Amateur Photographers - Why Do We Do It ...... Really

[jscraig07]

I got into photography, originally film, because I grew up in a pretty artistic family and was the only one among my siblings who could not draw, paint or sculpt. I was good at technology though, so photography seemed a natural way to create something. I have been working at it, on and off, for about 50 years, having made the transition to digital in 1999. I do it because I enjoy creating something, want a constant challenge to improve, love the technical side, and find it relaxing and enjoyable to do.

I buy new gear not because it is new, but to help overcome some technical challenge or to expand my available choices when taking a photograph.

I don't expect to create anything that will outlive me, I expect someone will cancel my cloud accounts and reformat my harddrives after I am dead and my work will vanish much as I will. But I do this for me, for my pleasure, not because I think I have some vision or talent to share with the world. I avoid social media outside of a few photo forums, and seldom post things online. It comes down to doing something fun that lets me continue to compete with myself.

 

[Solarflare]

Hmm I definitely dont use anything as often as my latest and greatest.

Granted, its a Nikon D750. Its not actually recent.

My photos will live on ... on other peoples harddrives, and on some websites.

 

[Grandpa Ron]

I suspect by now most readers have discovered the answer to the OP's question is "because...". The remainder of the sentence is as individual as the person stating it. It has been a very interesting thread.

 

[otherprof]

I thought this quote from Agatha Christie was quite a good answer.

 

[otherprof]

For the Professionals it's a job, and probably a passion too, but I'm curious about what motivates the rest of us?

We buy new equipment based on reviews that highlight a 0.02 second focus speed improvement or an extra 2 megapixels, we nearly come to blows over DSLR's vs Mirrorless or film vs digital, we travel back to the same place to capture a stunning landscape image, invest in lighting and backdrops to make the perfect portrait, sit in drafty hides to capture birds in flight and arrive early at sporting events to comandeer the ideal vantage point ...... but why?

Our friends prefer selfies on their phones, hosting sites like Flickr or Instagram are filled with other photographers trying to atteact 'likes', and almost nobody bothers to comment on other peoples images, and the few active critique sites are dominated by people who seem to feel that every image needs to follow their very specific rules for the genre, or its just wrong.

The Photo Forum is a little oasis in this ocean of selfishness and rudeness that comprises the wider photographer's social network.

So why do we do it?

Is it just for our enjoyment?

With photography, as with sex, it is the amateurs that have the most fun.

 

[weepete]

Well ultimatley it's a very personal question. To paraphrase what Harry Chapin said "if only the world could see what I see, it would be as truely beautiful as I am"

Ultimatley, sometimes I go to beautiful places. Sometimes I'm there at times the landscape overwhelms me and I just need to try and share part of what it feels.

I feel very connected to a rural seascape, I see beauty and majesty as the sun kisses the sea, I see meteors shooting between planets over an almost deserted sea loch with towering mountains. I hear owls, see sea eagles circleing as gulls get skittish, I hear the stags on the rut miles away. I see the saturation of colour between the yellow tombola and green grass even as the cloud shrouds the island. I see the double rainbows. I see the pink fog over the loch as the dawn sky reflects off the tendrils sitting on the water. I see the bleak mountains, the mercyless sea and the warmth of human kindness.

So I try my best to capture a little bit of that.