Filming and Photography at Rewild Camps

Communities of Rewilding Rewild Camps, Events & Meet-ups
#1

So when I first started doing rewild camps, I thought it would be best to make sure everyone knew that we would be taking pictures there in hopes to inspire others around the country to start rewild camps. But over the last 6 months my attitude towards photography and video has changed dramatically. I decided to no longer allow digital media devices at my rewild camps.

For privacy and spiritual reasons. But also, because so much of the flashy marketing of things like this get in the way of the actual experience. I want the experience to stand for itself, not to be represented in pictures and video. Does that make sense? I feel like part of my problem with Urban Scout and documenting things is that I’ve spent way more time focusing on “looking cool” than on actually doing cool shit. I don’t know. Both are important for the sharing of ideas and inspiration, but I’m just over the marketing side of things. I want to focus on the quality of the experience and I feel like the media documentation takes away from that.

What are other peoples thoughts on this? Would you want to have pictures and video of your rewild camp? Why/why not?

#2

I would want photos because I have very poor recall memory. Digital photos are my way of compensating because I can remember better what was going on, how to do it, what the position of things/hands might have been, how this wound around that pole or so on when I have better input.

#3

I’ve never really been a ‘picture taker’ (despite a photography background) because i feel that it cheats my memory of its natural lifespan. Memories are transient polymorphic things that should change with time for better or worse. In a learning environment, with some exceptions, I think photography and video are probably more distracting than helpful. They take you out of the moment, and put you into a machine. Especially in a wild learning environment, as so much of what you’re learning is procedural. Mnemonic devices can be just as useful for me as other types of learning aids. They’re more fun to use, too :slight_smile:

#4

You could always set up a designated time for picture-taking and such, explaining that devices like cameras and cellphones, if in use throughout the events, would detract from the aim and spirit of the events themselves. Of course, this idea would come with its own set of risks and side-effects, depending on how the matter was approached and recieved by the attendees. Personally, I’m offended when someone pulls out a phone, camera, or laptop in any situation without first running it by the people who they are actually talking to in the real world. Just the other day, my girlfriend and I got into a minor tiff over dinner because, as we were eating and talking, she kept consulting her cellphone to check her facebook. I love her, and I might have been a jerk in saying so, but I thought it was way rude. Anyway, as for your comments about marketing, I definitely agree. It seems like as soon as someone pulls out a camera, they have effectively removed themselves from, and distracted others from, the direct experience at hand.

#5

I think I might have changed my mind about this… AGAIN. Ugh.

Mainly because I just saw Willem working on editing the video from the WAYK language conference in BC last weekend and it made me feel all inspired. Videos and photos do that. It’s all about the feeling of inspiration. One of my problems, I think, lies in the use of these things in manipulative marketing. Lying about what you do… or embellishing for the sake of looking cool, like my photos of myself on my blog, rather than actually engaging in fluency. For example, I’ve got lots of flashy photos on my blog of me doing fun primitive stuff, but how often do I do those things? It’s kind of like lying about authenticity… or not authenticity: I want to be good and fluent at those things… but more like capturing the image of being fluent at those things without being fluent. Am I making sense here? I see this with wilderness schools marketing (one in particular that I will not mention) and it annoys me because people go to these places thinking they are walking into a fluent culture and instead they are simply taught a novice level of skill, and not even taught a way of increasing their own fluency one they leave the program, or rather, not taught to create a culture of fluency on their own. Look at Martin Prechtels website. See any pictures from his school “Bolad’s Kitchen”? Nope. See any pictures of what goes on at his workshops? Nope. And yet, his work is probably the most inspirational and authentic approach to rewilding.

But then I see Willems videos and it gets me all excited. And I think that’s a good thing. As long as the product you are selling is building a fluency culture and not more of the same schooling model. I don’t know.

I like the idea of having a “picture taking time”.

I’m also annoyed at pictures, again for the “cool” factor of my own (now non-existent) disgusting hipster obsession. I heard someone talking about an event they went to and how they took pictures and some other smug mother fucker says, “'Cause it didn’t happen if you didn’t blog about it”. While they were being a dick, it’s kind of true these days. People constantly add media (for whatever sake) to the ever growing pool of excess. Do we really need it all?

Alright, I know I’m kind of ranting, but I’ve got a weird emotional battle going on over this whole topic. Do I document Rewild Camp to inspire others? If so, how do I make sure to accurately represent what goes on at Rewild Camp?

#6

While I appreciate the value of subversive propaganda (i.e. your blog peter), i really believe in keepin it real. If rewilding looks cool thats great, but it doesn’t mean that i want people who i don’t know/don’t care about/don’t care about me, taking photos of me in my buckskins hanging out. photography and filming can make me uncomfortable, they create expectations that we put on a show. i feel like if photography and filming are around me it really depends on the person who is doing it, and how they go about it, as to whether it is ok or not.

#7

Yeah, that’s how I’m feeling. I’m trying to figure out the balance of taking photos while not putting on a show…

I’m taking it you don’t want to do the photos of us naked using chainsaws anymore? :smiley: :smiley: :smiley:

#8

I think that that is one of the instances where photographs are very appropriate.

#9

Interesting thoughts, this photo-obsession applies to any social situation these days such as parties, holidays etc. When you aren’t trying to make art using a camera, photos should just be a point and click documentation of that moment in time, instead you see girls spending half their time at parties taking pictures of themselves until they get ones cool enough to put on facebook, similarly it seems people base their holidays around good photo opportunities instead of just doing what they want. I’ve thought of throwing camera-free parties and I don’t always take a camera when exploring, it makes me feel a lot more free.

However, in the case of when I’m exploring in the bush, I use the camera as a tool to document plants and wildlife in an area, this is especially useful in helping to identify species later (there are over a thousand plant and animal species in my park).

In the same way cameras could be used for different reasons at rewilding camps. Do you just want a happy-snap of who was there, do you want to document the different tools and methods people are using, do you want to use photos as marketing for the rewilding movement, do you want to use photos as marketing to show how cool you are?