Snapshot video

Abstract

Camera phones and consumer digital cameras number hundreds of millions worldwide and most of them have the ability to take video in addition to photographs. Public discussions, marketing, and academic research often emphasize the new and innovative ways in which people use their ubiquitous digital cameras, especially camera phones, in combination with the Internet. In this paper we present our qualitative study of 13 people and their picture taking habits with regular cameras and camera phones. We focus on their videography practices in the context of their general use of photo and video media. Our results contradict the general assumption that the availability of ubiquitous video technology has significantly changed people's practices in home-mode pictorial communication. The models for capturing videos are often taken from situations in which previously taking snapshot photographs was the only option. Therefore, we suggest that mobile media creation and sharing technology has only gradually changed people's snapshot photography and videography practices.