Question for everyone in the Photo Group

[JeffR]

whether you're new or a veteran, whether you post here religiously or rarely, whether you deem yourself an amateur or a pro:

Why do you take pictures?

Hoping for a variety of answers, and devoutly hoping that no-one avoids giving an answer if their answer would be they just want to take snaps of friends and family, etc., because that in itself is a damned good answer to the question. I'm just curious to know what it is that motivates everyone when they look at that viewfinder or LCD.

Fair warning: I'm going to keep this kicked. I think a wide cross-section of answers will help us all - certainly me - in thinking about photography. As I'm sure many here do, I think about it a lot of the time even if I'm not shooting anything, but I'm way more interested in hearing what others think.

[Blue_In_AK]

1. I like to take pictures

because they capture a moment in time that will never exist again. Plus, it's just a good artistic outlet for me. I played music for years which fulfilled that purpose, but since I play flute and not guitar or piano, I always needed to have someone else to jam with to "really" make music. Photography is much better because I can do it by myself. I'm kind of a loner, so that works out really well for me.

And, of course, I like taking pictures of the ever-increasing family, too, like everybody else.

[JeffR]

2. "a moment in time that will never exist again"

Very well said, not that your other reasons aren't just as valid.

[jhain]

32. Tha's always been my feeling

Well said!!
"a moment in time that will never exist again"

[Eurobabe]

3. Photography allows me to exercise

my artistic side. I just "see" pictures everywhere. Oftentimes, I don't have my camera, and I will say -- oh damn, that was a picture perfect moment/scene/happening. I've been taking pictures since my grandfather gave me my first Kodak Brownie in 1968. Those first shots were of friends hanging in the trees, Lake Erie where I lived. It's funny to see those pix now, because even then at the tender age of 8, I was attracted to landscapes. I took a photography course in 7th grade, we experimented with B&W and did the darkroom thing. I was hooked. My dad was the managing editor for a fairly large newspaper in upstate NY, and I often went to work with him on Saturday mornings, hung around in the darkroom with the photographer, and sorted AP photos into staff mailboxes.

The invention of Photoshop has allowed me to be even more creative. Personally though, I don't know if I would ever embark on professional digitalSLR training, I have the fear that it would take the joy and innocence out of a pure thing. :shrug: Just my own weird hang-up. One doesn't need the most fancy equipment or a degree in Fine Arts to produce a knock out photograph. Sometimes the littlest camera will do the job.

Just my unabashed .02euro cents. :hi:

[JeffR]

9. That's fascinating about your dad, not just for your "exposure"

(pardon the pun) to news photography, but being around a newspaper at a young age.

Did you ever think about photojournalism as a career?

[Maestro]

4. I love seeing unique, unusual colors, textures, lines

and expressions in photography. I also love being outdoors and being better in touch with the wildlife. Animals, especially birds, serve to supply me with those colors, textures, lines and expressions that I seek.

[JeffR]

10. And you bring some wonderful things back to share.

Photography in general takes patience, but I think your preferred subject matter must take an incredible amount of it. Presumably making it that much sweeter when you get a capture you're happy with.

[Maestro]

19. You are correct.

I literally get giddy when I think I have a shot I have wanted. On the other hand, when the opportunity finally comes I am a nervous wreck trying to get the shot right. I miss most of the time because I can't really tell the subject where to position itself, stand still, do something interesting, etc...the subject does what it wants and I hope for the best.

Thanks for the nice comment too.

[JeffR]

20. If Audubon had used a camera, he'd have missed most of the time too.

Pity those of us who usually shoot inanimate, stationery objects and still most most of the time!

[intheflow]

5. I started doing photography because

I used to make elaborate collages by taking a scenic photo from a magazine, and then cutting out other images and placing them on the background to create a new scene. It was a great creative outlet for me, but about 15 years ago I thought if I ever wanted to sell my creations, I might have copyright issues. But if I took my own background images and cut out my own other images to make a collage, I would be free from legal liability. Photoshop has made this ever-so-much easier to do:



Now collages are no longer my photo focus. Since I started shooting, I've done some professional work (wedding and pet photography) but gave that up about a decade ago to pursue my graduate degree. Nowadays I like doing documentary photos, like protest marches or public speakers. But mostly I shoot for reasons others have mentioned: it's a way to be artistic, it's a way to capture a moment in time, and it gets me into the great outdoors.

