Next time, leave the camera at home

By Ali Standish

Let’s talk for a moment about the digital camera phenomenon. I am one of the only people I know who doesn’t own a digital camera, and one of the still fewer who doesn’t really want one. Let me tell you why. I got increasingly annoyed throughout the day at Coachella when my view kept getting blocked by people holding up their digital cameras, blindly zooming in toward the general direction of the stage and snapping photo after crappy photo.

Sure, there is something to be said for taking pictures at shows. They are, after all, performances. But is it really worth it to spend half your time at a show trying to get some mediocre photos just so you can post them on Facebook to show all your friends that you got within a hundred yards of The Decembrists? I hope not. It might be nice to have some pictures to put in your scrapbook to remember the day, but it seems like people get more and more camera obsessed every show I see.

I mean, do you think that people were busy snapping away at Woodstock? No. They came for the experience. (And possibly tjey were too drugged out to take pictures anyway.) I guess I just don’t see how you can really enjoy a show if your mind is worrying about getting enough good pictures. And how can the person behind you enjoy the show when all they see is ten little silver boxes pointed at the stage? Let me tell you, it’s hard to.