What drove you to do photography?

[Bitter Jeweler]

I collect creative outlets.
I am also working on my "jack of all trades" Merit Badge.

 

[AgentDrex]

Yeah, and apparently you're bitter about it...

 

[ghache]

I first started to buy disposable camera when i was around 12-13....its started to get expensive so my parents got my a canon sure shot camera film. Im not sure when was that but its around late 90's....i dont even know where it is... about 6 years ago i bough a kodac point and shoot camera for the girlfriend but i ended up using it more than her...Taking pictures of our trip, my car...the dogs, and some other stuff....and about 2 years ago i started playing with my sister in law d40 and i felt in love with dslr's. I think i re-discovered my passion about photography that i had when i was younger...

 

[magkelly]

I went to art school for a while thinking to illustrate and paint and realized I really wasn't all that good at doing either physically. It was really frustrating. I have a painter's eye, but definitely not an artist's hands. I can only dabble at painting and illustration, but put a camera in my hands and it's a different story. Photography allows me to paint with light and shadow and show what my eyes see without the limitations of my clumsy hands.

 

[o hey tyler]

Got in it for the porn photography... Just haven't got there yet.

 

[AgentDrex]

Why did I know if someone were to mention pr0n, it would be tyler? what a g33k!

 

[mrshaleyberg]

Why did I know if someone were to mention pr0n, it would be tyler? what a g33k!

ha ha ha ha! Of course. There's always a horndog somewhere! j/k

 

[vtf]

Retail is the next industry we will lose to overseas. I see it coming and I dont want to be there for that.

 

[20civic04]

my car got me into photography, i would always see awesome pictures of peoples car and be like damn i wish i could do that. so since then ive been into photography, more than i ever thought i'd be

 

[kbyersphotography]

I remember as a young girl always taking pics and my father always trying to tell me the right way. Now, I still take pictures and I tell my father to try not to cut our heads out of the photo. I love digital photography. No more wasted money on prints. I started a few years ago to give the gift of photography for my friends kids. Kids do not need one more toy. Parents needed more time to be with their kids at the party. Then i started to get paid. I am a low priced photographer. I don't feel like I am good enough or have the best tools of the trade to charge a lot. This is why I joined TPF. I have been asked to do more weddings. But, I want my pictures to look amazing like a real photographer. I am in the mist of purchasing a new Compact flash Card. I have a 4gb and think I may need a 16 or 32gb card. I have add on flashes and need a better card. I really need a pros advise. Can I get a little?
thanks

 

[Lazy Photographer]

I got laid off in May 2009 and had an old Panasonic point & shoot kicking around that almost never got used. One day a couple of weeks after getting laid off I dug out the camera and took it down the beach for the day. I thought I got some pretty good shots. Of course, now I know better. I already had blogging experience so I decided to start a new one for my photos. And that was that, I was hooked. It's been about a year and a half now and I can't believe how much I've learned. I'm still an amateur, of course, but I do have some lofty dreams about making money off it.

 

[Negative ISO]

My 5th grade teacher had a darkroom setup in an old closet at the school. He taught us how to develop B&W film and to expose and develop our own photos. I can still remember the smell of those developing chemicals and the weird red light.

 

[SwissJ]

Unemployment and Boredom

 

[Whootsinator]

Belonging to multiple gaming forums over the years is what indirectly lead to my passion in photography, actually...

The gaming forums always had 'Art Corners' or something similar where people could showcase Photoshop stuff, photography, sculptures, drawings, etc. I was never any good at drawing or 'hands on art', so that was out... But I really felt 'connected' to the awesome photography that my friends were displaying on these forums. And I knew I could do that. I saved for just over a year and finally had enough extra cash to purchase my D3000. I've only PRACTICING photography for just under nine months, but my total both-feet-in approach and real passion for the hobby has pushed me to learn and improve more than I ever thought possible in nine months. It's really fun to go back and look through the photos from when I first started, and then looking at more recent sets and seeing how I vast the improvements are. The praise I receive from others after they view it certainly doesn't hurt my desire to continue either, but it isn't my main driving force. I do it for myself, because I enjoy it. Eventually I hope to be able to make a LITTLE bit of money doing this, and I fully believe that it would be possible. I don't really care about profiting or making huge money, but the hobby paying for itself would be nice.

 

[pgriz]

I saw life in little rectangular boxes. Doesn't everybody?

Hmm. Let's try again.

Life was SO wonderful and full of these incredible images and my head was just bursting with amazement, so I just HAD to photograph all these wonders of the world!

Ugh. ... Retch...


My dad had a Leica IIIc. He took pictures of everything. And everything was always in the center of the frame. Perfectly exposed and centered. I rebelled. I took a cheap plastic camera, shot poorly exposed, and never centered. He thought I would never amount to much. HaH!

Somewhat better...

I got into photography because there was a crisis. Hundreds, if not thousands of rocks, birds and bugs were feeling unwanted and unappreciated. So I HAD to let them know that they were not forgotten! I set forth on my mission - to photograph every unwanted and unknown bug, bird and rock. I expanded my range to leaves, sticks and the occasional ant hill. Yes. I have given self esteem to countless things. But I ask no thanks. It is good to know that I have helped an unwanted and unloved pebble find its meaning in the world.

And no, you can't have what I was drinking...