Why do we do it?

[Tony Jay]

You need to go shoot with some teenagers, Rob.

Rob, gimme a break.
I am pretty sure she meant as fellow shooters - not subjects!

[kers]

What i like about photography is not only the result, but also the process.
I always think; if i live in one of the richest countries then my work should be nice too- spending so much time in it.

And what i like is to be involved with the people and places were something 'new' is happening...
can be art, can be science; i like to be involved with my photography.
So apart from the photographic result i use photography to be connected to the things i like.

[RSL]

Good Lord - I'm 100% in agreement with Russ.  (See, there IS something new under the sun   )

That said, for me personally, creating a new piece of work is simply fun.  Going somewhere new, or seeing something new in a familiar place is interesting.  Recording it lets me take it home with me, and maybe share it with others.  Seeing it come to life on screen or in a print is still magical,  and sharing with others and creating a sense of enjoyment within their reactions is fantastic.  Selling a piece or wining recognition in a contest is great, too.  All of these things make it "worth it" to create new work.   In short, the "why" is simply because there's not much else I'd rather be doing.

Well, we probably should find a way to celebrate this milestone in art history, James. To turn things around, I'm with you. There's really nothing I'd rather be doing. One of the reasons is that when I have a camera in my hand, I'm looking. Really looking! And even if that doesn't result in a picture that will go down in history as a masterpiece, at least I'm learning more and more about what creation is like To me, that's worthwhile.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

After returning to my corporate career, my interest in photography and the time to do it diminished considerably. Then again, there is always a phone at hand, should an opportunity present itself, like this morning, coming to work. It is a moment in time, a slice of my life, a memento, a reminder of how beauty (and life) are fleeting - the sky colors and clouds dissipated within minutes. It isn't technically perfect, and it probably doesn't mean much to anyone else, but I snapped it nevertheless. Didn't plan it either, just reacted. My daughter snapped it too. Me as a photographer, she as a non-photographer. So, why did we do it? Perhaps there is something primal in the display of natural phenomena that causes humans to react. There must be something, a quintessentially human urge to record the world, ordinary and extraordinary, starting 40,000 years ago in caves.

[Rob C]

Rob, gimme a break.
I am pretty sure she meant as fellow shooters - not subjects!

Tony, it didn't strike me like that - how could it?

The very last thing in the photographic world that I'd seek is to shoot in a group with more than one photographer: myself. There is nothing more distracting, annoying and counterproductive than having snappers chatting at me and wanting a slice of my attention when all I seek is the next photograph for the website.

So you see, I can't for a moment imagine that Sharon was suggesting I go primitive and become part of a herd!

;-)

Rob C

[Rob C]

Well, we probably should find a way to celebrate this milestone in art history, James. To turn things around, I'm with you. There's really nothing I'd rather be doing. One of the reasons is that when I have a camera in my hand, I'm looking. Really looking! And even if that doesn't result in a picture that will go down in history as a masterpiece, at least I'm learning more and more about what creation is like To me, that's worthwhile.

That's a good bit of analysis.

Since getting my mind into the reflections/window thing, I certainly do find that I look and see a lot more than I did when I was almost exclusively a girls-only type of shooter. But then, I suppose it's just that I now notice a different genre of thing, and no longer just stuff on two legs. However, having shot so many of these other things, the non-human ones - I feel I've run out of possibilities where I live, and have stopped carting a camera around with me.

Basically, I'm not really a paparazzo, and so I don't look for unexpected happenings, as it were; reactions of people on the street, for example. I'm just not that quick nor interested in strangers. A pretty one, perhaps, but as you might know from the website, I dedicated a gallery to that idea and it's still almost virginal after a couple of years! As I've mentioned before, this joint is neither Rome nor NY!

;-)

Rob