[alistairSH]

I see the same thing with selfies on vacations - at Machu Picchu, the Scottish Highlands, Iceland, Florence - people spending the entirety of their visit to some tourist spot trying to get the perfect selfie, to the exclusion of nearly everything else.

Yes, I also carry a camera and take a lot of photos, but I don't run off the tour bus or out of the car, in an effort to get a shot before anybody else gets there (various waterfalls in Iceland). Nor do I get verbally abusive when people wander into a shot, which I encountered repeatedly at Machu Picchu.

[kbenson]

> people spending the entirety of their visit to some tourist spot trying to get the perfect selfie, to the exclusion of nearly everything else.

There is a sweet spot, since I'm at the far extreme other end of the spectrum, and have my own regrets.

I don't take pictures. I just looked, and there's probably between 10 and 20 a month in my phone over the last few months, but the vast majority of those are for stuff I got or sent in an message from my wife or a family member, and a few I took to document my MPOE after new equipment was installed.

I used to just say to people that I don't really see the point of pictures to remember something. Then I got a little older and realized that I have a crap memory for events, but unfortunately my ways are mostly set, and I'm just not the kind of person that thinks to take a picture (and I'll never post it on social media, that's for sure).

The downside is that unless someone else is around to document it for me, there's not much visual evidence to remind my of past events or help me reminisce. I've missed it at times.

[jefurii]

I realized I could never capture a place the way a trained photographer with the proper equipment would, so it was useless to try. When I visit a place I take pictures of the people I'm with who make it memorable but don't try to overdocument. Often these snaps unlock the memory of the place. If I really want a great panorama photo I look online.

[mithr]

I'm somewhere in the middle. I enjoy taking photos, especially on trips, but will rarely pull my phone out during an event, and almost never post anything on social media in any case.

One way that has perhaps been personally helpful in moderating the amount of photos taken is that I mostly use a film camera. This has its downsides, but one upside is that you're limited by the amount of film you physically brought, and so you take a single photo of something rather than 20 (which, incidentally also cuts down on the amount of time you spend picking the "perfect one" -- you either got it or you didn't, and that's it).

That being said, as phone cameras have gotten better, I have found myself taking more photos with those devices as well... but perhaps due to habits developed with a film camera, I still manage to find a balance between just looking at what's around me, device in pocket, and taking it out to snap a nice picture here and there.

[noir_lord]

Saw this in Greece this summer, went for a walk on my own (I like to walk around new places) at a truly beautiful headland against the sunset, I was the only one who sat and just watched it, everyone else had their back to it, framing shots, getting friends to check images...

They have the photo, I have the memory, I think I prefer my way.

[rawoke083600]

Yea I also wonder what do ppl do with "these 10000s of photos" Can't remember last time I print a photo, or look at it after I posted it on IG or FB(ppl still do that ?).

Lol the one to respond to my comment might be the 1/100 ppl that actually print their photos and hang it in their house.

[alistairSH]

I don't take selfies, and rarely family snapshots either.

I do consider myself a photography hobbyist. I try to find neat shots - some are fairly standard shots that pros have all done better (look, another shot of Machu Picchu from the Sun Gate!). Others are simple street scenes, or flowers and landscapes, or whatever other random stuff I happen upon on vacation. Sometimes I try portraits as we're moving through vacation (though that's biggest weakness - most are crap). I like to think looking for unique shots forces me to experience my surroundings, but I won't claim that's true for all people.

I've printed a few shots, like to share my better shots with friends & family, and will go back and look at albums occasionally. And also try to ID what I did poorly and work to correct it on upcoming trips. Some of my favorites end up as desktop backgrounds, screen saver, etc. I should really consider getting a very high quality LCD display to rotate through some - maybe a project of the future.

[hrktb]

Google Photo is good at this, picking past photos from these thousands and surfacing them at random times.

This effectively motivates to also take photos of mundane day to day moments, that will feel so far away in 5 or 10 years.

[dognotdog]

Indeed, a large part of my wall decorations is photos from travelling... not a single selfie, though, most are entirely devoid of people :)

[mceachen]

...If only there was a way to serendipitously browse through hundreds of thousands of images and videos...

(spoiler: check my profile)

[stevehawk]

Technology has been great for this, for me. I no longer travel with a camera (aside from phone) or my drone on group vacations. Everyone already has one. So I just let them take all of their photos and after the trip ask for the iCloud or Drive share link or whatever. It's great.

[shobith]

People always prioritize the remembering self over the experiencing self :). Like someone else pointed out, you can strike a balance between the two.

[dgzl]

A few weeks ago I went to see Haystack Rock off the Oregon coast and I just stood there in the tide looking at this giant rock sticking out the water, absorbing the salt water, brisk air and sounds of crashing waves. It was magical. Everyone else around me was only looking at their camera, I'm not sure what they absorbed.