[JeffR]

12. That's a unique avenue into photography!

And I love this collage!

I share your affection for protest marches. When I first started carrying a camera to protests, I was really hesitant and figured everyone would assume I was an undercover cop or something. Now I just relax and shoot. There's something about the vibe of a peaceful, crowded, enthusiastic protest that brings out the beauty of people's faces, old and young alike.

[intheflow]

16. Come to Denver next week.

Bound to be some truly awesome photo ops all over the city. I can't wait! :bounce:

...seriously, you and Nance have a place to stay if you can get out here. :hi: DU meet-up on Wednesday night!

[JeffR]

18. Thank you. I only wish we could be there.

As it is, I'll be cramming in as many hours of work as I can, since I have a daunting amount of stuff backed up. But I'll be settling in front of the TV with my feet up to watch convention coverage every night. If you see a TV camera, wave!

Hope you have an awesome time, and if F.Gordon happens to be around, please convey my best wishes.:hi:

[NashVegas]

6. To Have The Images

Some stuff I do for work (concerts); the hobbyist stuff, there's a host of reasons. Mostly what it comes down to is having the image to communicate an idea; commercial greeting cards are just awful these days, so having a great photo of someone or something is a fantastic way to get around the over-categorized Hallmark aisle; to improve my skills; to prove I (and others) exist.

[JeffR]

13. That last point is a very good one.

I've heard painters and sculptors make the same point about why they do what they do. More than just memorializing a time or a place or a vision of same, a photographer memorializes him or herself.

[NashVegas]

25. Damn, You Caught Me

That was almost the sole answer to your question, but it just looked too egotastic.

There's a little more to it, though. In this world where it seems like everyone gets their 15 minutes, it also seems like very few people get to have / see an image of themselves as art - as expressive beings. For the 99.44% of the population whose images are not on the block at Christie's - our images are categorized into attractive / unattractive - I shoot them because I think there's more, like with that pic you liked among my Tomato fest batch.

[JeffR]

35. That photo illustrates perfectly what you're getting at

a quick transcendent moment memorialized. Way more than a simple snapshot.

[Adsos Letter]

7. Pretty mundane, actually... I just like lookin' at 'em after I take 'em...

[JeffR]

14. Hard to imagine a better reason.

It's nice to pull up a bunch of photos on the computer late at night and just browse through the images and the memories they summon up. I usually have to stop when I start thinking of something I want to shoot next and realize it's the middle of the night. Frustrating at that point.

[Blecht]

53. This has always been why I take pictures

Digital takes a little of the fun out of it, because it's immediate gratification to some extent -- but I still look forward to uploading them and looking at them on a bigger screen and printing them.

Nothing was ever cooler than the first B&W photos I developed and printed myself back when I was 7 years old. I wish I could find 'em so I could look at 'em again.

[suzbaby]

8. To learn something new.

I kind of like the idea that no matter how many years I do this (I just started), I will never reach "perfection." I think you'll always be trying learn how to take the better picture.
But when you do take a good photo, there's a real sense of accomplishment in having captured something beautiful.

[JeffR]

15. That is a great feeling.

And you're right, there's no sense of diminishing returns no matter how long one has been taking pictures. Quite the opposite, really. It never gets stale.

[Horse with no Name]

11. I'm a complete amateur

I'd love to be better...maybe someday I will.
Who knows?
I take pictures of what I like.:)

[JeffR]

17. Your Scenes of Summer contest entry is a photo anyone would be proud of

You were obviously drawn to that scene, and anyone looking at the photo couldn't help but share your attraction to it.

[SpookyCat]

21. Comrad Snarky is the artist in this medium.

I take photos because I'm somewhat obsessed with history.

I have a couple of boxes full of shots from my family, some are over 100 years old at this point. These are my jewels, my treasures.

The people I could have never known, but I can see humor in this face, or pain in that face or a vacant stare at what? What are you looking at? What was passing through your mind while you sat there waiting for "click"!

