way too much time capturing the moment as opposed to being in the moment.

This year it will be the trusty Cybershot with it's underwater case and my iPhone, that's it!

Xislandgirl wrote:I made the decision last night that the big camera is staying home.

You are brave, I don't know that I could do that. We left the big one home when we went to Mexico and it did make the carry-on more managable.

Good for you! Sometimes I find myself more worried about capturing the moment than being in it as well. As much as I love photography in a beautiful location it can be a curse as well. Afterall, isn't that why we go on vacation? Otherwise it ends up being an awfully expensive week long photoshoot!

That’s a real dilemma if you love photography. But the good news is that digital technology has really flattened the curve in terms of the high quality you can get from cheaper or smaller point n shoot cameras with their high resolution, zoom capability, etc. I’ve done large canvas prints from a Canon SureShot with pretty amazing results. Maybe 2 out of a 100 people would look at it and say Hey, maybe that could’ve looked even better if it was taken with a SLR.

NatGeo Traveler magazine did an issue where they handed out basic point n shoot cameras to some pros and set them loose, then printed the results. Of course, the images were pretty amazing. In fact several of them enjoyed the experience much more than they anticipated and felt liberated from lugging around their pro gear.

Ways I use to reign myself in include taking the time to compose the best image you can, take a handful, take satisfaction with that, then put the camera down. No doubt thats's a legacy of the old film days (or later, limited digital memory) when I really didn’t want to incur the expense of shooting more than a roll or a roll and half per day. When you were limited to 35-40 shots per day, you had to make them count LOL (esp with slide film)

IMO cheap memory makes people take way too many bad photos (not implying this about those on this thread!) Sometimes when I see folks around me taking shots willy nilly I’m thinking man, that picture is sure gonna suck LOL. I still wont even bother shooting if the lighting isn’t good or there other elements present that will not yield a half way decent image. However, I will re-shoot the same stuff at different times of the day if the lighting, clouds, etc. make it worthy. But then I have answer the question of “didn’t you take a picture of that already?” from the peanut gallery (otherwise known as my wife LOL)

I sometimes seem to like those pics taken from the car window that are sort of blurred. It's just to remind me of the smells and feel of that particular day as we raced to have that amazing once in a lifetime meal or event. My memory is where the third dimension kicks in with the other 4 senses to fill out the rest of the picture.

Thank you Xislandgirl.

I have a Nikon D3100 that I got last Xmas and took with me last May, lenses and all, to St John. My husband thought I was crazy dragging it along and of course I took it everywhere with me. Really was a pain.

After reading your post I woke up this am and said you know what, we are going light this year and I will leave the big guns at home and take the point and shoot!

AMEN to that! I'm a pro photog and I rarely take my 'real' cameras on vacation anymore -- I absolutely agree with your comment about capturing the moment vs. being in it.