Shandelle Battersby: Put the camera away for a minute

You're better off seeing the world with the naked eye than through a lens. Photo / Thinkstock

As we've all gotten more tech-savvy and gadget friendly, the way we document our travel has changed.

I'm no photographer but I've always travelled with a camera and get a lot of pleasure out of visually recording a trip.

These days, instead of lugging around rolls of film and heavy SLR cameras, you can get a great photo from your phone or tablet and share it with 324 of your closest friends in just a few seconds.

It sure beats inviting everyone around for a slideshow evening after you get back.

But what bothered me on a recent trip offshore is the amount of time and attention that gets devoted to capturing yet another selfie or getting a snap (on everyone's cameras) of the group pyramid in front of the Golden Gate Bridge.

We're getting so used to seeing everything from behind a lens and imagining how cool it will look on Facebook that maybe we're neglecting to really see it with the naked eye.

On a recent visit to Yosemite National Park, in California, our tour guide urged us to put down our cameras and really absorb the stupendous granite cliffs in front of us. In 10 days of wise advice, this was her wisest.

Of course I took a few snaps too, but unless you're Ansel Adams, a photo could never do it justice.

Take photos by all means. But don't forget to really look.

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