The most frequent question I get – and I get this question from every single person when talking about my photos or photography class – is “why photography?” So, in the span of less than five minutes, I thought it would be fun to go through the various reasons for why I’m choosing to get serious about photography.
And yes there are various reasons as I’m the type of person who would get bored if something I was doing was not multi-faceted!
After spending time critically examining my thoughts and experiences, I consolidated my answer down to five reasons:
- Inherent natural talent
There is something about photography that’s always come natural to me… the continuous interest in taking photos, the composition of photos, the need to record moments in life, etc. I can’t explain it – just like I can’t explain how technologies have always come easy to me (except video editing… that’s still a struggle)! - A Challenging Domain
If a movie is single threaded, I will be the first person bored and ready to move on. Same with my job. Same with all aspects of life. Photography is a multidimensional challenge in that there are different types of photography domains (portrait, landscape, macro up-close, sports, products, real-estate, etc.) and there are literally hundreds of techniques you can learn with various camera settings, lighting set ups, environmental composition, etc. With photography, one will quite literally never stop learning something new. - The Technical Aspects
While instructors may say that photography is only three settings – shutter speed, aperture, and ISO – it can be very challenging to get those settings to cooperate with real life – the environment around you, the subject matter, and/or even with mother nature herself. Plus you have the features of the camera, types of lenses, and even post-processing of the photo to contend with. And given the domains and techniques I spoke of earlier, there are always technicalities to try out, to practice, to perfect along the way. Looking at the entire process as a machine, it becomes a game, a challenge, to enhance the machine to be as well oiled and fine tuned as possible. - A Creative Outlet
This is one of the most challenging and also satisfying aspects of photography to me. One of my teachers once said “anywhere can be a photo shoot” like literally anywhere. So when you’re at a humdrum location and you take a spectacular photo, that’s when you know creativity has kicked in and you’ve elevated the mundane to something spectacular. Locations, settings, light, subject matter – all of those things give you a blank canvas on which to experiment and create. - Relaxation
There’s something to be said for when you’re walking through a forest, beside a stream, or admiring the beautiful flora and fauna around you as you’re shooting photos. It offers a way to slow down life – to literally stop and smell the roses – and to examine every little thing around you that otherwise you would have missed. In a way, it’s active meditation and provides me with a sense of calm serenity.
One additional answer is that when all of these aspects combine, it’s a hobby that I find interesting, enjoyable, fulfilling, and fun. That’s right, with all things considered, the punch line is that photography for me is a fun hobby.
Be sure to share your thoughts if you’d like, or head over to my website to check out various photos I’ve taken over the years.