Too many shots: The Restricta prevents photography in overly popular spots
Anyone with a Facebook account probably already knows that certain tourist landmarks get photographed quite a lot. It’s questionable whether the world needs any more photographs of the Leaning Tower of Pisa or Trafalgar Square, to name a couple. You can probably think of plenty more.
The Camera Restricta, brainchild of designer and artist Philipp Schmitt, is a speculative prototype tool designed to make tourist photography a little less repetitive.
Using built-in GPS, the Camera Restricta will find its own location, then search online for photos that have been geotagged at the same place.
If it detects too many, it retracts the shutter and blocks the viewfinder, preventing the user from taking any photos until they move off the beaten path.
Schmitt put together a video demonstrating how the camera works, which you can watch below:
To further illustrate his point, Schmitt also put together a video showing off just how many tourist photos are taken at popular landmarks, including the Brandenburg Gate and the Eiffel Tower.
The camera is currently just a 3D-printed prototype with no plans just yet to make it commercially available, though as Schmitt points out it would be a matter of simplicity to make the software available in the form of a smartphone app.
Talking about the project, Schmitt said the limitations it imposes would ‘bring about new sensations like the thrill of being the first or last person to photograph a certain place.’
