What you get is not what you see!

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IMG_3529Canon EOS 6D (24mm, f/10, 1/40 sec, ISO200)

I love pictures. Sometimes a picture tells more than a thousands words. Sometimes a picture is the most powerful thing that can change the world. But sometimes pictures just fail to transport what you have experienced.

That’s exactly the case here. When I think back this early morning ride into Death Valley was just magical. The air was fresh and soft. The light was great and there was nobody else around. The road was mine. When I looked around everything looked amazing. Now when I look at the pictures I’m disappointed. They look almost bland but they help to recreate the memory.

IMG_3440Canon EOS 6D (28mm, f/11, 1/50 sec, ISO100)
 IMG_3446Canon EOS 6D (44mm, f/14, 1/50 sec, ISO100)
 IMG_3463Canon EOS 6D (26mm, f/8, 1/125 sec, ISO100)

It’s not that my wife loved the car so much that she was cleaning it all the time. She was just removing the dead insects because she hates to see them in the pictures I take through the windscreen. I loved the car. Big and comfortable, maybe a little bit thirsty ( take a closer look at the first image: 6 MPG is not exactly eco-drive ) but it was perfect for cruising around in the South West.

IMG_3466Canon EOS 6D (50mm, f/8, 1/160 sec, ISO100)
  IMG_3473Canon EOS 6D (24mm, f/10, 1/160 sec, ISO100)

But back to my main point. Why cameras fail to capture wide scenes is simple: The sensor is 36 x 24 mm. That is tiny! The scenery in front of you is hundreds of meters wide. How can it possible fit into such a small area? And that’s not enough. You constantly look around so you have a much wider view than the lens. You eyes adjust to different light levels so dynamic range is so much more than what the sensor can capture. You constantly pick out small details out of the larger view.

And finally: You also have a set of ears, a nose and your skin. A lot more senses that work together to create the final impression. So is it pointless to take images when on vacation? Should we concentrate on the experience without the risk of distraction caused by our camera gear? Maybe but I will most likely never find it out. When I see something beautiful or exotic I feel the need to take a picture. I simply have no choice.

IMG_3525Canon EOS 6D (191mm, f/10, 1/400 sec, ISO100)