I believe some of the statements made in this article are quite hilarious. The idea that tourism photograph is a way for tourists to control their environment is absurd. The man statement in the article I do not agree with is “Touristic photography reduces people to mere objects to be possessed.” This statement goes beyond all natural thinking and dives too deep into a very shallow pond. Almost every photo a tourist takes is to remember the trip they had, the places they visited, share memories with their children. I believe very few people think tourists are trying to possess them out their land.
Other statements in the article I do not agree with are when Sontag says, “Tourists use their cameras as a means of taking control of spaces, and possessing the places they visit…” I personally take pictures on vacations to remember the moments and the places I visited. I would also like to share the images I took with family members, friends, and one-day my children. I have no intent on possessing the places I visit or people I saw, I just want to remember what I did on my trip. In addition, I like shooting people when they do not know the camera is on them. I love seeing the reactions and expressions they make when they do not know their being filmed or photographed. As Sontag says though, “To photograph people is to violate them, by seeing them as they never see themselves…” I feel that it is perfectly fine to photograph some one when their not looking. There is no invasion of privacy if their out in public so I really do not see any problem. Just because I have a view of you that you cannot see does not mean anything. If you really want to see your self at a different angle then go get a mirror.
I am all over the place when I shoot photos. I can be shooting a landscape one second, a portrait the next and then some candid just because their interesting. I do not believe I have a focus point when it comes to photography; I just shoot what looks interesting. I do love shooting macros of everything. Now that I have a lens that will do macro’s I love photographing the simplest things and making them larger than life.
While I am doing “tourist” photography, the photos tend to be very similar to photos I shoot at home. I just shoot to shoot. Sometimes I pose people, other times I stand ready to capture anything that I see visual appealing, and sometimes I just wait for the moments to come to me. All of the things I do at home and while on vacation are remarkably similar. I do enjoy shooting while on vacation more than at home. This is because I am able to bring back photos of places and things my family has never seen.
I put my photos on Facebook to show people what I have done recently. I also post photos on Facebook to show people what I am able to do as a photographer. I like to let people see what I have been up to and it makes my family proud. They all get on Facebook just to see my photos. They are always very proud every time I bring a photo or a published photo for them to view.