I took too many photos

[t2andreo]

I did the Camino Frances from 24 April to 29 May this year. However, while the overall experience made a profound impact on me, it left me with the sense that while I had accomplished it, I had not properly experienced it. Does that make sense? I spent a lot of time taking over 3,000 pictures and observing the passage of distance and attainment of destinations. However, I realized, in hindsight, that I did not experience the Camino as fully as I wanted to .

So, and has been oft stated by many others in this forum, the only cure for Camino fever is to do another Camino! Thus, I plan to return to St. Jean at the end of next April, after Easter to do it again. This time, I will live it, feel it, smell it, and fully experience it. Once I've done the Camino Frances properly, I hope to do other Caminos, one each year, as long as health and stamina permit.

I enjoyed growing the Camino beard, but I think next time, I will bring the gear and shave once a week. The beard kept my face warm in the late Winter this year, but looking like Papa Smurf is not the look I was going for...

Buen Camino!

Tom (from Virginia)

 

[robertc]

Hey Tom
Thanks for that..was thinking to avoid the ginger beard so il be bringing a simple disposal razor ;-)

 

[robertc]

Hi Tom,
Just wondering what do you mean by 'fully experience it'? Do you mean you were over anxious about the practicalities of the trek and so did not manage to fully let go while walking-maybe all will become clear after I walk it but if there is something I can do to have a more positive experience this time, I'm all ears and ready to learn. T minus 4 days!!
Many thanks
Robert

 

[Bajaracer]

I did the Camino Frances from 24 April to 29 May this year. However, while the overall experience made a profound impact on me, it left me with the sense that while I had accomplished it, I had not properly experienced it. Does that make sense? I spent a lot of time taking over 3,000 pictures and observing the passage of distance and attainment of destinations. However, I realized, in hindsight, that I did not experience the Camino as fully as I wanted to .

So, and has been oft stated by many others in this forum, the only cure for Camino fever is to do another Camino! Thus, I plan to return to St. Jean at the end of next April, after Easter to do it again. This time, I will live it, feel it, smell it, and fully experience it. Once I've done the Camino Frances properly, I hope to do other Caminos, one each year, as long as health and stamina permit.

I enjoyed growing the Camino beard, but I think next time, I will bring the gear and shave once a week. The beard kept my face warm in the late Winter this year, but looking like Papa Smurf is not the look I was going for...

Buen Camino!

Tom (from Virginia)

In other words, Tom wants to walk the Camino again.

“We can have in life but one great experience at best, and the secret of life is to reproduce that experience as often as possible.”

― Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray

 

[Pattii]

I think what he means is that we can be so overwhelmed with catching it all that we miss some of the most important things. Once my sister and I did a trip down the California Coast. At one point I had forgot my camera and that particular day we went to a place that we were able to see the whales go by. My sister said something that day that was incredibly profound for me. She said simply. Its ok Pattii. Take a picture with your eyes. So that day I observed everything around me. I visually took pictures ...saw everything. This was in 91. I still remember details of that particular spot and what we saw that day. Since then I try to take more pictures with my eyes. I realize now that its called being in the moment. Spend time in the moment...but like he said...don't be surprised if you want or need to walk it again. I'm already planning to do my second Camino and won't be going on my first till Sept 2014.

Be in the moment. Drop the thots and just observe...

Bueno Camino!!!

 

[t2andreo]

RobertC - The short answer is "Yes." Whew! I am never THAT concise. Pattii also nailed my feelings with her explanation - well done woman!

However, I was also walking the Camino for many people I know who would never be able to walk the Camino. Through a combination of advanced age, chronic illness, or other infirmities these dozen or so folks could never hope to experience what I was.

So, I made a personal vow to document the journey fully and to share those images with all the people who were following my Camino via e-mail. I have a few personality quirks, and keeping my word is one of them. Once I make a promise or vow I stick to it.

I have friends all over the world and they were thrilled to see the thousands of photos I took. All along The Way I also took iPod Touch photos of beautiful flowers and made several short videos with sound using the iPod Touch to document mountain springs or interesting sights and sounds; like the Botafumeiro in the Cathedral at SdC, the trio of Russian musicians from St. Petersburg, Russia, the two tenors singing classical music under the arch, near the Cathedral or the Galician woman playing the Gaeta under the arch - very well I might add. BTW - I bought all their CDs. Then I discovered Carlos Nunez - WOW! I get teary listing to his Galician music and saw him in concert locally (Washington) last month....memories!

I then e-mailed one flower or video per day to my followers to brighten their days. These efforts make 93-year old nearly blind people, cancer sufferers, and folks of various ages using walker frames, or who must stay close to home for medical reasons very happy. How many people get flowers from Spain every day?