Were you thinking about the war? Will the south win? What will we do if the Kaiser wins? What if the Nazis get the bomb first?

Or were you looking at a butterfly?

And my own photos, which began with a Cannon 110 camera when I was about 10 or 11 years old, to see them change, and see me change and remember the great trauma or uncontainable joy at that time, or the hairstyle (feathered bangs, anyone?) Watching my family change, grow, die, and grow again through the photos. Watching my friends come in and out of the frame, literally and figuratively. That used to be an open field, I forgot! It's a Starbucks now. That sort of thing.

Sorry, got into a tangent there. But I guess in a nutshell, photos for me, the ones I take I mean, are a diary of sorts and a launch pad for introspection.

[JeffR]

22. That's not a tangent, it's a damn good reason for why people take photos.

Photography was so significant a century and a half ago because it captured people and places (relatively) accurately and was cheaper than sitting for a painter.

My great grandparents probably didn't know what their great grandparents looked like, but I know what mine did because I still have their photos.

And your great grandchildren, if you have any, will know you and your world through your photos.

You made a very important point very well.

[SpookyCat]

28. ...

:hug:

[Adsos Letter]

23. Sorry Jeff, my answer was kinda flippant, and only reflected the mood I was in...

to get just a bit deeper:

I like seeing stuff; all kinds of stuff that others get to see (with some exceptions, of course).

I enjoy seeing other people's worlds, their experiences, their interests.

I have met enough people in life to know that there are some I wish I had never met, and probably quite a few I would never wish to meet...still, I have always had a faint sense of...longing...for the fact that there are undoubtedly so many very cool people "out there" that I will never have a chance to know.

I have "met" several through the photography in this forum, and been given a chance to experience a bit of their world.

The quality of my "work," if you want to call it that, certainly doesn't compare to most of what gets hung up here (as someone once said, they like to see less "pictures of cool things" and more "cool pictures of things," and I have certainly grown to respect the abilities of so many here to do just that, although their pictures are usually "cool pictures of cool things"); still, it gives me a chance to share some of my world, some of what I see, some of what causes me to find value, and interest, and pleasure/sadness in life.

That is pretty much why I keep coming back to this forum, although I don't post as much as I did in the beginning.

That, and the generally non-political, encouraging tone of this particular group.

It is like a haven in a stormy sea.

[JeffR]

36. That sharing here is a huge thing for me.

It's inspirational and it teaches me different ways to see. And it's a great window into people's lives and interests. And yes, the supportive nature of this group is powerfully attractive, especially at times when the big forums are almost unreadable.

[ConsAreLiars]

24. For me it has been just a matter of helping me be there then.

A crutch, in a way. Going one step beyond noticing to looking, and maybe even seeing, and if all comes together even sharing. But the first motive is subjective, going beyond an appreciative glance to a good long look and maybe a bit deeper sense of the particular uniqueness of that moment and a more enduring memory.

The camera adds the potential to share, and thus the impetus to learn a bit of the craft, and then, back to the beginning, to look again and more carefully, since reflexive point-and-shoot rarely shows what one saw and wanted to share.

And so it was not simply a crutch, but a also set of training wheels that helped me learn to see a bit better.

[JeffR]

37. Well said.

The zen of photography.

[blueraven95]

26. for me...

it's more about the stories the photograph conveys than it is about the medium itself (which is probably why I will never be a fantastic photographer).

For example:



I can look at this picture I took a couple of years ago, and (as silly as it sounds) I see a weary fairy who has been startled and is looking for an avenue of escape. I can imagine what frightened her and I can figure out what she will do next. Of course, this is all make believe, and I know it is really one of my sisters who is fooling around, but I like my version of the events better. :-)

Or, I can look at the photograph you posted, and I imagine that the bike belongs to a grad student who is in a rush to turn in a paper, which he accidentally left in his apartment. He carefully has taken the time to lock his bike because he is aware that the neighborhood isn't completely safe, but he will curse having to mess with that lock when he gets back out. Maybe it isn't the correct story, but it is a story, and it lets me exercise my creativity that way.

I could go on and I'm not really sure if this is making sense, but that's my answer.

[SpookyCat]

27. Beautiful photo!

Your sister is stunning!

