Canon officially announces the PowerShot V10 and launch of the PowerShot V camera series

[dirtyvu]

Tomorrow I will start a journey to seven cities on four continents and I promise that I will not do a single selfie. On my Insta360 panoramas I will be visible of course, but I will cover my face and will try to get myself out of the photos and videos in post. I will take a lot of photos of skyscrapers and if someone will tell me that he does not believe that I was really there, I will not really care. I would not try to prove it by showing the stamp in my passport or so.

I think you're being selfish and narcissistic to think that you can take better photos of those 7 cities on 4 continents than every other photographer who has taken them. It's already been taken before. What can you do better than them? Why take photos at all?

 

[AlanF]

C'mon guys, quit being so judgmental.

Which is more narcissistic, taking photos of yourself on trips to fun locations or thinking anyone cares about the fact you captured the "perfect" shot of a heron catching a fish? They are different sides of the same coin.

Fact is, photography is a very narcissistic hobby. Whether you are taking pictures of yourself and your friends and family, or taking pictures of things, at the heart of it all is pride and self-admiration. If it's not narcissistic, it's usually voyeuristic. Or both.

A few years ago I had the task of culling through by dad's hundreds of slides from the 50s and 60s of our family vacations. I threw out almost all the pictures of things. The ones I kept were the ones of us at various places we visited across the country – the "selfies" that some of you are knocking. Those were the only ones I knew anyone would care about.

I also realized, when I was going through them, how similar his pictures of geysers at Yellowstone, were to my pictures of geysers at Yellowstone. And, how they were like the thousands of other pictures of geysers at Yellowstone that get taken every year. It helped to put my own pictures in perspective and I realize that one one is gonna care about those pictures of birds, animals, mountains, flowers, nature, buildings, etc., etc. that I spend hours processing to get the "perfect" image. It's the crappy pictures of my grandkids birthday parties, Christmases, etc. that people might actually want. The "Selfies."

Most of the people you are knocking are the same people who are having a great time on their trips. It's the "serious" photographers who make themselves a burden to their spouses, kids and fellow travelers with their obsession over getting "perfect" shots, that are the ones missing out.

I'm as bad as the next person on this forum. But please, let's not act all superior because we think those selfie-loving Gen Z whippersnappers are doing it wrong.

Spot on, and you could have added "sanctimonious".

 

[Del Paso]

then just download the pic of half dome. no reason to actually go there. no reason to bring a camera.

Totally wrong!
What about the pleasure of hiking, seing changing landscapes, feeling the mountain air, listening to the sounds of nature, the birds?
Walking down Grand Canyon, for instance, is something I did for itself, not to take a picture of the bottom, "look, I've been there". Enjoying nature is what I'm looking for, the picture of myself down Grand Canyon, who cares? Is the picture THE reason why you go to places? I hope not...

 

[dirtyvu]

Totally wrong!
What about the pleasure of hiking, seing changing landscapes, feeling the mountain air, listening to the sounds of nature, the birds?
Walking down Grand Canyon, for instance, is something I did for itself, not to take a picture of the bottom, "look, I've been there". Enjoying nature is what I'm looking for, the picture of myself down Grand Canyon, who cares? Is the picture THE reason why you go to places? I hope not...

do you take the pictures only for yourself? or do you share with people? because if you share with people, apparently you're narcissistic and selfish according to your definitions.

what i'm trying to get at is people take pictures to have memories of the place they visit. there is no difference between whether you have yourself in the photo or not have yourself in the photo. if you take pictures and they stay in your personal album, then it would make sense that you're not taking pictures for others to see. but if you share with people, you're just the same as the person who takes a picture that has them in it. there is no difference. unless you somehow think your picture of the Grand Canyon is somehow superior to all the billion pictures of the Grand Canyon.

 

[becceric]

There was a time when you simply handed your camera to an onlooker if you wanted to be in a picture at a location. In that format, you were at a distance from the camera and simply there, but the scene was still the dominating factor. With the selfie craze, people take pictures of themselves at arms length or at best with a selfie stick and the resulting image is of them (mostly just their face) with a little bit of the backgroud around the periphery. The obvious egocentricty shows when the individual is the dominant subject in the photograph and I think that is what those of us offended by the craze are saying. The above family shots by neuroanatomist are a perfect example of the old way. The girls are in the picture, but they don't totally dominate (not at all in the second photo). The point is, he took their picture from a reasonable distance, whereas if they had taken the shots themselves, the pictures would have been annoyoing because they would have domintated the images and the scene would almost certainly have been compromised. The old way says, "I was there in a beautiful place". The new way says "look at me". The difference is glaring, not subtle.

