Picture Picture

As a photographer on vacation, I find myself caught between the role of taking vacation pictures for my family, and doing something meaningful for myself. It's very easy (and tempting) to get lost in a creative fog at the expense of those around you. Normal methods used when out photographing on your own are replaced with a hybrid approach that resembles a condensed and sped-up version of how I usually take pictures. This ends up being a juggling act where I look for subject matter that appeals to my own self-interests, then switch gears to photograph the obligatory "vacation pictures" that dominate our family photo albums. The burden of doing both is amplified when you consider that the reason you go on vacation, is to take a vacation. The physical act of taking photographs is very relaxing to me, but I'm also acutely aware that it's easy to let life pass you by when you're looking through the narrow confines of a cameras viewfinder. I try, and sometimes succeed, at living in the moment, while finding time to satisfy narcissistic creative ambitions.

On a recent trip to Ireland, I struggled to find subject matter that appealed to my visual sensibilities.  I've never possessed the patience required for landscape photography, and Ireland is made up of one majestic landscape after another. As a tourist, you begin to realize that your images are being replicated by thousands of other like-minded tourists who are tracing your steps all over Europe. It's humbling to know there's nothing extraordinary about the pictures you are about to take. There are times when you end up feeling like every other nitwit with a camera. To take meaningful pictures requires an inordinate amount of time and energy, which doesn't come easy when you're living within the context of a whirlwind vacation.

Because Europe is full of breathtaking scenery, there is no shortage of tourist photographers looking to photograph it. This can get annoying when practically every shot you take is littered with tourists standing in the frame of your viewfinder. To get around this, I made the decision to turn my focus on the tourists that found there way into my picture. I was able to get my photographic fix, without disrupting what turned out to be a great getaway with my wife Maureen.