My holiday to Europe was a perfect lesson in what works to document my life.
It began with a phrase we’ve all heard at some point – “I want to buy a new camera for my trip”. We all just want to make the most of our trip, we aren’t coming back and want good photos. As someone who has taken 10’s of thousands of photos, I managed to fall deep into this.
Ahhhhh. So. not. needed.
I. Self-Inflicted Problem
I purchased a video camera and also carried my film camera along my travels. 4 weeks through Italy and Greece.
Both—a burden.
7-8 hours around the shoulders every day. Pulling them out, or just holding them in case something caught my eye.
Relatively speaking, they’re light cameras and easy to use. But when you need to interact with them for 8 hours a day, the small things become huge. Sore shoulders and a bothersome set up—every time.
I do not envy the generations before us who travelled like this. They had no choice. It takes up a good chunk of brain space because you want to make sure you capture something. It should almost be easier because I’ve got two devices specifically manufactured to capture videos and photos, yet my most used tool was my phone.
It’s quicker to use, it takes less time to process, and I can pretty much share it live. When I come back home I barely need to spend any extra time storing or processing it. With the other two, I need to edit all of the video footage and get all the film processed and then edit them when I have the digital files.
I realised all of this whilst I was there—on holiday. Probably in the middle of Italy somewhere, wondering Why the hell did I bring all of this? But, I decided to persevere and use all three devices to see what happened.
II. Perceptions
One crucial thing I was reminded of was the difference in perception when you bring out a particular camera. Although they all essentially do the same thing, peoples reactions are different.
When you’re at a wedding, there’s the expectation of a professional photographer. A certain size of camera. When filming a movie we expect a big grand show with multiple cameras capturing a scene. But when you’re on holiday, it’s happy snaps with a phone. This perception over time has changed with technology, and to ignore that (like I tried) just does not work.
Bring out one of the larger cameras I had and people freeze up, you draw more attention. But raise your phone and no one cares. It’s what we’re all accustomed to. And honestly, it captured the most authentic and beautiful moments of the trip.
All pictures below were captured with an iPhone 13 Mini.
III. Being Nude
The invention of the smartphone, the thing that combines almost infinite tasks takes a lot of the thinking out. More than you realise when you begin to use the equipment it replaced.
If I were to travel again, my phone is all I need. I’d rather be light on my feet. They’re genius. And if our parents and grandparents had these at their fingertips they’d make the exact same choice. Our phones are attached to the hip—they’re a necessity today. When you don’t have it you literally feel naked.
Have you ever misplaced your phone and you freeze on the spot? Like you’re on stage, naked with a spotlight beaming down?
Without the phone, we feel like a part of us is missing. It’s pretty much a body part at this point, and if it’s going to be there we might as well use it. The only extra thing I’d carry is a portable charger – then I get the equivalent of 2 or 3 phones for the day. Saves me carrying around extra batteries and bigger cameras.
I’m glad I carried these cameras with me, because now I know where I need to pull it back. I’m sure most of you already use your phone for everything anyway, but as someone who knows how to use professional equipment and make things look… good, I often struggle with thinking the humble smartphone is not enough.
But, when can the use of dedicated equipment—such as the video or film camera—in everyday life be beneficial?
IV. The Right Tool
When you travel, you are capturing everything by default. You aren’t coming back any time soon. Above capturing though, you’re trying to experience your travels; which is why it can be a burden to lug around big devices.
But when you’re home you don’t capture nearly as much because it’s so normal. You don’t video little moments, you don’t snap as many pictures. Perhaps there’s not as much need. And that’s when a dedicated tool like a video or photography camera helps. You don’t want to waste the effort of lugging it around, so you’re more inclined to use them.
I believe there is a place for all types of documenting equipment—even pen and paper as opposed to digital note-taking—you just need to choose the right tool for the job.
At the end of the day, you’ll know a moment you want to capture. And whatever you have on you is what you’ll use, big or small; just don’t miss the moment. And if you do, you’ll at least be ready for the next.
Stay inspired,
Josh