I remember the time when taking photos was rare. It was not like today, where almost every device has a camera with which you just point and click. Photography was expensive and time consuming.
Back in the day, few people owned cameras, and fewer had mastered the camera settings. You had to buy a film roll which had limited capacity (usually captured 24 or 36 images), and be judicious with its use – not too many photos at the same event or you ran the risk of burning through an entire roll. Then you took the roll to the photography shop to develop it and print it, which took a few days. Only at this point would you discover that the shot of your birthday with your dream cake captured all your friends smiling while you stood there behind the cake with your eyes closed and mouth wide open!
Not very long ago, the average person did not have the capacity to capture photographs of events important to them. Mobile phone cameras, which followed digital cameras, democratised the act of capturing memories. People started documenting events and moments indiscriminately. It was an amazing leap.
Social media also entered the scene around the same time as digital cameras. Mobile phones not only put cameras in every owner's hand but also social media apps. Sharing captured memories with family and friends, and soon random strangers, became incredibly easy.
Inexpensive storage pushed us past a tipping point, and with cloud storage, the scales tipped entirely in favour of capturing everything.
Overnight, it felt like the chains were off. With all the technology advances accompanying the proliferation of cameras, neither were photographers constrained, nor the people being photographed disappointed. Frequently, they were the same person or people. It became common to take multiple takes to ensure perfection was captured. It also became common that multiple people were capturing the same moment.
Sometimes, it gets so bad that it takes a minute before you get everyone to look at one camera so that you get at least one half decent shot. Knowledge of how to pose and which side to show the camera has become as important as knowing your blood group — you never knew when you might need it. No more birthday photos where the birthday boy looked the worst.
A photograph, which used to be a private memory for most, suddenly morphed into becoming a public performance.
My problem with cameras started when I started noticing how insensitive it was making people. I was fine with the camera culture as long as people were performing for their camera bubble, but I started having problems the moment private performance capture started creeping into public spaces or other people's private spaces. These days, the ones being photographed and the photographer often seem unaware of how much they might be inconveniencing others as they jostle to get the image or video they want.
The first time I experienced this was when I started running in Lodhi Garden, in New Delhi, six years ago. Mid run, I suddenly stopped the moment I saw a couple posing, and their cameraman ready to capture that moment. In the same run, I encountered three more such situations. Each time, I stopped because I thought it was the polite thing to do. I could continue to my run after a moment's break, but I might destroy their only shot by running right through it.
Two weeks, and a few runs later, I didn't stop anymore. Runners & walkers should have priority on the track, and if couples wanted a shot on the running track, they have to wait for a gap instead of just blocking the way for so many people who are out to get their daily activity. These days, I also encounter members of the shooting entourage diverting runners and walkers of the track so that no one disturbs the picture being taken.
Most recently, I was saddened by the unintentional outcomes of this camera culture at the annual sports day hosted at our sons' school. Their school has children from ages two to five. The school and the children practice a lot and put on one of the sweetest shows for the parents and grandparents who attend. There was a march past, followed by yoga, taekwondo, and golf drills that showcased the skills children were picking up. There was such a positive atmosphere as everyone cheered the children on with great enthusiasm. Phones and cameras were out, but people were capturing memories while seated at their places.
Everything changed as soon as the races began.
As the children lined up for their races, the parents made a dash for the best spots around to capture their children and the race. There seemed to be little concern about blocking the view of people behind. There was no regard for how indisciplined and jarring this behaviour might be for the kids. Especially after the MC and guest speakers had spent valuable minutes talking about how sports and fitness instilled discipline.
I have no doubts that sharing these wonderful videos with relatives and friends who couldn't be at the sports day would create meaningful memories and connections, but at what cost. Over the years, my family has probably seen the photos my father took multiple times. Each time we took out the albums, we relived those memories in our heads or with others. Today, we rarely return and look at our digital backups. The abundance of memories, combined with the ease of access, has not only reduced the value of individual moments but also made us revisit them less often. When everything is captured, nothing feels rare.
This is another case of technology not being the problem, but its proliferation and ubiquity leading to unintended second-order and third-order behaviours. Today, we have more ways than ever to capture memories, but less practice at being present for them in the moment. Moments that were once meant to be lived are now staged to be archived.