The collateral benefit of having that huge library of images is that the day may come when my memory, including the sights and sounds of my past, are not so complete or vivid as they are now. When that time comes, the digital images will help remind me of what was.

I am not tooting my own horn, just explaining one of the reasons for "doing' the Camino the first time instead of "experiencing" it. As Pattii suggests, when I next do it in April - May 2014, It will be for me for my psyche and soul. The camera is staying home. I will likely maintain the daily photo of flowers, as northern Spain is beautiful in bloom, and I am in incurable romantic...

Buen Camino y'all!

Tom (from Virginia)

 

[Pattii]

RobertC - The short answer is "Yes." Whew! I am never THAT concise. Pattii also nailed my feelings with her explanation - well done woman!

However, I was also walking the Camino for many people I know who would never be able to walk the Camino. Through a combination of advanced age, chronic illness, or other infirmities these dozen or so folks could never hope to experience what I was.

So, I made a personal vow to document the journey fully and to share those images with all the people who were following my Camino via e-mail. I have a few personality quirks, and keeping my word is one of them. Once I make a promise or vow I stick to it.

I have friends all over the world and they were thrilled to see the thousands of photos I took. All along The Way I also took iPod Touch photos of beautiful flowers and made several short videos with sound using the iPod Touch to document mountain springs or interesting sights and sounds; like the Botafumeiro in the Cathedral at SdC, the trio of Russian musicians from St. Petersburg, Russia, the two tenors singing classical music under the arch, near the Cathedral or the Galician woman playing the Gaeta under the arch - very well I might add. BTW - I bought all their CDs. Then I discovered Carlos Nunez - WOW! I get teary listing to his Galician music and saw him in concert locally (Washington) last month....memories!

I then e-mailed one flower or video per day to my followers to brighten their days. These efforts make 93-year old nearly blind people, cancer sufferers, and folks of various ages using walker frames, or who must stay close to home for medical reasons very happy. How many people get flowers from Spain every day?

The collateral benefit of having that huge library of images is that the day may come when my memory, including the sights and sounds of my past, are not so complete or vivid as they are now. When that time comes, the digital images will help remind me of what was.

I am not tooting my own horn, just explaining one of the reasons for "doing' the Camino the first time instead of "experiencing" it. As Pattii suggests, when I next do it in April - May 2014, It will be for me for my psyche and soul. The camera is staying home. I will likely maintain the daily photo of flowers, as northern Spain is beautiful in bloom, and I am in incurable romantic...

Buen Camino y'all!

Tom (from Virginia)

You are an amazing man...I think how you walked your Camino last time was a gift to so many. It was perfect. Don't ever think otherwise. We see what we are supposed to and the things we miss ...well they will come again if they are supposed to show themselves to us. You probably will never know the good you did for so many different Spirits who could not be there. I am so incredibly proud of you for doing that! You will end up being one of my stories I tell about the amazing adventures and experiences that happen on the Camino.
Thank you for sharing that with us!

Huge High 5's!

 

[Rebekah Scott]

A camera can be a very heavy accessory. When you use a camera, you place an object between yourself and whatever it is you are supposedly experiencing. You are not interacting any more with the object/subject. You are "taking" it. You are not experiencing it, you are consuming it, carrying it away with you. Even if you are doing this "for others," for "all the right reasons, "you are not doing yourself any favors. Maybe all that photography is why you felt you did not fully experience your pilgrimage.

I totally understand the impulse to grab each one of thos precious moments and images. I have a shoebox full of photos of my 1993 camino -- it was love at first sight! . Someday I will take them out and look at them!

 

[boilermike]

A camera can be a very light accessory. Taking photographs helps you see your surroundings in new, different and unique ways. A camera, and the art of photography, can connect you with your surroundings and garner interest from others around you. If we lived by the thoughts and rules of the previous poster, we may never have experienced the art of Monet, because certainly a palette and paintbrush has all the same distractions and constraints of a camera, right?

Some people "soak it in" or "experience" things differently than just staring at it. Some people photograph things, some people write words in their journals to try and savor or capture the moment. Relying exclusively on your memory may work for some, but not for all.

 

[sillydoll]

I have thousands of photographs in separate folders for each of my 8 walks to Santiago! I look at them so often that I almost know where to find each one of them.
I have sorted some into sub folders - pilgrim memorials, water fountains, bridges, sundials, weathervanes, crosses, mason signs etc.
I've given many PowerPoint presentations and the slides follow the Camino from start to finish.
I'm not an artist, nor a poet, and not a very good photographer but the photos keep my memory alive more than any other souvenirs of the Camino.

 

[JohnMcM]

[quote="sillydoll, post: 183694, member:

..................I'm not an artist, nor a poet, and not a very good photographer ..................."..[/quote]

But you are source of inspiration, information and motivation for us first- timers and others.

