Would you ask a painter why he’s painting a pastoral scene, since there are thousands of pastoral paintings already?
At simchas where I had a camera, I felt less emotionally attached, less involved, less simcha. Yes, I got some fantastic shots of Uncle Barry balancing the bottle on his head while Cousin Yanky did a cartwheel, but I wasn’t part of the Chasuna.
People are too busy documenting the event for eternity that they forget to experience it themselves.
And herein lies the distinction – there is definitely an enjoyment in successfully capturing something on film; similar to the painter in Avram MDs example. It is a way of enscribing something through your own personal lens, if you like. So it depends what you are aiming to do – a pastoral scene is always there; you can come back another time to view it. Now I’m here to paint. A once in a lifetime experience – here it depends what you find more exhilirating – the thrill of experience, or the thrill of trying to capture it.