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From Pinterest to Instagram to Google Image Search, the internet is awash with photographs that are mostly variations on the same landmarks and themes. Thanks to the smartphone revolution, we are all photographers now.

In a quest to inject some originality and back into the format, German interactive design student Philippe Schmitt has developed Camera Restricta, a concept camera that uses GPS to stop you from taking photographs of frequently snapped locations.


If in its online searches Camera Restricta spots that too many geotagged images have been posted from nearby locations it will retract the shutter and block the viewfinder. Not since the days of resistive touchscreens and 2G networks has personal technology so flagrantly disobeyed its owner's wishes.

Philipp Schmitt

On his personal website Schmitt acknowledges that geotagging is not the only way to determine whether a photo lacks originality, but it can be used as an indicator. "Camera Restricta could be a controversial tech product, promising unique pictures by preventing the user from contributing to the overflow of generic digital imagery," he writes.


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As well as raising questions about the originality of art and photographic composition, Camera Restricta also points to issues around censorship. Schmitt notes that the European Parliament recently voted against a proposal to restrict people from photographing copyrighted buildings and sculptures. His speculative design explores ideas around how such controversial rules could potentially be implemented.

In a world where the switch from analogue to digital has effectively transformed photography from a costly pursuit to one that is free, Schmitt is ultimately hoping to return some of the long-lost excitement to the act of taking pictures. "Camera Restricta introduces new limitations to prevent an overflow of digital imagery. As a byproduct, these limitations also bring about new sensations like the thrill of being the first or last person to photograph a certain place," he says.