Martin Santander hardly ever carries a camera. Chase Jarvis almost always does. Both are professional photographers and both feel strongly that their camera-carrying habits positively benefit their image making—and their lives.
How often we carry our cameras and how the action affects our work and lives is a critical, if often oversimplified issue to consider. Unfortunately, the “To carry or not to carry” discussion seems mostly limited to a few well known photographers insisting that other photographer should always carry their cameras. (I’ve noticed that these photographers often don’t have their own cameras with them when giving this advice!).
The always-carry advice seems like a no-brainer, with the advantages pretty obvious. But what about the disadvantages? In her pivotal, thought provoking book On Photography, Susan Sontag seems to suggest that the process of taking pictures actually removes one from being fully engaged in the world, in life. That would certainly be a liability of an always-carry policy.
Martin Santander, a successful fine art photographer, is dedicated to taking frequent breaks from his camera. He told me that it helps him return to photographing with a fresh perspective. But he made it clear that his bigger no-camera motivation is simply to allow him to enjoy life in a non-photo mode.
Chase Jarvis, a successful commercial photographer, is dedicated to trying to always carry a piece of image-making apparatus. In his blog posting today, “5 Reasons It’s Good To Always Carry A Camera,” Jarvis makes some good (and witty) points why other photographers should try to do the same.
Jarvis says, ‘There’s unquestionably something wonderful about carrying a camera with you everywhere you go. Just like a writer carries a notepad, you should carry a camera. Consider trying it for a week. Seriously. You’ll begin to see more pictures than you’d ever have dreamed.”
Already Jarvis has received 13 comments and all his readers seem to agree with him. SeanK writes: “I couldn’t agree more with carrying a camera around wherever you go!! It is so often I am kicking myself for not having a camera close at hand.”
I, too, kick myself a lot for not having a camera on me, but Jarvis’s all-the-time approach is not for me. Like Santander, I definitely need a break at times. When I have a dSLR around my neck I become utterly focused on making images—even if I’m not photographing. That’s not how I want to go through life.
There are, of course, some photographers who seem to have been born with cameras in their hands. Chris Salvo started photographing as a child and has never stopped. He never considered another career besides photography and he ALWAYS has his camera. Salvo told me that always carrying his camera is not a chore or a challenge but simply a part of who he is.
I appreciate Salvo’s MO. But I think most of us fall somewhere between the “almost always” and “very seldom” sides of the camera carrying spectrum.
What are your thoughts on this topic? How often do you carry your camera and how does it affect your art, your business, your life? Would you like to do so more or less and why?
October 3rd, 2009 6:29 pm
I agree with Martin because I do the same, you can get saturated of taking too much photos and only be concentrated in that. I believe you can have your camera with you ocasionally but not always!