Through ritualized activities social relationships become more meaningful as they are actualized through routines common to individuals and groups. Photography, as a routine ritualized activity, acts as a catalyst for group cohesion and individual identity.
On a recent trip across Western Canada, tourists pulled along side the highway to grab a few visual mementos. Cameras appear magically has the cars come to a stop.
Outside, the first few steps are taken toward a guardrail overlooking a natural wonder – waterfalls, mountains, valleys, and canyons. People pose in seemingly choreographed routines before the camera with the vistas behind them. The relationship between people and famous places is fascinating. In a way, the photograph represents a ritualized act that consolidates and collects the emotional space created by the event.
It seems only natural that basic human need can be met through the ritualized activities of photography. The picture, before and after it is made, epitomizes the human desire to establish and maintain identity within and outside a group.