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

[Vtec44]

As a full time professional photographer, I don't think this is my job. It's something I love to do and I just happen to get paid for it. Before I got paid to do what I do, the idea of translating my imagination into something that others can see is amazing. Over time, it becomes so precise that it is even better than what I have in my own head. It's a lot more fun when that happens.

 

[AlanKlein]

Because I can't draw. Also, I like the smell of film.

 

[Photo Lady]

Maybe because i was a artistic student in school.. in kindergarden i painted the tee pees we made for american indian study with deer and buffalo and horses... everyone was impressed... since i was not a very outgoing student and i did not seem to excel in anything else like my art.... It became my expression and my way of dealing with all the peer pressure we face as a kid .. so now photography brings this enjoyment to me again with capturing all the beauty and things we take for granted.. gives me a really artistic feeling in my life again since my art mostly was of animals.. and nature.. my photos have given me much pleasure..so much like my long ago art.

 

[JoeW]

1. Why do people play music on the weekend? They aren't going to get gigs or make money. We do this because we like getting better at something, we like mastery. And for some of us, the "mastery" element is a critical piece.

2. It's creative. Some people paint. Others throw pots. We make photographs.

3. It's fun. Fun for different reasons (go new places, go cool places, meet interesting people, see the world from a different perspective).

4. And I agree with Derrel's response of something that will outlive him.

 

[pocketshaver]

Its only an "oasis" because it fits YOUR own particular interests. Pay attention to each individual photo forum and youll see that each one has its own regional elitism levels and its own hatreds on equipment.

British Commonwealth all seems to be devout followers of fixed lens bridge cameras and the whole "super zoom" compact camera.

Here its all about DSLR with removable lenses.

Others are all nuthin but full frame digital.

Mainly most of us are here for boredom. Don't wanna be spending the weekend with an annoying spouse or the spouses family? Grab a camera, your hat and make a run for the woods and take a few photos of a bug while you nap till its safe to go back home.

 

[Zen1300]

For me it started in a darkroom in the house I grew up in. My dad would take me down and show me what he did. He was semi-professional.

I was fascinated at taking the photos, developing the negatives, and prints - black and white. So many mistakes that when that one photo came out as imagined, it was magic.

I have to be honest that digital has spoiled me. It has probably made me lazy in developing this craft. 200 captures producing maybe 20 useful sports images.

After taking it semi serious for 35 years, I’m now trying to look more closely at my process. Take more time and have more patience in learning.

I don’t see myself going pro. I do it for me. I don’t want the pressure of pleasing others with my work.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Sharpshooterr]

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?

same reason a mechanic buys a torque wrench.

Not necessarily! I buy torque wrenches so I can wrench on my cameras!
But then again, I buy hammers so I can fine tune my lenses!!! LoL
SS

 

[smoke665]

@Tropicalmemories I though of you the other day when a couple of articles came across my news feed. Perfect answers to the "why do we do it" question. Could this be the answer to less stress and living longer? and if you're older Participating in Activities You Enjoy

 

[patrickt]

When digital arrived and I quit enjoying photography I listed the steps in my photography and ranked them by what I enjoyed. Then I kept a log of time spent on the various steps. I found my least favorite activity, editing, was consuming most of my time. My favorite activity, getting out and taking photos and the associated meeting of people, was consuming relatively little time. I corrected my time allotments and am enjoying once again walking the streets of Oaxaca, Mexico, meeting people and taking photos. That's the part I enjoy.

I met a Mixtec woman with a newborn baby boy that the doctors said would only live a week. She asked me to take photos of her and the baby. I took the photos with tears running down my face and went back a week later and gave her prints. A year later I returned and the baby was doing fine. Once again, the doctors were wrong.

I also learned that Momma, or Grandmomma, would take the prints so I started making enough for the mother and two grandmothers.

 

[SquarePeg]

I saw this cartoon and immediately thought of this thread and the question about why we do it.

 

[TWX]

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?

same reason a mechanic buys a torque wrench.

Eh. I don't think your analogy holds well. I buy tools like torque wrenches when I need to torque-down something to a very specific spec.

Tropicalmemories described something more like buying an 88 tooth ratchet when one already has a 72 tooth ratchet, as opposed to using the old Craftsman coarse-toothed raised panel ratchets that come in most of their kits. Going from 5 degree swoop to a four degree swoop is almost meaningless, but going from a twelve degree swoop to a five degree swoop is very noticeable.

 

[Tropicalmemories]

I saw this cartoon and immediately thought of this thread and the question about why we do it.

View attachment 184974

Yes - I think for me that's the key point, it makes me (and hopefully my subjects in the case of portraits) happy.

 

[Tropicalmemories]

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?

same reason a mechanic buys a torque wrench.

Eh. I don't think your analogy holds well. I buy tools like torque wrenches when I need to torque-down something to a very specific spec.

Tropicalmemories described something more like buying an 88 tooth ratchet when one already has a 72 tooth ratchet, as opposed to using the old Craftsman coarse-toothed raised panel ratchets that come in most of their kits. Going from 5 degree swoop to a four degree swoop is almost meaningless, but going from a twelve degree swoop to a five degree swoop is very noticeable.

Interesting analogies - I think we all agree that we do photography as it makes us happy, but some of us (me included) also have a fascination with the hardware. I understand this if having the latest and most technically advanced equipment adds to the enjoyment, but what prompted my original posts was two realizations ....

1. I realized that posting my images on photographic forums, more often than not, makes me less happy. I'm either disappointed in the lack of a response, or disappointed by the response

2. I realized that after upgrading my camera body to a larger and more advanced model, I still use the smaller and simpler old body more often.

So for 2020 I plan to be much more selective about where I post images, and I hope to resist any new equipment purchases too.

But like January gym memberships - let's see how the year goes.

(... and your post made go to the shed and click my wrenches - seem to have a healthy number of clicks per rotation )

 

[SquarePeg]

I call it my photo therapy.

 

[TWX]

(... and your post made go to the shed and click my wrenches - seem to have a healthy number of clicks per rotation )

Careful now, I've left many a mechanically-inclined forum for an excess of tool-polishers. *grin*