Psychology of the Camera
By Jason Canavaggio
11 Jul 2007
I got into photography several years ago and since then my camera is usually where I go. The other day a friend asked why I didn't have my camera on me. I noticed this question was almost mentioned by everyone I saw out of my circle of friends when I didn't have my camera with me. Soon I began to reflect on how my camera became more than an inanimate object and more like a living member of the group.
Stage One: Hide!
I remember when I first introduced my camera. I just started bringing it along wherever I was going. In the beginning people would make the usual "Hey, cool camera" comments, but they were being polite. This all changed when I would start snapping off pictures.
My friends would dodge my camera (and I rarely use a flash) when just taking candied shots. They hated it. It was like the new kid in the group who they thought was going to run home and tell mommy about all the things we do. They didn't trust it. Needless to say I got a lot of pictures of hands obscuring people's faces and actions.
Stage Two: Nice to see you again!
As time passed and people saw that I could get some really good shots of them, and knew when to use judgment when taking a picture, they warmed up to it. My friends began to notice my pictures more and would ask for copies of them for various reasons.
I began going on photo safaris more often. My friends began to say "Hey, you brought your camera!" in excitement knowing they'd get some wonderful pictures. They now accepted the camera as a friend and didn't notice the candid shots I took. They even began posing for pictures. Some times they'd specifically tell me to bring my camera.
Stage Three: Hey, the camera is here!
"Did you bring your camera?" I heard this countless times from friends wondering if I had brought the close personal friend they had gotten to know and love. I'd also hear "You should bring your camera" like it was a person that we should call up and take to dinner. I'm sure if it weren't for the fact that the camera was taking pictures they'd want to have the camera in the shots as well.
Stage Four: Number Five is alive!
This I believe is the final stage of acceptance for a camera. This is the stage where people no longer ask if I brought my camera, they automatically assume it's with me. My friends will frequently tell me to take a picture of something, or they might even go as far as taking one themselves with my camera, or they might have brought their own camera to snap a few pictures. Most often they just assume my camera is somewhere within my reach. On the occasion where I've left it at home I immediately get a shocked and somewhat stern tone of voice as though I had wronged someone very dear to everyone. "You didn't bring your camera!?" The camera is no longer a possession; it's no longer a toy. It can be said that I created a monster, but in a way I've only introduced a new member of the group.
My cameras now have lives of their own. Since my friends aren't camera savvy, meaning they can't tell a Fuji apart from a Lomo LC-A, they've actually started giving names to identify them more easily. It took just one camera to start the struggle for acceptance and the fight ends with multiple cameras standing equal among my friends and people who know me.
