Luminous Landscape Forum

Equipment & Techniques => Cameras, Lenses and Shooting gear => Topic started by: paul25 on January 23, 2007, 05:09:58 pm

Title: Why do you love taking pictures?
Post by: paul25 on January 23, 2007, 05:09:58 pm
I'm a beginner in photography.
And, I like taking pictures.
But, I seriously don't know why I like taking pictures.
Simple answer, like "because it's fun", doesn't somehow satisfy my quest for the answer.

I know there are many people here who I think takes professional looking pictures.

Besides for making money, would you mind sharing why you love taking pictures?
Please elaborate your answer as much as you can. it could entail some of your philosophy of photography.

Thank you in advance.

( I post this question here because it seems this is where most people visit.)
Title: Why do you love taking pictures?
Post by: marcmccalmont on January 23, 2007, 07:02:20 pm
I guess its because of the good feeling I get when I look at a nice print that I photographed or when others enjoy it too. It's also nice to see the world through an artists eye, I see things that my wife (an artist) sees with her eyes but I seem to need a viewfinder to see it. I've always liked how things look through optics (camera, binoculars telescopes).
Marc
Title: Why do you love taking pictures?
Post by: James Godman on January 23, 2007, 10:30:36 pm
Hello-

I make pictures because its fun too!  But photography is also a philosophical pursuit.  It makes me look at the world in many different ways.  It excites me, and at times makes me uncomfortable.  In short, it makes me feel alive.

Its an exciting time to be a photographer.

Good luck.
Title: Why do you love taking pictures?
Post by: Richowens on January 23, 2007, 11:55:17 pm
Photography satisfies my creative nature.

I can't draw, hate to paint, therefore, I photograph.

Rich
Title: Why do you love taking pictures?
Post by: larryg on January 24, 2007, 09:32:03 am
Rich, you beat me to this answer but ditto.

I want to create something or at least feel creative.  Can't sing, can't draw, can't cut a straight line  etc.    

It give me great satisfaction to be able to create a fine art image (or any other well done photograph) and know that I did that.
Title: Why do you love taking pictures?
Post by: BernardLanguillier on January 24, 2007, 09:56:29 am
Because it would be a shame to leave all these great cameras on the shelf...

Cheers,
Bernard
Title: Why do you love taking pictures?
Post by: jjlphoto on January 24, 2007, 10:38:04 am
Quote
Why do you love taking pictures?

Because I don't have to wear a tie to earn a livelyhood!  
Title: Why do you love taking pictures?
Post by: jjlphoto on January 24, 2007, 10:38:48 am
Quote
I can't draw, hate to paint, therefore, I photograph.

David Lyman, founder of the Maine Workshops has said "Photographers are painters in a hurry"

He is also credited with stating (long before Steve Jobs entered the scene) "We are all picture takers and story tellers".
Title: Why do you love taking pictures?
Post by: mikeseb on January 24, 2007, 10:40:19 am
Photography provides me with a creative outlet within a framework of technical processes to define and constrain it. The tinkering is satisfying, the results tangible, the feedback near-immediate.

I compare photography to writing, which has been my other creative pursuit in times past. Writing is unconstrained by technical processes (pencil and napkin if you must), and just getting started can be overwhelming. It takes a long time to birth a written work, and I tend to lose focus (no pun intended) and direction in the wait.
Title: Why do you love taking pictures?
Post by: amcinroy on January 24, 2007, 10:51:32 am
To me, landscape photography gives me the the motivation to chase some amazing sights and gives me a way to tell others what I have seen.

It's not always just about the final print, but as much to do with "being there" to take it.

Andy McInroy
Landscapes of Great Britain and Ireland
http://www.andymcinroy.com (http://www.andymcinroy.com)
Title: Why do you love taking pictures?
Post by: Ken Tanaka on January 24, 2007, 11:33:29 am
Quote
Besides for making money, would you mind sharing why you love taking pictures?
Please elaborate your answer as much as you can. it could entail some of your philosophy of photography.
[{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a] (http://index.php?act=findpost&pid=97225\")
This is a question that probably dates back to 1839, the year often credited with photography's birth.  The answers are just as elusive today.
 
I don't know.  It's extremely time-consuming.  It can be rather expensive.  It can be very emotionally frustrating.

But...  It can also be the most satisfying and restorative activity I've ever experienced.  When I'm using a camera I feel no pain or ill.  It's as if I'm momentarily transported to a suspended state.  The relatively few nearly perfect (to my eye and intentions) images I capture become the medium for my addiction.  I constantly create new projects to pursue with a camera.  The possibilities seem endless.

And so on.

Recommended readings:
- Any (and probably all) of [a href=\"http://www.lenswork.com/lwp.htm]Brooks Jensen's LensWork books[/url].  I also highly recommend a subscription to the LensWork magazine itself.  No gear gab.  No ads.  No "how to use your camera's meter" articles.  Just some extraordinary camera work you'll see anywhere, printed as good as it gets.

- If you want a real long-haired treatment of the subject, get a copy of Robert Adams' "Why People Photograph" (http://www.amazon.com/Why-People-Photograph-Robert-Adams/dp/0893816035/sr=1-5/qid=1169654432/).  You won't have an answer to the title question when you've finished this collection of essays.  But you might have many more questions to muse.

My final thought:  Just enjoy your photography and don't be too concerned about why.
Title: Why do you love taking pictures?
Post by: dbell on January 24, 2007, 03:27:17 pm
Because it's a way for me to express something about myself and how I feel on a relatively permanent basis. Who I am and how I feel will change over time, but a photograph is a moment captured, both in the life of the subject and the life of the photogapher.

