Interesting topic to reflect on! I’m taking a photography class for the first time and on recent hikes have noticed myself slowing down to explore different angles, stepping out to new viewpoints, and noticing small animals on the trail that I didn’t before.
I took a camera-less hike in New Mexico once though, and it’s the hike I remember the best. I’d close my eyes and imagine I was taking a picture in my brain. Rain drops on the water. Mountain goats. Still remember it vividly.
Thanks Julia! Interesting to hear that photography has had an impact on the way you see the landscape and I love that idea of imagining taking a photo with your brain. I'm going to try that and see how it affects memories of my own hikes...
This is interesting. The process of recording things in general is something my husband and I have been discussing a lot lately. Do you think the camera acts as a filter in some way? Encouraging you to focus on the beauty of the natural world and move more quickly past the all too often disappointing human impact on the countryside? Either way, I enjoyed this post without pictures - a different experience as a reader these days too!
Thanks for this Amy. That's a good question - I think the camera certainly forces me to slow down and leave the well trodden path in search of interesting angles etc so it definitely has an impact on the way I move through the landscape. Maybe it does also encourage me to move faster through the bad bits - I'll have to think about this next time I'm out!
Thank you for the kind words - I'm definitely a more confident photographer than a writer so it's a relief to hear the post was still enjoyable!
Mostly we go on village walks without a camera - to be faster. To get to the milk lady faster or to get to the café faster, without having to stop, or slow down, to notice the tiny details. Without a camera in hand, however, we tend to notice the bigger picture. What has been newly built, where a tree has fallen down, who has new animals, etc. With a camera we often focus on the details, such as flowers, clouds, and insects. There's a beauty to experiencing and remembering both ways of being outdoors. Thank you for this thoughtful & pictureless post.
Your photos are spectacular but so are your words. At least your unintentional hike without a camera gave you the opportunity to consider what a different experience it was. 😊
So good to see these ideas discussed more openly in the adventure community these days. An enforced walk without a camera is always an interesting experience – not something I've done often, but it's highly instructive. I think the important thing is to have the experience and ask the question. Strip it back and then figure out what, for you, is essential.
This paragraph sums up so much of what I believe in regarding adventure, technology, and life. Bravo:
> We are so quick to adopt new technology without stopping to consider whether we really need it, or whether the benefits promised come at a cost greater than we can imagine. In this case I can’t help but think our sense of wonder is being eroded, along with our capacity to connect with the landscape as we follow tiny arrows on glowing screens without looking at the broader picture. A steady hollowing out of the human experience in exchange for speed and efficiency - but efficiency for whose sake? Where are we going so fast and why? Often what tech promises to strip away is the processes that lead up to something; it offers the chance to have the end result without putting in the work, or without acquiring knowledge. But the process is where the magic is - it is in trying and failing only to succeed again at a later date, it is discovering something new by chance, it’s in the quiet moments in-between. We are promised the summit without having to make the long journey to get there, but the journey is what makes the summit worthwhile. I for one will always take the slow path, and gladly suffer the discomforts that make success all the sweeter.
Interesting topic to reflect on! I’m taking a photography class for the first time and on recent hikes have noticed myself slowing down to explore different angles, stepping out to new viewpoints, and noticing small animals on the trail that I didn’t before.
I took a camera-less hike in New Mexico once though, and it’s the hike I remember the best. I’d close my eyes and imagine I was taking a picture in my brain. Rain drops on the water. Mountain goats. Still remember it vividly.
Thanks Julia! Interesting to hear that photography has had an impact on the way you see the landscape and I love that idea of imagining taking a photo with your brain. I'm going to try that and see how it affects memories of my own hikes...
This is interesting. The process of recording things in general is something my husband and I have been discussing a lot lately. Do you think the camera acts as a filter in some way? Encouraging you to focus on the beauty of the natural world and move more quickly past the all too often disappointing human impact on the countryside? Either way, I enjoyed this post without pictures - a different experience as a reader these days too!
Thanks for this Amy. That's a good question - I think the camera certainly forces me to slow down and leave the well trodden path in search of interesting angles etc so it definitely has an impact on the way I move through the landscape. Maybe it does also encourage me to move faster through the bad bits - I'll have to think about this next time I'm out!
Thank you for the kind words - I'm definitely a more confident photographer than a writer so it's a relief to hear the post was still enjoyable!
Mostly we go on village walks without a camera - to be faster. To get to the milk lady faster or to get to the café faster, without having to stop, or slow down, to notice the tiny details. Without a camera in hand, however, we tend to notice the bigger picture. What has been newly built, where a tree has fallen down, who has new animals, etc. With a camera we often focus on the details, such as flowers, clouds, and insects. There's a beauty to experiencing and remembering both ways of being outdoors. Thank you for this thoughtful & pictureless post.
Thank you Cheryl, I appreciate the comment and agree, there's beauty whichever way you choose to experience Nature and the outdoors.
Your photos are spectacular but so are your words. At least your unintentional hike without a camera gave you the opportunity to consider what a different experience it was. 😊
So good to see these ideas discussed more openly in the adventure community these days. An enforced walk without a camera is always an interesting experience – not something I've done often, but it's highly instructive. I think the important thing is to have the experience and ask the question. Strip it back and then figure out what, for you, is essential.
This paragraph sums up so much of what I believe in regarding adventure, technology, and life. Bravo:
> We are so quick to adopt new technology without stopping to consider whether we really need it, or whether the benefits promised come at a cost greater than we can imagine. In this case I can’t help but think our sense of wonder is being eroded, along with our capacity to connect with the landscape as we follow tiny arrows on glowing screens without looking at the broader picture. A steady hollowing out of the human experience in exchange for speed and efficiency - but efficiency for whose sake? Where are we going so fast and why? Often what tech promises to strip away is the processes that lead up to something; it offers the chance to have the end result without putting in the work, or without acquiring knowledge. But the process is where the magic is - it is in trying and failing only to succeed again at a later date, it is discovering something new by chance, it’s in the quiet moments in-between. We are promised the summit without having to make the long journey to get there, but the journey is what makes the summit worthwhile. I for one will always take the slow path, and gladly suffer the discomforts that make success all the sweeter.
Beautiful, evocative words - they did the job admirably without the photos. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Ric, I really appreciate this!