Why do we take so many photos of our dogs?
Tips for best dog pics without annoying them and avoiding gold eyes
If you ask me right now why did I need this particular photo above, I wouldn’t be able to tell you. My dog was wearing the same pink harness she’s been wearing for a year now. Everything from her floppy ears to those bright brown eyes to her multi-colored paws are the same. But for whatever reason, I insisted on her posing by these garden rocks. While she much preferred trying to chase a nearby bird and then a bunny rabbit hopping by, I wanted this rock photo next to someone’s yard.
Once I got the photo, we walked on and she looked back at me with a huff, knowing I’d saved wildlife (the bunny and the rabbit) from her attack. I didn’t intend to. I just wanted to add to over a thousand photos of her on my Shutterfly account. I can guarantee you at least 75% of them are her doing absolutely nothing but existing.
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I hadn’t thought about this much until I saw a recent video of a live concert. In the Instagram post, far too many people are holding up smartphones to film the performance. There are not nearly enough people who look like they’re dancing, singing to each other, bobbing their heads (which would create a shaky video), and definitely not clapping or snapping their fingers to the Grammy award-winning group.
Recommended Read: “When a dog lover understands cat lovers ~ Cat ladies aren’t crazy, according to UCLA study”
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The Geriatric Millennial in me who was around before smartphones grumbled about how they’re not enjoying the moment enough. But I realized I was being a big hypocrite. From 110 film to 35-millimeter film to smartphones, I was always snapping a photograph of something, including my other two dogs (a Labrador mix and a purebred German Shepherd). And I was doing this before I was a photography technician.
But what is it about dogs that make pet owners the equivalent of that new parent who shoves their baby photos in your face? Why do we constantly want to take photos and still moments of memories instead of actually enjoying the memory?