Aug 292015
 

Get more likes on Instagram and Facebook on your Travel Photographs

camel in sunset wadi rum

Camels in Sunset Wadi Rum , a Travel Photograph from Jordan 

The Times They Are a-Changin, 

Said good old Boby Dylan and we took him very seriously.  Nothing is untouched by the change happening around us. Travel photography or more correctly the family travel photography has changed beyond recognition. There was a time when we will go on a holiday with one auto shoot camera with 2 or may be 3 rolls of Kodak Film. Your aim was not just to capture the essence of the place but also your family moments. Like they say two birds with one stone.

 Clicking pictures was a big deal, when you stood in front of Taj Mahal  to get clicked with your family, others stopped and avoided coming in your frame.

The stranger whom you requested to click the family picture, considered it to be a big honor that he is entrusted with preserving your family memories.  In mofussil places you had to compose the shot, explain to the benevolent stranger which button to press, how to look into the eyepiece and when to press the shutter, for this could be the first time he was holding a camera and may not get a chance for many months to come.

Once the picture was clicked you thanked the stranger, while he got his bragging rights to go and tell his folks “ I clicked a picture today, of Babu Log from  Bombay”

The story was repeated and it was rare that all the family was in frame as the designated family photographer (typically the eldest male in family, or the rebellious teen who dreamed of becoming the next Ansel Adams ).

Once we came home we would wait sometimes for weeks or even months to get the pictures developed because there were three unused frames in the camera, that could be used on coming Diwali. Travel photography was never considered as Travel Photography but more of  a collection of fun family times.  And when the prints came from the lab it was nothing less than festivities at home. Chai, Pakoras, would be served, we will all sit together and laugh remembering the holidays. Closed eyes in a picture will be dissected over tea and the puff in hair will be compared to Bollywood stars Ah the good old days, when I use to be young.

And today? There seems to be more cameras and photographers around us than any other species on planet. But photographs today are no longer capture memories, their sole purpose is to announce to the world that we have arrived as we are traveling. No longer you are worried about capturing the moment but to announce to the world that you are in Goa, or Thailand or Singapore.

You have no interest in capturing the sunrise or sunset, but to make sure that the world knows that you were present when the sun rose.  And more than the pictures what matters is what you have shared on Facebook or Instagram or twitter. If we have not posted the picture on Facebook we have not travelled.

Since time immemorial more than the intellectuals and the philosophers, it is the court jesters who were more successful in capturing the Vox Populi. When the Kings Ministers were afraid to tell him that he is indeed naked it took a little boy to tell the world that ” The King is Naked”. Nothing much has changed, more than the intellectual debates we find on TV channels and editorial columns of newspapers, it is on twitter you find the mood of the nation. With this note I leave you with this wonderful video that showcases how the travel photography has changed. Take it with a pinch of salt  :), but I can assure you it will make you think while you will try to control your laughter.

So what do you say ? The video does captures the essence of modern Travel Photography and where it is headed. The video is produced by SnG Comedy and you can follow them on YouTube for more fun videos.

But what do you say ? What kind of a travel photographer are you ? What do you on your travels and what are you trying to capture when you are in new places ?  And I am sure the video did reminded you of some people you know  🙂  or pointed to your own behavior may be :).  But like I always say ” Bura Na Mano desi Hai”

 

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  10 Responses to “New Rules of Travel Photography in age of Facebook and Instagram”

Comments (10)
  1. When I started reading the post, I was nodding in affirmation agreeing to what you said but the video took it in opposite direction. 🙂

    I still like to hold the albums and cherish those memories thru actual printed photos. 🙂

  2. First pic is mind blowing !

  3. Beautiful. Very nicely put together.

  4. haha!
    Now I know how to do that world tour I’ve always wanted to do. 😉

  5. Such a lovely post Prasad… I could totally relate with the ‘photography’ idea of the yesteryears because I still love doing it and immediately get prints to put up those pictures in the house… my house is a repertoire of pictures and memories… 🙂

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