Look with your eyes and not your tech

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Last Updated on 24th July 2020

Recently on Mashable I saw this apt photo from back in 2015. It showed an old lady leaning on the barriers, simply enjoying a red carpet premiere in Boston without straining to see the celebs via an iPhone screen. The other people in the picture are smiling too so seem to be having fun but if a video/picture is so important at such an event then simply trawl through Twitter/Instagram afterwards and you’re bound to find a better photo/video than you could have taken yourself anyway! It as the perfect example demonstrating how to look with your eyes!

More recently at a U2 concert last week I realised that not enough of us simply “look” at what we’re looking at! Instead, we’re trying to view it through a 4″ iPhone/Samsung screen or a DLSR viewfinder. Often recording videos we’re never going to watch again anyway. And yes I realise that I used my iPhone/DSLR to take the three photos below 😉

… but if you’re going to an event (not just a pop concert) specifically to take quality photos then check out the event photography guide at Pixpa.

So at the U2 concert I mostly saw arms holding up smartphone screens when I’d rather have had a clear site of Bono and The Edge instead.

Maybe take a quick pic but then look with your eyes!

Now that’s two examples of event photography where I feel it’s better to see with your eyes. If not for you then for the person standing behind you! The shots below you could argue are of inanimate objects so maybe take a few snaps and THEN give yourself time to look with your eyes! … without fretting about the composition, whether you should shoot it landscape, portrait or square?, on your DLSR or iPhone or both?, and what tags you’ll use on which Social Media! Take a read of my other post about being too busy travel blogging to enjoy the moment.

Here we are in Pisa on a balmy summer’s evening simply enjoying the tower. OK well I did have to take a photo for this post on a 10 second timer.

… and in wonderfully beautiful Cinque Terre looking over to the iconic picture postcard view of Manarola from across the bay. Check out my post about the best photo locations in Cinque Terre.

So next time you’re on holiday, of course, take some photos but make sure you take time to “look with your eyes” as well! You never know, you might actually find it quite refreshing! 🙂

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