Rome, one of the most fascinating cities in the world, along with New York in my opinion, but certainly the most historically important and beautiful. 2000 plus years of history on every street corner, architecture to envy and admire, did you know for example that the obilisk in the centre of the Piazza De Pollo was brought back from Egypt by Marc Anthony? 

No me neither.

Sat there in the middle, centuries old, just there.

So, with all of this free history and culture wouldn't you think that people would take time to stop and absorb? To think about what they are witnessing, this truly unique experience.

Now I'm all for  people taking pictures, it's been my livelihood and my truest love since I can remember but we are now, as a race, I fear, beyond the stage of capturing the experiences of life to trigger our memories in the years to come, but simply to use these wonderful places as backgrounds to our self indulgent gurning.

I found it really amusing taking these photos of people not even looking at the Colliseum or the Parthenon or even St Peter's Basilica, but dismissing them and using them simply as a background.

How sad, the selfie stick has managed to reduce our life experiences and therefore our memories to no more than a tick in a box.

Yes, I've done Rome, and here's a pout to prove I was there.

This is not life, this is not experience to cherish forever more, this is not what photography was even about, photography is a trigger to the memories you have and if you don't stand and stare and absorb your surroundings and embrace the things you see then there is little point in trying to turn the fake into reality.

But that's just my opinion I suppose.

Jon

Www.solidimagery.co.uk

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