Why do we photograph?

[invisible]

This question is for those of you who do photography for yourself (i.e., not being hired to shoot sports, events, weddings, real estate, etc.). Why do you photograph? Myself, I've been trying to find an answer to this question for years but I've come up with barely anything. I've resorted to books (in particular, one titled "Why People Photograph", which is somewhat interesting but is really mis-titled as it doesn't address the topic even tangentially).

I'm looking for something more meaningful than "because I love it", "because I can share on forums", "it's my hobby", "I want to document my children's lives", etc.

So what's your story?

 

[cgipson1]

I find it fascinating to capture an image exactly as it was.... or to maybe improve on that image in post. I also absolutely love being able to show some of the beauty that many people never see... in my macro work. It is that fascination that keeps me doing it. The challenge that it represents....

 

[Josh66]

It's fun. I never bother trying to find some deeper meaning to it, and if you are - you're probably wasting your time. IMO.

Is pure enjoyment not a good enough reason to take pictures?

If you don't know why you like taking pictures, maybe you should find another hobby...

 

[tirediron]

It really is as simple as "Because it's fun". I'm fascinated by and addicted to the challenge of trying capture "the" moment....

 

[Vtec44]

I want to turn something common into something extraordinary using lighting, cropping, angles, POV, and colors. At least my goal.

 

[borisnikon]

It's just the fact you can capture the beauty of a moment and it's there forever just by pressing the shutter. I love it because you can look back at the photos you have taken and it remind you how great the world is.

 

[Derrel]

I've thought about that question off and on, and I honestly think that it is a way to record my own visions, my own sights, my own experiences, and the places I have seen and experienced, for the future. Both for ME, in the future, and for nameless "others". Some psychologists feel that the act of photographing is an effort to try and make one's self "immortal". And even though that might seem to be a rather prideful reason, I think at some level, that it is true. it is in fact, the single best reason, and by that I mean an HONEST reason, that I have ever been able to come up with.

 

[unpopular]

It's fun. I never bother trying to find some deeper meaning to it, and if you are - you're probably wasting your time. IMO.

Kind of hedonistic, don't you think? If it's just for pleasure, isn't it just entertainment? Like watching a football game or even a porno magazine? I don't think there is any time wasted in trying to find purpose in your life.

 

[Kerbouchard]

Well, your original post blasted all of my reasons, but for me, it is because I wanted to document my children's lives. I wanted to do it to the best of my ability. Because of that, I obtained the gear, knowledge, and experience necessary so that other people are willing to pay me for other types of photography.

So, no deep answer from me. I take photos because I get paid to do it or I want to document my children's lives. It's enough of a reason for me.

 

[tajkd]

For me, it's a way to attempt to capture the emotions, feelings, the sense of the visual world. Many of my photos are from traveling and, besides the memories, taking (good) photos is a way to bring out the emotion of being in a foreign place, a way to capture it forever. At least the good shots do that.

 

[KenC]

I'm always interested in trying to answer this question as well, and I read the Adams book you linked along with others along the same lines (John Berger, Feininger, etc.). I agree that none of them really answer the question, although I found them all interesting for various other reasons and would recommend the Adams book to anyone who likes reading about photography.

I guess what I'm left with is a combination of reasons others have given (capturing feelings or sights, enhancing reality to communicate a feeling, etc.) and the knowledge that I am incapable of not doing photography and still being completely content. That is not really an explanation, but until I come up with one it is at least a recognition of where I stand with regard to photography and how I am going to proceed.

 

[sm4him]

I photograph because I can't paint.
Seriously, when I started doing photography as a teenager, many, MANY years ago, it was because I saw things that in my head I knew would make beautiful paintings, or drawings. But my mother was a fabulously gifted painter, and two of my siblings were also gifted, though they did drawings and sketches rather than paintings. In latter years, I learned that I was better than most at those skills as well, but at the time, I compared myself to my family, and I was sorely lacking in art skills.
But I could *see* all that beauty in my head, and so I decided I could photograph my visions instead. I called myself an impatient artist...I wanted to create beauty, but didn't want to spend the time it takes to create a painting!
I think over the years, I sort of "forgot" why I'd starting doing photography. But when I started using Photoshop, I was reminded, because I LOVE all the artistic tools that allow you to take your photo and create Art with it. And no, I'm not suggesting that photography isn't an art in itself--it definitely is (or it can be, if the person DOING the photography is an artist). But photoshop allows me to take my photo and *match* it more precisely to the vision in my head. I've created 'watercolors' and 'chalk drawings' and more from my photos that come much closer to what I "saw" when I took the photo than the regular photograph could ever do.

I know that some don't like to really CHANGE their photos with Photoshop...and if I'm leaving it as a photo, I don't either. But sometimes, I want to just use the photo as a jumping-off point for a different art medium, and Photoshop allows me to do that beyond my normal artistic skills.

So, I guess you'd say I photograph because *I* am an Arteest!

 

[kamerageek]

This is a great question.

There are two primary reasons that I photograph.

Photography for me is an amalgam of two things I love; science and art.

I stick with it because I hope to capture an image in a way that might impact someone in a positive and meaningful way.

 

[spacefuzz]

So I can remember all of the beautiful things I have seen.

 

[tinman84]

For me there are two things

1. as we go on with our busy lives .. our memories get burried deep in our mind.. they are all there and when we remember them it makes us happy .. a beautiful photograph is like an index card ...when we see it we get to see the beautiful memory in our head..might be just a pic for others but memory for us..

2. cause when we see a beautiful picture (like a sunset captured beautifully) its a wow moment for us and that wow factor is more when you know you are the one who captured it

its a constructive hobby teaching us lots of things .. patience, skill, not being lazy .. arent these good enough ?