I enjoy the  process (as distinct from its results) because it appeals to certain aspects of my nature: it's difficult and exacting but rewards patience and perseverance (which I don't have in great quantities) at least as much as perfectionism (which I have in unhealthy abundance).

I'm sure everyone who answers will have a different answer .


--
Daniel Bell
Title: Why do you love taking pictures?
Post by: Lisa Nikodym on January 24, 2007, 07:00:02 pm
Part of it is wanting to create something artful, quicker and easier than traditional methods like painting and drawing (like a number of people above), and closer to "real life" than those.  Part of it is so I can look back at photos of places I've traveled and remember what interesting places I've been (which is easier to do with *good* photos instead of snapshots, where one looks at them and thinks, "I remember it looking much better in person!").  Part of it is showing my photos of places I've traveled to my friends and relatives, hoping to inspire them to go interesting places too.   And a little part of it is pride at having produced something that my friends and relatives are impressed by.

Lisa
Title: Why do you love taking pictures?
Post by: Kirk Gittings on January 24, 2007, 07:16:19 pm
Of all the art forms, photography has the most immediate and profound relationship with  physical reality.
Title: Why do you love taking pictures?
Post by: paul25 on January 24, 2007, 07:46:07 pm
Once in a while, I tend to sit back and try to analyse my behaviors.
Lately, I've been very drawn into photography, buying expensive gears and all...

Reading your replie have helped me reflect on myself.

I'm certainly not in anyway at a level where I could label any philosophical reason for this new "HOBBY", but I do feel at home with many of your replies.

Thank you so much for your sincere sharing.
Title: Why do you love taking pictures?
Post by: d2f on January 25, 2007, 03:34:42 pm
Besides for making money, would you mind sharing why you love taking pictures?
Please elaborate your answer as much as you can. it could entail some of your philosophy of photography.

======================


Each of us is a camera.  We see life through our lens.  We register life as a series of impressions on our heart.  We process the impressions with our mind.  Sadly over time the impressions fade.  When we pick up a camera it becomes an extension of us.  We still see life through our eyes, and also a lens.  We register what we see on our heart and using our mind we seek to capture that image to a physical medium, with the hopes that others who will see the image will likewise walk away with the same impression on their hearts.  Each of us have developed filters over time that effect what we see and allow in to our hearts.  These life experiences can sometimes cut through the fog and allow us to see some small fraction of the truth and sometimes blind us to the beauty at our feet.  If we are sucessful in our efforts the unique perspective we have obtained can be shared with others, in effect giving them a filter to use as they view their world.  As a community we can allow others to view our small piece of the world around us and to witiness their visions which hopefully will inspire us.  In the end when we turn to dust, the impressions which rested in our hearts will live on in the hearts of others who will find our images.  In this way we defeat death itself, for we are what we feel, think and say and photography says it all.  In the end it is not the physical camera, media, or lens that fail us but our limited imagination and our capacity to see.
Title: Why do you love taking pictures?
Post by: marcmccalmont on January 25, 2007, 08:39:35 pm
The first photo is what I saw with my eyes the second is what I saw through the viewfinder.
Marc

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Title: Why do you love taking pictures?
Post by: plugsnpixels on January 25, 2007, 11:17:45 pm
Besides the creative outlet and substitution for traditional art (where I have no talent), photography gives me the means to capture what my eye sees and preserve it to relive and share.

I'm sure you all know the feeling where you're out and about without a camera and see something you just have to record, but you can't! There's nothing more frustrating. Even if it's not important or necessary, the urge to record the visual is there.
Title: Why do you love taking pictures?
Post by: DaveL on February 01, 2007, 08:26:57 pm
Quote
To me, landscape photography gives me the the motivation to chase some amazing sights and gives me a way to tell others what I have seen.

It's not always just about the final print, but as much to do with "being there" to take it.

Andy McInroy
Landscapes of Great Britain and Ireland
http://www.andymcinroy.com (http://www.andymcinroy.com)
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=97312\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Andrew, your site is fascinating! I truly appreciate the link.

I love photography because it helps me see.

Regards,
Dave L
Title: Why do you love taking pictures?
Post by: Leanne on February 02, 2007, 05:41:59 am
Photography for me is a journey in self discovery and constant learining ... an out let for my creativity and a way of capturing a moment suspended in time.
Title: Why do you love taking pictures?
Post by: peterbatpbasedotcom on February 08, 2007, 03:47:12 pm
Naturally I'm glad to produce pleasing images.

An unexpected benefit is that I'm now able to identify
 an appealing composition whether I have my camera
with me or not.  

In other words, my hobby has enabled me to better
appreciate the beauty and interest of my world.
Title: Why do you love taking pictures?
Post by: framah on February 09, 2007, 03:23:27 pm
When my brain is switched over to the good side, I'm seeing the world around me differently than when I'm my usual busy self. During that time, as another said, my heart is open to the beauty in the world.
As much as I see beautiful vistas and such I also see patterns and shapes in those vistas. I think these are what originally draw me to the image in the first place. I have a shot of 2 polar bears jawing that even as it is a really great shot, the line of light along their collective backs sweeps thru the image and is what I saw in the viewfinder and is why I pushed the button.  I get shivers when I see it and more so when I know I got it in the camera!
So, I guess when I shoot, I am seeing these patterns and I really want to show other people what I saw in that instant and the absolute beauty of it all.

Or, it could have been all the acid I took in College!!  
Title: Why do you love taking pictures?
Post by: MikeMike on February 10, 2007, 03:48:51 pm
i like it because our lives pas so quickly before our eyes and the camera alows us to capture that milisecond and keep it with us forever. deep? lol