WEBVTT

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
What is the most beautiful place
you have ever been?

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
And, when you were there,
did you take a picture of it?

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Here's a place that tops that list for me.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
This is Mesa Arch

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
in Canyonlands National Park
in Utah at sunrise.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
It's the traditional homeland

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
of the Pueblo, Ute,
Paiute and Navajo people,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and when you are there,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
it is absolutely stunning.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
The sunrise illuminates
the bottom of the arch orange,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and then behind it you see the buttes
and clouds and cliffs.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
But, what you might now see
from my photo here

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
is the 30 people behind me
who are also taking photos,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and these are just the committed people,
the sunrise people, right?

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
So when you think about that,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
there must be hundreds if not thousands
of photos of Mesa Arch taken every week.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I've been sharing my photography
on Instagram for years,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and it started to become
really interesting and funny even

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
just how many similar photos
of the same places

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I've started to see online.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
And I was participating in it.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
So this made me wonder,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
why are we taking photos
in the first place?

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Sometimes I visit a popular landmark --

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
this one is Horseshoe Bend in Arizona --

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and I see all the people
with their phones and cameras out

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
who snap a photo

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
just to turn and get back in the car,
walk back to the trailhead.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
And sometimes it seems like

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
we are missing the point

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
of going to this place
to experience it for ourselves

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
or to see it with our own eyes.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
When I'm behind the camera,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I notice the smallest details:

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
the layers of light in the mountains

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
as the light fades at the end of the day;

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
the shapes that nature so expertly makes,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
abstract and yet completely perfect.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I could go on and on here musing
about the intricacies of this planet

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and the way that it makes me feel.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Photographing the beauty
and complexity of this world

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
for me is like making a portrait
of someone that I love,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and when I make a photograph,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I have to think about
what I want it to say.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I have to ask myself
what I want it to feel like.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
When you're communicating
through an image,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
every creative choice matters.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Sometimes, I plan to share my images,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and other times I take them
just for myself.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I currently host a video series
on the future of the outdoors,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and for one of the episodes
we wanted to explore

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
the relationship between
photography and outdoor spaces.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I learned about the research
of Kristin Diehl and her colleagues at USC

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
who studied photo-taking's
effect on enjoyment levels.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
They found that, when we were
behind the camera,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
when we're the ones taking the picture,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
we enjoy our experiences more, not less.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
But it wasn't true all the time.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
If the person took the photo
solely with the intention of sharing it,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
there was no increase in enjoyment,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
because they didn't do it for themselves.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
So this points to
an important distinction:

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
photography can enhance your experience

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
if it's done intentionally.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
The intention piece is what matters.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
As a photographer, I've really
had to check myself on this.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
When does it help me
to have my camera out?

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
And when do I just need to put it away?

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
On a trip to Alaska, I had the opportunity
to photograph Alaskan brown bears.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I was on a boat with
four other photographers,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and we were all having our minds blown

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
at the same time

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
in such close proximity to these animals.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
And it's an emotional experience.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Being eye to eye with these bears
gave me a feeling of connection

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
that transcends words,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and having my camera with me
in this case enhanced that.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
We were all creating independently,
but also all completely in the moment,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
both with nature and with each other.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I so clearly remember capturing
the water droplets

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and the motion as the bears swam

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and the cute cubs following their mothers.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
That group and I will have
that experience together

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and these images to look back on
time and time again,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and photography is what enabled us
to share this in the first place.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Other times, I choose
to leave the camera behind,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and I think that choice ultimately
improves both my experience

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and my work.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I recently flew to
the South Pacific island of Tonga

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
to swim with humpback whales.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I noticed myself feeling pressure

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and a certain obligation
to take the camera with me,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
when sometimes I just wanted
the pure experience itself.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
And the experience is seriously amazing.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
You're talking about being in the water

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
with a curious baby animal
the size of a station wagon

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
while you are surrounded by particles
that float around you like glitter

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and the mom swims gracefully below you.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
There were times, obviously,
when I did take my camera with me,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and those were really amazing
to capture as well,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
but the set-up is pretty big.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
It's like this big box.
This is what it looks like.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
And so this is between me and the whales,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and at times that feels like a block
between you and reality.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Is there a difference
when it's just your phone?

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Last year I went to Ularu
in central Australia,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
which is this massive rock
that towers over the desert.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
This is sacred land to Anangu,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
who are the Aboriginal
people from this area

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and the traditional owners of the land.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
There are particular spots in Ularu
that you cannot photograph professionally

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
because they are culturally sensitive,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
equivalent to sacred scripture to Anangu.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
So because of this, most of my photographs
are from either far away, like this one,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
or from specific angles in the park.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
You could say that some of the most
interesting and beautiful visuals in Ularu

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
are located in these sensitive areas,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
but the request not to photograph them
is an explicit and direct invitation

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
to learn more about the land,
its importance, and its people.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Isn't that what we should be doing anyway?

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
So my visit to Ularu
quickly became not about me

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
but about connecting with the place.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Ironically and unsurprisingly,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I have found that presence and connection

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
also happens to make
for more compelling images.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
We can probably all point to social media

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
as being a good place to share the images
from our travels and from our lives.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
We not only share pieces
of the world that we have seen,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
but also parts of our
day-to-day experiences,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and if we're applying intentionality
to the photos we take,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
then hopefully we're sharing
intentionally too.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
For me, allowing people to see pieces
of my story and my perspective online

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
has reminded me that I'm not alone.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
It's helped me build support and community

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
to do the same for others.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Let me be clear:

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I am not trying to discourage you
from taking photos.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Even if thousands of people
have been to whatever exact location

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and taken whatever exact photo,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I encourage you to get out and create too.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
The world needs every
voice and perspective,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and yours is included.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
But what I'm trying to show you
is that the phone or camera

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
doesn't have to stay out all the time.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
What I'm trying to encourage you to do

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
is to put it away, just for a moment,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
a moment for you.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
So let's go back to Mesa Arch,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
the way that the rock glows orange

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and the lovely layers of blue
in the background.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
What if the next time
you were somewhere amazing,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
you couldn't bring your camera or phone?

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
What if you were not allowed
to take any pictures at all?

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Would it feel like a limitation?

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Or, would it feel like a relief?

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
So what can we do?

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Well, the next time you feel the impulse
to take out your camera or phone,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
or, in my case, once you realize
you have already pulled it out,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
first, stop, pause,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
take a deep breath,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
look around. What do you notice?

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Are you experiencing
this moment with someone else?

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Remember that this moment only comes once.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Photography can be part
of a beautiful experience.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Just don't let it be a block
between you and reality.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Be intentional,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and don't lose a beautiful,
irreplaceable memory

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
because you were too focused
on getting the shot.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Thank you.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Applause)