Neuro’s images also have plenty of charm, even for us viewers that do not know the subjects.

 

[neuroanatomist]

Neuro’s images also have plenty of charm, even for us viewers that do not know the subjects.

Thank you!!

 

[becceric]

Thank you!!

You are quite welcome. I have not seen images of yours until recently, and have enjoyed them all. While I’ve made minor attempts to view your older images, my method of cycling through previous posts has proven cumbersome. This means I look forward to your future posts.

 

[neuroanatomist]

You are quite welcome. I have not seen images of yours until recently, and have enjoyed them all. While I’ve made minor attempts to view your older images, my method of cycling through previous posts has proven cumbersome. This means I look forward to your future posts.

Probably you've seen this since it's in my signature block, but if you regularly browse on a mobile device in portrait orientation the signatures aren't shown.

John

Explore John’s 412 photos on Flickr!

www.flickr.com

 

[becceric]

Probably you've seen this since it's in my signature block, but if you regularly browse on a mobile device in portrait orientation the signatures aren't shown.

John

Explore John’s 412 photos on Flickr!

www.flickr.com

Thanks! This will keep me busy!

 

[Dragon]

do you take the pictures only for yourself? or do you share with people? because if you share with people, apparently you're narcissistic and selfish according to your definitions.

what i'm trying to get at is people take pictures to have memories of the place they visit. there is no difference between whether you have yourself in the photo or not have yourself in the photo. if you take pictures and they stay in your personal album, then it would make sense that you're not taking pictures for others to see. but if you share with people, you're just the same as the person who takes a picture that has them in it. there is no difference. unless you somehow think your picture of the Grand Canyon is somehow superior to all the billion pictures of the Grand Canyon.

If you can't see the difference between taking a quality picture of a spectacular place to share with others and standing in that place and taking a picture of your face (with not much of the place in the frame), there is no help for you. In the first case, you would be sharing a photo tour of interesting and varying images. In the second case you would be showing a bunch of pictures of the same face with not much interesing in the images. There is also a difference in the nature of the narcissism. In the first case, there is justifiable pride in a) having been there to take the picture and b) in having capured a memorable image (else why would you share it). In the second case the statement is that your face is more important than any place or scenery. That is not justifiable pride, but rather narcissistic personality disorder, which is a well defined medical condition. Look it up.

 

[unfocused]

How do you feel about official actions against it?

Why Italy is fining tourists for taking selfies - CBBC Newsround

If you're someone who likes to spend time taking lots of snaps and selfies when you go on holiday, then Portofino might not be the best place to visit in the future!

www.bbc.co.uk

The headline is misleading. They aren't regulating or prohibiting selfies. If you actually read the story, they are limiting the amount of time people can spend lingering at popular sites. The "selfie" ban is just a headline-grabbing mischaracterization of the actual story, which is about how so many tourists are dawdling to take pictures at popular locations that they have adopted regulations as to how long you can be at a specific site before you have to move on.

That's become a problem at many locations and governments are adopting a variety of approaches to address the problem -- issuing timed tickets, banning tripods, restricting hours or access, prohibiting photos in certain locations, etc. etc. It's not just photographers of course. Increasing disposable income across the world has led to an explosion of travel that is straining resources in popular locations. (Ever see the pictures of people lined up waiting to take their turn at Mt. Everest?) Something tells me that in this particular village the problem was likely to be enthusiasts trying to get the perfect shot, rather than people taking a quick selfie.

 

[Del Paso]

do you take the pictures only for yourself? or do you share with people? because if you share with people, apparently you're narcissistic and selfish according to your definitions.

what i'm trying to get at is people take pictures to have memories of the place they visit. there is no difference between whether you have yourself in the photo or not have yourself in the photo. if you take pictures and they stay in your personal album, then it would make sense that you're not taking pictures for others to see. but if you share with people, you're just the same as the person who takes a picture that has them in it. there is no difference. unless you somehow think your picture of the Grand Canyon is somehow superior to all the billion pictures of the Grand Canyon.

It seems you deliberately choose to misinterpret me.
I quit the game.

 

[AlanF]

If you can't see the difference between taking a quality picture of a spectacular place to share with others and standing in that place and taking a picture of your face (with not much of the place in the frame), there is no help for you. In the first case, you would be sharing a photo tour of interesting and varying images. In the second case you would be showing a bunch of pictures of the same face with not much interesing in the images. There is also a difference in the nature of the narcissism. In the first case, there is justifiable pride in a) having been there to take the picture and b) in having capured a memorable image (else why would you share it). In the second case the statement is that your face is more important than any place or scenery. That is not justifiable pride, but rather narcissistic personality disorder, which is a well defined medical condition. Look it up.

