Laura and I spent a long Christmas weekend in New York. In our opinion, there is no place more Christmas-y, with all the lights, displays and excited crowds. I am pleased to say that there is plenty of photographic proof that I was there: I spent my weekend trying to be in as many pictures as possible – not out of any narcissistic tendencies ( I know I am photogenically challenged) – but out of spite.
When did it become normal behavior for everybody with a smart phone to snap a picture of pretty much everything they see? Whether in front of decorated store window displays or in front of art at the Met, people need to record their view for posterity. And they need to be far enough back from the object to get it all. And they get pretty upset if folks who are simply living in the moment and enjoying the view walk in the “no-go zone” between their camera and the subject.
This is beyond annoying. People stop without regard to people behind them and expect the crowd to wait for them to snap the picture. It’s worse when they are trying to capture a loved one. The no-go zone is pretty much the same, but it takes twice as long to pose precious darling to get just the right shot.
I think the problem is that extra pixels are free. Back when we had to pay for film and developing, people (other than my cousins with their endless slide shows) were judicious in their use of the camera. Now there is neither camera (per se) nor film, making the taking of pictures free and convenient (and inconvenient for the rest of us).
So, I made it my mission to get into as many pictures as possible this weekend. If well timed, one can stride into the no-go zone at precisely the right moment.
If the picture takers ever were to review all these photos and delete the ones not worth keeping, I would be deleted. But I am not convinced that anyone ever looks at most of these pictures once snapped. Thus, I am preserved digitally on multiple phones, cameras, and cloud-based storage systems. Proof positive I was in New York this past weekend.