Photos Vs Video

T

truthseeker

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A comment made by Teatime in the thread on weddings caused me to ponder on this.

Why is it, in these days of modern technology, when even your granny would be capable of filming herself having a cup of tea and emailing it along or posting it on youtube - that its still more interesting to look at photographs?

For example - everyone hates having to watch someones wedding video - but no one minds flicking through the photos.

Our camera is one of those modern yoks that you can shoot a few minutes of video or take a photo - we NEVER shoot the video, and on the very odd occasion we've done it accidently, we delete it.

Interesting eh?
 
Maybe because its easier to compose and 'shoot' an interesting, decent quality photograph, whereas capturing and maintaining composition and audience interest in a shaky, out-of-focus, hand-held, video-clip is next to impossible, despite everyone's Spielberg-esque notions of their personal video compositions.
 
I think it's more likely to be something a bit abstract.

A photo still has that "Aaaahh" moment, captured in time feel.

A video is a bit too realistic, warts and all, and as mathepac says, often jarringly unprofessional too.
 
Caveat said:
I think it's more likely to be something a bit abstract.
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Is it because you can examine the small details in a photo the way you cant in a video (like the expressions of the people in the background etc...?)
 
truthseeker said:
Is it because you can examine the small details in a photo the way you cant in a video (like the expressions of the people in the background etc...?)
Click to expand...

Yeah maybe a bit of that too.

For me, the people being motionless makes it all a bit more noble/serene/surreal - depending on the scene. Whether they are posed or action shots. I'm finding it hard to explain TBH.

Also looking at photos and passing them around is less formal usually than the whole palaver/ceremony of the viewing of the video: "C'mon, c'mon! - here, you sit there - he's putting it on!... quickly...it's started...shhhh!!"

etc etc
 
Does anyone eat popcorn while looking through photos...? We have very few videos but thousands of photos and every so often shoe box fulls are dragged out and flicked through. I gues the photos are more tactile and memories on a photo have to be dragged up and you think more about them, whereas a video throws it all right at you and you don't have time to think through your own recollections.
 
Graham_07 said:
I gues the are more tactile and memories on a photo have to be dragged up and you think more about them, whereas a video throws it all right at you and you don't have time to think through your own recollections.
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That's it Graham you've hit the nail on the head - IMO anyway.
 
Best of both worlds is put photos together's as a "film", about 2.5 seconds each, throw in a few titles and some background music you like.

I put something like that on Facebook recently, the only video clips were about 4 seconds long - video is a bit boring unless its a match or something.

Watched it loads of times myself - others who viewed it probably thought that fella must have nothing to be doing !!! Pinnacle software used btw, good stuff it is.
 
Photos last generations. We have a photo of my great-grandmother taken sometime in the very early 1900's. I now have 4 grand-nieces, (yeah a grand-uncle at 48) . They now have a photo of their great-great-great grandmother. Perhaps videos will give us that in the future but you can't beat a photograph.
 
Also, looking at a photo album of a wedding allows you to look at each photo for as long as you want to. As was said before, you can ponder the nice moments of the day.

Getting trapped watching someones wedding video means watching the WHOLE THING, in poor quality video, and being reminded that about 80% of a wedding is really boring for the guests and is only for the couple and their immediate family.
 
What I like about photos is the fact that you can frame them or make a collage and have them hanging on your walls or sitting on your mantlepiece, basically incorporating your past into your home and decor. I have loads of lovely photos of my eldest nephew but hardly any of the others because they're all on video. This also drives my mother mad. Bring back photos.

I also love Graham 07's comments about bringing your own memories to photos.
 
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