Buen Camino

 

[sillydoll]

Awe - JohnMcM - that is very kind of you

 

[Tia Valeria]

I have thousands of photographs in separate folders for each of my 8 walks to Santiago! I look at them so often that I almost know where to find each one of them.
I have sorted some into sub folders - pilgrim memorials, water fountains, bridges, sundials, weathervanes, crosses, mason signs etc.
I've given many PowerPoint presentations and the slides follow the Camino from start to finish.
I'm not an artist, nor a poet, and not a very good photographer but the photos keep my memory alive more than any other souvenirs of the Camino.

My (our) photos are sorted into Caminos and then stages/days etc. Then there are the edited/named photos for the forum/blogs/slide shows too. Great to go back and look at them. Sometimes it does take looking at the credencial to track down which day the original is stored under , or even re-reading the contents of our own blog . That too revives happy memories. One of the great joys of digital photography. I look and appreciate the scenery as well as pointing my camera at it.

(Edit:- I have removed my comment about albergues as it is not relevent here. Like the new title )

 

[Rebekah Scott]

to each his own.

 

[Stephen Nicholls]

As a fairly mature guy, I take loads of photos for all the reasons listed above, and because I would FORGET so many of the wonderful experiences if I didn't have a pictorial reminder.
And, yes, I DO look at them quite often!

 

[Susannafromsweden]

Hola,
the discussion about advantages/disadvantages with having a camera with you is interesting and deserved its own thread, I think, so I made that (posts are moved from this thread Full albergues every day ).
(If you can figure out a better thread title, send me a pm)
Susanna/Mod.

 

[William Marques]

I am with Rebekah. I have seen too many pilgrims live their Camino through the "eye-sight" of a camera.

Perhaps Tom has hit on a solution. Do it both ways!

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I have seen too many pilgrims live their Camino through the "eye-sight" of a camera.

Watch out for that cliff; it is a long way down with your eye in the viewfinder!

 

[boilermike]

I am with Rebekah. I have seen too many pilgrims live their Camino through the "eye-sight" of a camera.

Perhaps Tom has hit on a solution. Do it both ways!

William, I am interested in your thoughts on why it is a bad thing if people chose to live their camino through an eyesight of their camera. It is, after all , their camino. Who is anyone to say how someone else should experience the camino?

 

[William Marques]

We all have different opinions and I have never told anyone how to take their Camino. Which is why I said perhaps Tom has it right. Do it both ways.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

It may be time to give this thread and topic...a bit of a rest.
There doesn't seem to be much more of value to add.

 

[ManyMiles2Go]

As a fairly mature guy, I take loads of photos for all the reasons listed above, and because I would FORGET so many of the wonderful experiences if I didn't have a pictorial reminder.
And, yes, I DO look at them quite often!

I took a lot of pictures also, but we walked slower than most so I don't feel I missed anything. When I got home, I put all my pictures on my computer at work and set them as a background, changing every 30 seconds. I now get to "walk" my Camino every day (takes a couple days to cycle through them all, and don't get to see all the pictures each cycle through, I do have work to do ). It is also a great conversation starter, with co-workers seeing my screen and saying "Where was that? or What is that?" Makes me anxious to do it all over again Someday

 

[JohnMcM]

....................................................Makes me anxious to do it all over again Someday

For your sake,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, soon I hope.

 

[ManyMiles2Go]

Me too. . . . me too

 

[hecate105]

I agree about the value of photos to others who might not be able to undertake a pilgrimage. But after taking hundreds of photos on mine I then had my camera stolen and lost them all! I persevered and got another camera, and recently took photos on the Chemin St. Jacques, as well as many before and after garden design photos where I'm working - then I somehow lost my camera out of the truck door in torrential rain! All the photos lost - yet again - is something telling me I should forget taking a camera - and as Pattii says - use my eyes to take pictures instead? I think I'll give it a try...

 

[pattymo97206]

I agree about the value of photos to others who might not be able to undertake a pilgrimage. But after taking hundreds of photos on mine I then had my camera stolen and lost them all! I persevered and got another camera, and recently took photos on the Chemin St. Jacques, as well as many before and after garden design photos where I'm working - then I somehow lost my camera out of the truck door in torrential rain! All the photos lost - yet again - is something telling me I should forget taking a camera - and as Pattii says - use my eyes to take pictures instead? I think I'll give it a try...

Wow! That is some bad camera karma! Not sure I would try it again if that happened to me. I lost an SD card with 700 photos in Logrono on my first Camino. I was really devastated, but I said to myself, “Self, there’s nothing you can do about it and hanging onto the loss will not bring them back. So, let go and move one” Which is what I did and went on to snapshot my way across Spain. I walked and stopped frequently, just to soak up what I was seeing. I remember details and smells and sensations. I also have the photos to bring it all into focus.