Why You Should Carry A Camera With You
Or have your iPhone ready at all times
I’ve always been into gadgets. I used to be obsessed with watches (I still kinda am), then it was smartphones and now, cameras. I guess my love for cameras dates back to high school, but I seem to be especially enamored of them as of right now.
From a technical aspect, cameras are a marvel.
Film cameras are lots of fun, but they’re not nearly as convenient as digital cameras. That’s part of their charm, no doubt, but not all of us want to buy 35mm film and have to develop it. (Actually I do — but more on that later.)
Digital cameras, on the other hand, come with a heftier price tag but are packed with way more features. The image quality is the feature that most jumps out when compared to what a film camera can produce and, for that matter, what an iPhone can produce. Even the latest and greatest iPhone technology doesn’t lead to the ultra crisp and detailed photos that an average digital camera does (or I just refuse to believe Apple’s gotten that good.)
But all that aside — what really matters is the thinking behind a camera and what it means to have one on you at all times. Okay, maybe not literally 24–7, but more often than not, let’s say.
I recently purchased a vintage Sanyo camera that’s smaller than my iPhone. It can fit into the smallest of pockets with room to spare. It rests pretty nicely in my grip and is the ultra compact device to make memories with. And that’s what I’m getting at —
Making memories one photo at a time is so rewarding in so many ways.
I love being able to look back one year, two years, three years ago and see where I was, who I was with, what I was doing. Sometimes I don’t even remember the photo being taken, but I cherish it all the same.
Having a gallery of photos to remind me of times that have come and gone is bittersweet. More, it’s a slight nudge that life is so impermanent.
I’ve also noticed that having a camera strapped over my chest (or stuck in my back pocket) heightens my senses — specifically, my sense of sight. I don’t have 20–20, but with a camera, I actively seek the finer points of things. It’s beyond being observant. It’s being present.
Without a camera, I drift from one moment to the next. Minutes, hours, days and weeks slide by unregistered.
But with a camera, I place my feet firmly on the ground, open my eyes and prepare to perform a small physical movement to lift my camera up and shoot. In other words, I live more deliberately.
If nothing else, a camera is a talking point. People might ask you the make and model of yours. You might befriend a fellow photographer. Heck, you might even get opportunities to sell your photos or have them printed and put up in an exhibit.
For me, though, the beauty of having a camera with me is simple. It allows me to document who I am and where I’ve been. From the visceral and sometimes intellectual joy of shooting, to the sentimental process of enjoying your work after, carrying a camera, for me, is here to stay.