I like the stories too. This is why I will never be bored...my little pea brain and its flights of fancy...

:hi:

[blueraven95]

31. thank you.

she likes to do photo shoots, so I always have a willing model. :-)

[JeffR]

38. I think the example you posted shows that you're a fantastic photographer.

There's no end of intrigue in that image.

[blueraven95]

43. ...

:blush:

[mth44sc]

29. Its those unexpectected moments

I'm out there is my little boat photoing the sunrise. I look behind me and see this



That's why, What I almost didn't see was so much more interesting that what I had been looking at.

To capture that moment - well ...

[Adsos Letter]

30. Wonderful!

This is one of the things I enjoy about this group...seeing what others get to see. Thanks!

[JeffR]

39. OMG

I'm as grateful as you are that you turned around and saw that. Wow!

[Mz Pip]

33. It was easier than Chemistry.

I made a choice a gazillion years ago to study art rather than Chemistry. I loved science; I loved Art. But the creative side won out in the end. Mostly, I did painting but always took photos of family, friends, places I visited. I have boxes of 35 years worth of negatives.

Digital photography did it for me. Not having to deal with all the chemicals reignited my interest in photography. I love it. I love taking pictures, playing with them, making them look how I want them to look and not have to rely on someone else processing them or dealing with the expense of renting lab space.

Also, I think I look at things and the world around me with a more careful and appreciative eye. Some people see the world through the eye of their camera. I see the world through my own eyes and then try to capture what I see with the camera. Taking the picture is not the first step, but one of the last in my creative process.

[Adsos Letter]

34. Right on...

"I see the world through my own eyes and then try to capture what I see with the camera."

THAT is what I like about looking at other people's photography. :hi:

[JeffR]

40. I'd be interested to know more about your painting

and what relationship it had to your photography. I painted for many years and tried sculpture and printmaking, and still dabble, but I spend much more time with a camera now. In my case it's a combination of lack of nerve and perhaps more instant gratification at image-making.

[Mz Pip]

42. when I was in college

I did big colorfield paintings since there was plenty of studio space. After that I did smaller abstracts then moved to semi-impressionistic landscapes in oils and acrylics. I would often work from photographs but it would take such a long time to finish one to my liking.

The instant gratification plays a big part of it, though I can spend almost as much time on one of my digital composite prints as I did on a painting. Making changes, changing the composition, adding and substrating images, is so much easier with a computer! No more having to scrape paint off a canvas if I don't like what I see.

I've been doing some large digital composites printed on canvas and stretched. I have a 3 x 3ft print of a flower collage I did. It's cheaper to print large on canvas and stretch it than it is to do a large print on paper and frame it. I haven't done any digital painting, though. I like combining photographs and scans.

[CC]

41. I think of photos as tangible

memories so taking pictures is my way of capturing memories for the future. Things change fast and can be gone in an instant, then even bad photos can become priceless.

[blueraven95]

44. you know, it's funny, but...

while I agree with you in principle, I almost never take a camera along when I'm going to events that would normally warrant having a camera. I find that I spend too much time framing shots and not enough enjoying the moment. :shrug:

Course, then I always wish I had a camera with me.

[CC]

47. I went and got a little point and shot

for just that reason. lol I found myself leaving the camera home more and more when I was going somewhere for just fun then wished I had the camera. Now the little palm size camera just stays with me, in case.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

45. My dear JeffR...

Why do I take pictures?

I take them because I have an artistic side, and when I'm shooting, my camera is part of me.

It becomes an extension of my vision.

I love the freedom of digital. I can shoot and shoot and never think about how much film did I bring and all that.

And when I upload the pics and do a full screen slide show......WOW!

I can hardly believe I took them...

And of course, the pics provide precious memories...the places, the people, the events...

I'm always looking for beauty. Digital photography allows me to find, and capture, it...

Great thread! Thank you for asking...

