Phones at events

T

Tdes

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Tony
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Happy new year to everyone!

I was working an event on New Years day and was completely amazed at how many people are not actually there in the moment, but staring at their screens videoing the whole thing! These were not friends/family of the people in the parade (they were in a different area) but just general spectators.

People kept shouting at me to move as I was in their way (high vis jacket, within the barriers with two cameras strapped to me)!

Imagine the amount of data generated if this happens at every event, at what point will the cloud burst??

T
 

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Nobody was watching the the fireworks at London in NYE - they were filming it to never watch again
 
Where have you been the last 10+ years?
Lots of people live their lives through TIKTOK etc
Just look at the number of phone advertisements that the main selling point seems to be what the camera can do.
 
Was at the zoo yesterday and a lot of people were filming on their phones rather than watching the tigers interacting but I was photographing as well with ’proper’ camera so I guess I’m guilty of the same thing each to their own I guess they weren’t doing anyone any harm
only time it does bother me is at concerts when people hold up their phones all night blocking everyones view, why go to see a group then not watch them just spend your time looking at phone screen
 
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Tdes said:
Happy new year to everyone!

I was working an event on New Years day and was completely amazed at how many people are not actually there in the moment, but staring at their screens videoing the whole thing! These were not friends/family of the people in the parade (they were in a different area) but just general spectators.

People kept shouting at me to move as I was in their way (high vis jacket, within the barriers with two cameras strapped to me)!

Imagine the amount of data generated if this happens at every event, at what point will the cloud burst??

T
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Will they ever watch the videos or look at the picture again, or will they just get buried under the following slew of videos and photos? :D
 
Could this not be argued for every use of a camera.

Airshow/motorsport/wildlife photography is all about capturing the image and little about the display/racing/animal

Landscape photograpers spend more time worrying about f stop/shutters speed/ DOF/leading lines than the enviroment they are shooting.

If videoing through the whole show/event it is very distracting from it but you could argue you listen to the band/music and recording a few moments is harmless
 
AgentOrange76 said:
Airshow/motorsport/wildlife photography is all about capturing the image and little about the display/racing/animal
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I'd disagree with motorsport, or indeed any sports photography being more about the photography than the event. If I'm not keeping up with the race, what's happening, who's leading, good battles etc, then how do I know what to shoot? Otherwise I'm just taking pictures of cars. The whole point is to cover the sporting event, so by definition you have to be watching it.
 
LCPete said:
Was at the zoo yesterday and a lot of people were filming on their phones rather than watching the tigers interacting but I was photographing as well with ’proper’ camera so I guess I’m guilty of the same thing each to their own I guess they weren’t doing anyone any harm
only time it does bother me is at concerts when people hold up their phones all night blocking everyones view, why go to see a group then not watch them just spend your time looking at phone screen
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Gig thing is crazy, the band is right there on stage, watch them.
Kate Bush asked that nobody used them during her week long run at Hammersmith Odeon
.
 
tijuana taxi said:
Gig thing is crazy, the band is right there on stage, watch them.
Kate Bush asked that nobody used them during her week long run at Hammersmith Odeon
.
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It's even more annoying when their phone is in your line of vision, or when they all stand up with phones in the air.
 
I had not thought of that bit, but prefer the coloured wrist bands used by Coldplay etc.
 
AgentOrange76 said:
Could this not be argued for every use of a camera.

Airshow/motorsport/wildlife photography is all about capturing the image and little about the display/racing/animal

Landscape photograpers spend more time worrying about f stop/shutters speed/ DOF/leading lines than the enviroment they are shooting.

If videoing through the whole show/event it is very distracting from it but you could argue you listen to the band/music and recording a few moments is harmless
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think you’re missing the point people photograph these things because they are interested in them in my case I’m into wildlife other people are into planes or cars
 
We have been going to see quite a few bands recently, mostly touring celebrating the 25th or 30th anniversary of an album. I do find that at concerts my wife has booked I will take a dozen or so snaps and perhaps a couple of one song videos, the tickets I have bought I hardly use the phone camera, as you can guess we have differing musical tastes.
Though guilty of using a phone at times I do wonder why some people feel the need to record most of the gig.
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Sometimes I play with other people's phones as part of a composition. ( Sparks at the Round House, Camden last year)
 
LC2 said:
Ah, but phones held up with the torch on at gigs is the new lighters in the air that we used to do.
Arguably safer too.
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Couldn't hold them up for long without getting rather burnt fingers.
Mind you some of those phones must be getting rather warm after such prolonged use.
 
