A TED Talk Feedback: Erin Sullivan: Does photographing a moment steal the experience from you? (TED Salon: Brightline Initiatives)

Erin Sullivan, a travel photographer, a writer, and a host. When we come to stunning scenery, many of us directly pull out our phones and take pictures, and I’m not excluded. Will this kind of movement affect the current experience? This question has long bothered me, and this title came into my view straightaway.

When we see something beautiful, it’s common to see that people pull out phones instinctively to take a picture of it. But why are we taking pictures in the first place? It seems that we are missing the point sometimes, we visit a place to experience it ourselves, to see it with our own eyes, not only sharing pictures on social media. The research made by Kristin Diehl studied photo-taking’s effect on enjoyment levels, it shows that when people are behind the camera, they enjoy our experiences more. But people who take the photo only with the intention to share it has no increase in enjoyment. To know when to take out or put away the camera is a vital task. Taking photos isn’t something wrong, but not letting the camera becomes a block between you and reality is the point.