Did Rembrandt have narcissistic personality disorder as he is very famous for his 80 self-portraits where he and not the background was important? And van Gogh? Personality disorders are diagnosed on a series of symptoms and not just one peccadillo. One symptom of narcissistic personality is: "Insist on having the best of everything — for instance, the best car or office." Apply that to cameras and you'll include half the people here. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases...onality-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20366662

 

[EOS 4 Life]

they don't even notice the beauty of the world around them

This camera is meant to capture the world around you and also yourself.
That is the main reason the lens is so wide.

 

[EOS 4 Life]

Totally wrong!
What about the pleasure of hiking, seing changing landscapes, feeling the mountain air, listening to the sounds of nature, the birds?
Walking down Grand Canyon, for instance, is something I did for itself, not to take a picture of the bottom, "look, I've been there". Enjoying nature is what I'm looking for, the picture of myself down Grand Canyon, who cares? Is the picture THE reason why you go to places? I hope not...

You did not seem to address the "no reason to bring a camera" part.
Enjoy your hiking.

 

[Del Paso]

You did not seem to address the "no reason to bring a camera" part.
Enjoy your hiking.

Because I want to remember the things I've seen. And because I enjoy photography, no need to justify, I think...

 

[Skux]

I wander into this thread after four pages and apparently recording your tourism is narcissism now wtf lol

 

[unfocused]

I wander into this thread after four pages and apparently recording your tourism is narcissism now wtf lol

Wander into any thread on this site after four pages and they always head down unexpected paths. Some good, some not so good.

 

[unfocused]

do you take the pictures only for yourself? or do you share with people? because if you share with people, apparently you're narcissistic and selfish according to your definitions.

what i'm trying to get at is people take pictures to have memories of the place they visit. there is no difference between whether you have yourself in the photo or not have yourself in the photo...there is no difference. unless you somehow think your picture of the Grand Canyon is somehow superior to all the billion pictures of the Grand Canyon.

If you can't see the difference between taking a quality picture of a spectacular place to share with others and standing in that place and taking a picture of your face (with not much of the place in the frame), there is no help for you. In the first case, you would be sharing a photo tour of interesting and varying images. In the second case you would be showing a bunch of pictures of the same face with not much interesing in the images...In the second case the statement is that your face is more important than any place or scenery. That is not justifiable pride, but rather narcissistic personality disorder, which is a well defined medical condition. Look it up.

Did Rembrandt have narcissistic personality disorder as he is very famous for his 80 self-portraits where he and not the background was important? And van Gogh? Personality disorders are diagnosed on a series of symptoms and not just one peccadillo. One symptom of narcissistic personality is: "Insist on having the best of everything — for instance, the best car or office." Apply that to cameras and you'll include half the people here. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases...onality-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20366662

Spot on, Alan.

We are all narcissistic, We are all voyeuristic. We all hoard. It is all within a normal spectrum and nothing wrong unless it gets out of control, as in negatively impacting your life or the lives of others. Narcissism is something of a loaded term when really, in most of the cases we are talking about here, it's just an expression of self-love and that is okay. I mean, you can't really love anything outside of yourself if you don't have a certain amount of self-love and self-respect. And yeah, that big collection of camera bodies and expensive lenses probably means you are compensating for something. Just like the monster trucks and fancy sports cars. But, so what? If it gives you joy and doesn't hurt anyone else?

The point that I, @dirtyvu, @AlanF and others, I think, are trying to make it that we shouldn't assume that somehow our way of experiencing a place or event is superior to others. If people want to take and share selfies, they aren't necessarily any more narcissistic than those who prefer to take pictures of things, places or animals. My objection, which seemed to spark much of this conversation, is with that idea that people who take a lot of selfies are somehow doing photography "wrong." Different isn't wrong. It is just different. And, frankly, it makes us sound like a bunch of close-minded old scolds.

 

[Hubert Multana]

I have it! Bought Advanced vlogging kit. Took it to Wroclaw (Europe, Poland) for a short trip to test photo mode. I did some short YouTube cinematoc vlog (I am not preparing English subtitles as we do not speak much and most of it are non-translatable inside jokes.

But please enjoy some shoots!

Filmed with Canon R6 + RF 15-35mm f2.8L