AgentOrange76 said:
Could this not be argued for every use of a camera.

Airshow/motorsport/wildlife photography is all about capturing the image and little about the display/racing/animal

Landscape photograpers spend more time worrying about f stop/shutters speed/ DOF/leading lines than the enviroment they are shooting.

If videoing through the whole show/event it is very distracting from it but you could argue you listen to the band/music and recording a few moments is harmless
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I think going out with actual photography/videography as a purpose is very different to passively hitting record to capture something you might share to social media for a bit of 'look where I am' clout and never view again.

If I'm going out and capturing something, I'm definitely there to appreciate the environment/scene/event I'm trying to capture, otherwise how will that translate into my results?

For me, this revolves around mindset rather than the technology involved. I mean, I can often be seen to be scrolling down my mobile device but 9/10 times I'm reading an article, or learning about a topic or activity I want to become more knowledgeable on or better at or I'm looking at the photography of other, better photographers for inspiration.

To anyone looking at that, they'd probably think I'm just scrolling down Instagram to passively consume things that I'll have forgotten about within 5 minutes of putting the device down like the majority of social media use.

The same aesthetic can be a veil for a very different action.

I do find the phone obsession weird though in general. I got dragged to an Ed Sheeran gig and it was a culture shock compared to the kind of gigs I'd usually attend. Even during the main act, people were on their phones (not even videoing/taking photos, literally scrolling socials), chatting away. They only became engaged when a big hit was played and then it was to film the entire song in what will inevitably be awful quality and likely never viewed again.

I just didn't get that at all. It's a weird uncanny valley of documentation for documentation's sake.
 
Adam-G said:
I do find the phone obsession weird though in general. I got dragged to an Ed Sheeran gig and it was a culture shock compared to the kind of gigs I'd usually attend. Even during the main act, people were on their phones (not even videoing/taking photos, literally scrolling socials), chatting away. They only became engaged when a big hit was played and then it was to film the entire song in what will inevitably be awful quality and likely never viewed again.
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That maybe says more about the performer and performance than anything else
 
I took 5 photos at my last proper gig in September, there was a huge disco ball and I fancied capturing that. I have to be in Photographer Mode to make photos - and I'm normally in drunk or music mode when at a gig or festival. I guess people have paid their money, and if they want to spend the gig watching it through a phone then it's up to them.

I've never understood people that make videos at Glastonbury though, as it's all recorded and available on iplayer.. at better quality


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KIPAX said:
They arnt filming to watch again.. there filming to put on social media and show off that they where there...
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That is the most disturbing thing about all this. These people cannot live without their life being shown on social media.

A friend of mine who 'was' critical of all this live your life through social media illness has driffted into it without realising it.

We went to a motorsport event Eddie Kidd was their as a guest. My freind just had to take a photo of him and post it on social media (he is in his 60's). He sent 14 texts in 3 hrs we were there.

It really is an illness of modern times.
 
I often go to the theatre, get a cameras out there and the ushers will descend on you en masse and ask you to stop, or leave; I agree absolutely..

I do fail to see the logic of videoing an entire rock concert, while actually at the rock concert. Very often there will be an official video made which will be much higher quality -- especially the sound (just noticed Benc already said this) -- personally I'd rather enjoy the music and wait for that.
 
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benc98 said:
I took 5 photos at my last proper gig in September, there was a huge disco ball and I fancied capturing that. I have to be in Photographer Mode to make photos - and I'm normally in drunk or music mode when at a gig or festival. I guess people have paid their money, and if they want to spend the gig watching it through a phone then it's up to them.

I've never understood people that make videos at Glastonbury though, as it's all recorded and available on iplayer.. at better quality


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That is a pretty spectacular image.
 
benc98 said:
I've never understood people that make videos at Glastonbury though, as it's all recorded and available on iplayer.. at better quality
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Glastonbury is certainly not "all" recorded or broadcast. And coverage only stays on iplayer for 30 days.

Besides, some people - at gigs and events in general - like to record THEIR experience to look back on. Few are trying to compete with professional recordings.

Although, of course, some loons do stand around recording for an hour or more. Madness,
 
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