| There's been some studies on the effects of this which have been mixed for-or-against [1-3]. I do a lot of photography and this is a conundrum that many in my circle are aware of. My solutions: - Use a (pseudo)rangefinder camera like a Leica or Fujifilm X100/X-Pro with an optical viewfinder. Even pre-digital SLRs would subject you to, in the moment of photographing, looking at the photograph. With an uncoupled optical viewfinder, you look at life [4]. While the photograph is a powerful simulacrum, it is not life itself; the wall-sized print of the sunrise from the top of Mt. Fuji that hangs in my living room is merely a visual paraphrase of the experience. - Shooting film and the friction that goes into handling, developing, scanning, and (hopefully, eventually) printing brings some of the Benjaminian aura back to the visual record [5]. - Reading about Japanese aesthetics, specifically the notions of imperfections and impermanence, has helped me be more present and aware of the transience of the moment [6]. [1] https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/09567976135044... [2] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S22113... [3] https://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/handle/2152/74825 [4] https://youtu.be/kueqi8A3LQc?t=254 [5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Work_of_Art_in_the_Age_of_... [6] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/911856.A_Tractate_on_Jap... |