Lessons from whale watching and Ben Hammersley for event organisers

The best thing about the first time I went whale watching was the whales (and hence the fact that it was the first rather than the first and last time). But the most instructive was what it showed me about my attitude towards taking photographs.

I was surrounded by people desperately trying to snatch a piece of a whale on their camera. (Yes, it was long enough ago that photos were indeed being taken with cameras not phones. Video cameras containing tapes were even being wielded too.) But I was there thinking, “‘If I want a great whale photo I’ll go get one from a professional photographer who spent months taking thousands of shots. I’ll concentrate on enjoying the moment of actually seeing a whale in person, thank you very much”.

In the years since then, I’ve mellowed a little about taking photographs, though I still tend to go for one half-decent photograph to help trigger my memory in future years rather than spending lots of time trying to get a really good photograph. A slightly blurry photo of the Canadian countryside works to trigger happy memories whilst not getting close to being worthy of Instagram.

I was reminded of the whale watching when hearing Ben Hammersley talk last week about the impact of mobile technology. One of his points was that we should look more kindly than some do on people who obsess about taking photographs at events because if for them that is part of enjoyment of being at an event – trying to get a decent photo, sharing it with friends on social media, seeing the reactions pile up online – then who is someone else to say that’s the wrong way of enjoying an event?

Not for him a Prince-style ban on people taking photos with their phones. (And is showing your friends you’re at a great event by taking a photo and sharing it really that different from putting an old concert ticket in a highly visible location at home where visitors will see it?)

Whichever of the two camps you fall into – those keen to take photos or those who think that if you want a great photo go get one from a great photographer – you’re unlikely to persuade others to switch their views. Which means that for people organising events, it’s important to remember to cater for both audiences.

Easy to say but often forgotten: is there decent mobile coverage in the venue and are there good places to take photos where phones and tablets held aloft won’t obstruct the views of others?

The two camps might disagree about photo taking at events, but things can at least be arranged so that they don’t have to get in each other’s way.