Another Variation

Most of you have heard my rant on digital photography at weddings. I perform four or five weddings per year and have noticed a dramatic increase in the number of folks who pull out a camera phone or digital camera and then will actually take photos during the ceremony. The boorish behavior will then continue in the reception, with many of these amateurs ruining the best shots for the professional photographer. I mean, there's only one first kiss, dance with the father, cutting of the cake...and when these folks try to get a "great shot" to be the first to put the pics up on MySpace or Facebook, well, they can dramatically affect the lighting, angles and composition of a photographer the couple paid to record those moments for THEM.

And yesterday I overheard a soccer mom discussing a moment with a friend on her mobile phone. It went something like this: "I can't believe I was a few minutes late. He's already scored two goals and I was only able to get the second one on video. I had the wrong battery in and by the time I replaced it...well, I got it in time for the second one."

My thoughts went back to the first day of school for Kid2. I was holding her hand, walking down the hallway, taking in the moment. It would be my last time to walk a child to first grade. To introduce her to the teacher. To watch her sit down in her desk and meet the person sitting next to her. Then you walk away.

And I had a mom bark at me because I was "about to get in the shot of her child's first day of school."

I thought about a great sporting moment I attended: Game 2 of the 1999 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Brett Hull scored a very important goal with 3 minutes or so left in the game. I saw it from great seats. The set-up pass. The slap shot. The water bottle popping off the top of the goal when it hit the back of the net so hard it stretched the entire webbing tight. The red light flashing. The horn going off. A great moment. Not to mention the tense, loud 3 minutes where the Stars had to hold on. One of the best moments of sports I've ever attended in person.

I was telling someone about this and they asked me, "Did you video that? I'd love to see it!"

And I wondered when it became so important to have all these moments recorded.

Why can't we just enjoy them on our own personal hard drives?

And I read this quote from Billie Joe Armstrong, frontman for the band Green Day. They were doing a show at a small club where the band got their start and before they played he urged the crowd to put away their cameras and cell phones by saying this: "YouTube can't own everything. There's something called memories."

I'd also suggest there's something called enjoying the moment, too.

A kid's first day.
A professional's big goal.
A cake cut at the wedding.
A great song by a great band in a great environment.

Sometimes, we miss the best parts trying to preserve the best parts in digital format.