Ban the Mobile Phone?
Posted: Wed 25 Jan 2017, 15:05
At the start of the first episode of "Tina and Bobby", a TV biopic about the marriage of Tina and Bobby Moore which includes the period when he captained the England football team to its only World Cup victory*, there is a scene of him training with West Ham. During it, the coach stops everyone where they are, tells them to close their eyes and call out the names and positions of all the other players. Not being into football, it is something which I had not previously thought about. It makes sense in a team game that players should be aware of where other people are on the pitch.
I was reminded of that when I recently read a newspaper article which describes how Dr Sherylle Calder, English Rugby Union's visual awareness coach, has told players hoping to be in the World Cup squad for 2019 to restrict their use of mobile phones. She claims that overuse of devices such as tablets and mobile phones is causing a detioration of skill levels and a breakdown in communications.
There were some thought provoking quotes:
"When you look at your phone, you are losing awareness, because you’re ... [looking at the screen] all the time. There are no eye movements happening; everything is pretty static."
“Young kids spend a lot of time on mobile phones so those instinctive natural skills are disappearing.”
It got me thinking. Does something similar happen in photography? There might not be the same comparison with a top sportsman who has to make critical decisions under pressure which could determine the outcome of a match, but often we do need to be aware of what is going on around us. One example is street photography, where a potential image might only exist for a brief moment. With practice we can enhance our ability to spot photographic opportunities, but does looking at any type of computer screen for long periods mitigate against that? I do not pretend that I know the answer, but it does seem it could be a possibility. Maybe there is a generational aspect. Could older people be less likely to be as preoccupied with mobile computing devices than those who are younger? Against that, in the digital age most photographers will be spending considerable periods of time sitting in front of a monitor, which might have the same deteriorating effect. What do others think?
With that, it is time for me to turn off the computer and do some photography. The same is true for you.
* Undeniable fact. The England football team has won every World Cup final in which it has participated.**
** Based on recent performances, this record looks set to remain true for a long time.
I was reminded of that when I recently read a newspaper article which describes how Dr Sherylle Calder, English Rugby Union's visual awareness coach, has told players hoping to be in the World Cup squad for 2019 to restrict their use of mobile phones. She claims that overuse of devices such as tablets and mobile phones is causing a detioration of skill levels and a breakdown in communications.
There were some thought provoking quotes:
"When you look at your phone, you are losing awareness, because you’re ... [looking at the screen] all the time. There are no eye movements happening; everything is pretty static."
“Young kids spend a lot of time on mobile phones so those instinctive natural skills are disappearing.”
It got me thinking. Does something similar happen in photography? There might not be the same comparison with a top sportsman who has to make critical decisions under pressure which could determine the outcome of a match, but often we do need to be aware of what is going on around us. One example is street photography, where a potential image might only exist for a brief moment. With practice we can enhance our ability to spot photographic opportunities, but does looking at any type of computer screen for long periods mitigate against that? I do not pretend that I know the answer, but it does seem it could be a possibility. Maybe there is a generational aspect. Could older people be less likely to be as preoccupied with mobile computing devices than those who are younger? Against that, in the digital age most photographers will be spending considerable periods of time sitting in front of a monitor, which might have the same deteriorating effect. What do others think?
With that, it is time for me to turn off the computer and do some photography. The same is true for you.
* Undeniable fact. The England football team has won every World Cup final in which it has participated.**
** Based on recent performances, this record looks set to remain true for a long time.
