The importance of limitation - the joy of 35mm film

A couple of weeks ago, I bought a disposable camera before hanging out with a couple of friends. We had a really fun time just taking pictures of each other, even though we weren't really doing anything all that interesting. It made me wonder; why did we suddenly want to take pictures of us just sitting around when we never did that before? Even with our collective of 4 smartphones, all capable of taking high quality photos, we never just took photos for no reason.

The conclusion I came to was simple: Having access to anything at any time kind of ruins the fun, you know? Sure, having limited photos makes you think about what to take pictures of, meaning you take less pictures. That's the fun, however, in taking photos. They mean more when you can only take so many, and they mean so much more when they are physical. You say, "I want to look at that picture of me and my friends on my birthday," and you grab your phone and scroll through the mindless amalgamation of screenshots, accidental pictures, memes, class schedules and homework to find it.

Right now, you could take out your phone, take a picture of a wall, and delete it. In under a minute, you could mindlessly take a photo with no repercussions. I know a lot of people love having easy access to a camera and the photos they take with it, but at some point, it simply dulls down the action.

What it boils down to is, infinity waters down our joy in everyday tasks. It's nice to have everything you could ever need in one device, but isn't it boring? It's your work schedule, your calendar, your watch, your camera, your photo album, your music, your access to the world. In your pocket everywhere you go by demand, we cannot live without it. While that is it's own problem, the side effect is undeniable. Having access to everything anywhere makes it so much less interesting. 

I recommend buying a disposable camera sometime before you hang out with friends. Mine was 20 dollars for 28 photos, which isn't all that bad. It's clunky and weird, but you'll find it so much more entertaining than using your smartphone.