No Camera Day

I'm just back from another exhibition opening in the Gallery of Photography, I'll post about that later. One thing I noticed as I tried to snap a photograph of the artist, Camilo Jose Vergara, that I could use to accompany my posting was that several others in the audience were also taking photographs, and even more had cameras in their hands or hanging around their necks. Of course being the Gallery of Photography everyone present has an interest in photography or is in fact a professional photographer so having a camera in their hands comes as second nature. However I wondered how much they truly appreciated the talk given by Camilo, or in fact how much of it they even heard as they fiddled with their focus, f-stops and menus.

Coincidentally, tonight the BBC has a story about No Camera Day.

A photographer from Brighton in southern England is urging the people of the world to take a day out and stop taking pictures.

Becca Bland has launched "non-photography day" - planned for 17 July - through a website together with a sticker and flyposter campaign in various cities in England.

I think its a nice idea though unlikely to change many people attitudes even for one day. Once someone gets attached to their camera it can be hard to separate them from it, a bit like their mobile phone. Even so, despite the fact that I almost always have a compact digital with me, most days I never take any photographs. July 17th being a Monday makes it one of the days I rarely take photographs.

Perhaps we should take the idea and apply it to blogs? How about a No Post Day. Maybe we could all enjoy the day and not think, "I must post about this later".