Tourist trap.
Every country has got some. I've been to many.
Being that in many tourist traps you are in long lines, crowded together, paying much greater entry fees than the venue should be asking for, and doing it all in less than ideal weather circumstances you can't help but wonder 'is this worth it?' I mean, just to see some really old building or a natural phenoma, or an amazing work of architecture. Almost always the answer is yes...... If it was just those scenarios to contend with. The sites are impressive and they are 'must see' for a reason. Where the questioning of with comes in is in dealing with other tourists.
I've held some annoyances with tourists before this trip ever began but in my recent months of seeing the world those irritations have been exasperated as have new ones developed: taking f photos when signs clearly say not to, flashes on cameras in art galleries, getting up way too close to wild animals, cutting in queues, screaming unnecessarily, walking across other people taking photos, and many other situations. All of these are annoying but none make me quite as sad as 'camera tourists'
Camera tourist - someone who only sees the place they are touring through the lens of the camera.
The camera tourist is everywhere. It doesn't discriminate either: any age, any culture, and level of camera, any environment. I've seen the camera tourist as simple as the selfie walking around the train station to the high end camera surrounded by beautiful nature. The common theme on the camera tourist is that the person operating spend more time through the lens then at the location they are in. Why not sit back and absorb where you are? To take a moment to reflect on it? To be enveloped in the moment?
Cameras are great and allow us to capture a fraction of a moment and preserve it for the future. But there is so much a photo doesn't capture so if you're only seeing your travels through the lens you are missing out on so so much.
Camera tourist - someone who only sees the place they are touring through the lens of the camera.
The camera tourist is everywhere. It doesn't discriminate either: any age, any culture, and level of camera, any environment. I've seen the camera tourist as simple as the selfie walking around the train station to the high end camera surrounded by beautiful nature. The common theme on the camera tourist is that the person operating spend more time through the lens then at the location they are in. Why not sit back and absorb where you are? To take a moment to reflect on it? To be enveloped in the moment?
Cameras are great and allow us to capture a fraction of a moment and preserve it for the future. But there is so much a photo doesn't capture so if you're only seeing your travels through the lens you are missing out on so so much.
1 comment:
Well said Marcus. You mentioned this with our group in Italy....people rush to a site, take the picture, then bugger off. Through the fish eye lens, they really don't "absorb" the wonder of the site they are photographing.
Dad
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