The Person I Don’t Want To Be

 

Cruise ships at the dock in Skagway, AK.
Cruise ships at the dock in Skagway, AK.

I’ve spent a lot of time in the past few months thinking about the person I really want to be. Part of that process has been thinking about the person I don’t want to be. Trust me when I say answering the second question is a lot easier than the first.

I live in one of the top cruise ship destinations in the world. This is good because not only do tourist dollars make sure I have a job and a place to live, but the visitors themselves are a constant source of entertainment and inspiration to me. Take yesterday as an example.

Thanks to 3 amazing people who happen to be friends of mine, I took the White Pass & Yukon Route Fraser Meadows Steam Excursion train trip yesterday. It was fun and it was something I really wanted to do this summer. As always, tourist antics kept me entertained.

I do not want to be like Tourist Lady.

Tourist Lady sat in the seat in front of mine. She had her camera stuck to her face for approximately 3.5 hours of the 4 hour trip. If it wasn’t directly in front of her lens, she didn’t see it. Tourist Lady was so determined to photograph all of the scenery without actually looking at it that she occasionally turned around in her seat, leaned over the back of it into my personal space to the point where her hair actually hit me in the face, and continued taking photos, oblivious of how ridiculous her behavior was and how rude she was being to those of us who had to share a train car with her. And that’s not even mentioning how she lunged across the aisle and leaned over the poor guy in the seat on the other side of the aisle when someone yelled from the front that they had seen a bear!

I definitely don’t want to be like Tourist Lady.

I don’t want to be the person who spends so much time with the camera stuck to my face that I fail to notice when I’m being rude to other people.

I’ve seen similar behavior on whale watching boats and while riding the Alaska Marine Highway. People won’t put the camera down. They’re so intent on preserving the moment for later that they do not enjoy the moment. They don’t participate in the experience. They don’t even notice when they shove you to the side to get to the front to take their photo.

I don’t want to be a person who shoves someone else aside just to take a photo.

Or at the Chilkoot River in Haines, in late summer when the salmon run starts. People are so overexcited by seeing REAL BEARS that they forget these are wild animals who are just trying to make a living. They chase them and get much too close, just for the satisfaction of a Facebook post. Never mind how unsafe it is for the humans, and how stressful it is for the bears.

I don’t want to be a person who chases and/or harasses wildlife just to get the shot.

Lately I’ve been lucky enough to have a few adventures where friends of mine could join me. I take fewer photos with my friends than if I’m travelling solo, and that’s fine with me. I will not be the person who values photos over friendship. I won’t ruin someone else’s enjoyment of the experience just to have the satisfaction of a photo.

I don’t want to be the person who is so busy looking through the lens that I don’t notice anything else that’s happening.

I do want to get the shot – which isn’t surprising, since I do make money from taking photos. I want to get paid, but I don’t want to go to any lengths to get a photo.

Life is about more than photographing the moment. Life is about relationships with people, and relationships mean participating in life. Participation means putting down the electronic devices and paying attention. Live in the moment, don’t just photograph it while telling yourself you will look at it later.

Most of all, there is always a need for courtesy and respect towards other people, animals, and the environment. That respect goes missing when photographers value the shot above anything and everything else.

I don’t want to be that kind of photographer.


 

2 Comments

  1. Donna

    As the caption says, “Is there something you want to add?”. Yes there is, particularly on this post. I want to add that Kim is a beautiful person. I value what she says because she doesn’t just look at me but see’s through me. She see’s what I wish I saw in myself. I value that and I value that she’s willing to tell me so. I value Kim’s words; she’s smart in life at such a young age. If there were more people like Kim we would all treat each other with respect and enjoy one’s company. I’ve been with people that spend more time on their Iphone than talking to me, as if those on the phone are more important than me, the current person in their life. I want to add that Kim is a friend that I value more than she will ever realize. I want to add that if you don’t have a ‘Kim’ in your life you are really missing something. Thanks for your insight Kim, I’m learning a lot from your blog and I truly appreciate that you take time sharing your wisdom. Hugs.

    • Kimberly VanNostrand

      Thanks, Donna. And I truly appreciate having a “Donna” in my life. Hugs to you – and Bryan, of course!

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