:hug:

[Cassandra]

46. I became the family photographer...

when my father handed me his Brownie box camera and told me to keep the subject in the middle. I think I had a little photography course early on at summer camp; I was probably 9 or 10. Since then, I've had an Instamatic so old it takes flashbulbs rather than cubes and a Polaroid, which I was using in conjunction with my scanner. Well, the scanner dropped dead last fall and I finally decided to get myself a digital camera, particularly since the prices had come down and Consumer Reports had just come out with their camera issue. So I got myself over to B&H and got a Canon Power Shot SD850 IS.
I started by just trying to figure out how the camera worked (I notice that the manual tells you where the controls are but not why you should care), and started taking flower pictures for wallpaper for my desktop, so I would have something cheery to look at in the winter. The camera has been a great reason to explore more, walk farther, look for interesting sights and share what I find. My jewelry design business is painfully slow, so this is also a great creative outlet.

[Tindalos]

48. Why do I take pictures?

I just remembered I meant to reply to this thread when it was posted but I didn't have time back then. Better late than never, I guess.


The only two things I've ever been good at are art and hard-core science/math. I don't really know how these two things mesh together.
In fact, I often feel like I'm being pulled in opposite directions. I've been pulled one way or the other at different times and try
balance them out. Academically and career-wise, I've chosen to be a scientist but my sanity requires me to have an artistic outlet.


Right now, I am fascinated by what people see. Do they see what I see or something completely different? Are colours the same? Does
an image trigger a memory in someone, or do you actually have to be there to appreciate it? I get frustrated that so little information
is transmitted in a photo. I wish people could hear, smell, and feel everything else that exists in the world of that picture. How can
I convey more in a single image?


So far, I have no actual training. I did some photography in high school and early university, but stopped for a number of years.
I've signed up for my first photog class next month. Hopefully I will find some answers to my questions once I learn to focus my
creative energy more constructively.

[Blue_In_AK]

49. I get frustrated at how little information is transmitted

in a photo, too. Especially living a place like Alaska, where everything is so vast and expansive, and yet so intricate on the macro level, as well, it's impossible to convey even everything I'm seeing when I take a picture -- much less what I'm hearing, smelling and feeling. I keep trying, and I keep falling short.

[SpookyCat]

52. These are really good questions

"Right now, I am fascinated by what people see. Do they see what I see or something completely different? Are colours the same? Does
an image trigger a memory in someone, or do you actually have to be there to appreciate it? I get frustrated that so little information
is transmitted in a photo. I wish people could hear, smell, and feel everything else that exists in the world of that picture. How can
I convey more in a single image?"


I have spent much time in my art trying to reconcile that. I have tried to marry mixed media pieces with writing, but that always runs the risk of being didactic. A photo, or photo realistic painting, can leave little to the imagination, but too abstract can lose the meaning that *I* intended.

But I think that's the way in art of all kinds, though. It means 5 different things to 5 different viewers, depending on what one brings to the table. Ones own reality colors ones perception, no matter how hard I try to get my point across.

I think that's good though, in a way. I get a kick out of hearing what people get from a poem or art that I do, which may be so far out to lunch from what I meant, but it touched them and they thought about it, which in the end is the point of art. IMHO....LOL!

[MissHoneychurch]

50. Different reasons

it started out with having memories for me. By now it is memories but also catching the beauty of our planet. Of course it is only a small part I see but still it is worth it.

Also, it is the only "artistic" streak I seem to have in my body.

[Mrs. Venation]

51. To Capture a Memory

Each time I press the shutter release I am preserving something that is meaningful to me at that particular moment. Photography is also the creative outlet I enjoy the most.

I've been a hobby photographer since I was 8 years old and I got a Kodak Brownie Starflash camera for Christmas. I'm 56 years old now, so that's a lot of peeks through a lot of viewfinders!

I think I see the world differently because of my hobby. I think I am mentally framing my environment even when I don't have a camera in my hands. I think photography lets me see the world in dimensions that others might miss, because the ordinary can become extraordinary from a different angle, magnification or distance.

One of my favorite subjects is the view from my home office window. I try to get shots of seasonal changes each year. It's interesting to see the nuances of color and light from season to season, and from year to year.

I think of photography as music with images instead of audible tones. Composition is the essence of both, and the outcome can be sublime, hideous or both, depending on the preferences and tastes of the patron.

[Dems4me]

54. I love texture, color & shapes. I get fascinated with pics of Rust! lol n/t