For some time this was an enigma to me - why did I take pictures. I took pictures of all kind of things, with no thought or objective - just a lot of pictures. I was good at taking a lot of pictures when traveling or when I was out for a walk. Because I took so many, I spend a lot of time sorting them afterwards. I have never shown those pictures to anyone, or at least to very few - I think that I a that time took pictures because I was afraid to forget what I have experienced. One day, not so long ago, I suddenly knew what I should take pictures of and why. It should be pictures of things on my mind (or heart) - things that for me can be hard to explain in other ways, because I am very visual in my mind. So now photography has become (or are becoming) a way for me to convey my thoughts, ideas and feelings to other people. It is important for me that this communication is done in a way, so it is aesthetic, artistic and beautiful - like a well written speech or poem, not because this in anyway improve the quality or validity of my thoughts and ideas, but because the core message can be intended for a single or a few persons but a with high aesthetic and artistic value the picture can bring pleasure to everyone how like photography. I somehow feel that I owe this thoroughness to communities like this.

 

I do not take pictures because I want recognition from the community, although that the recognition of others make a big impression on me and make even more thorough with my next picture. I will not say that displaying the pictures in public forums gives me satisfaction, actually I am quit reserved person and find it a little intimidating, but it somehow gives me closure to the work of the specific pictures - when it have been published I can give it a rest.

 

Now I would like to hear why you take pictures??? what motivates you??? Fame, Money, Attention, conveying thoughts or because you just like beauty of architecture, bodies, landscape or what ever it is you are photographing. For me all motives are equally valid - no motive is better or worse that others, just different.

Often I am just trying to burn off a few last shots so I can develop the roll.

Ok, everything's fine, we can add photos ! We are happy aren't we ?We can show our beautiful shots ;-)

 

....BUT......

 

Let's not forget the aim of those groups are discussion about a subject, There forums in those groups, we all asked for fora, and now we got some it seems everybody has become speechless, not a word about the main topic of the forum !

 

Why take pictures ?

 

For the sake of it.

 

Because, it helps me discover the world with a different POV

 

Because i'm always trying something new, whatever it is, a new technique, (easy for me, I am not an expert) a new post processing, a new lens, a new camera or an older one.

 

Because i like re-discovering my old photos and make something different out of them.

 

Because, when taking a picture i feel free, i do exactly what i want, never try to please anyone but myself (sorry about that !)

 

Because i like to share my photos with friends.

 

Because i like to discuss about photography, even if it is useless sometimes.

 

because i feel younger when i shoot pictures, because i do something new and different each time.

 

Because I love that, I love the moment when I tke a picture, i love the challenge !

 

Because i enjoy so much watching a beautiful picture someone else took, or a photo which touches me, or a photo i can't really understand at first sight !

 

Because i'm in love with photography !

 

Because.....because....so many reasons.... :-)

 

 

Funny, I actually hate the moment when I take the picture - I don't understand why, but when I stand there with the camera I don't like it... But the minute after I get a big satisfaction out of it, even if I have not started editing or even seen the pictures on a big screen yet...

That is interesting Peter. Can you explain it? I once saw the film of that guy, who makes this large format metal plate images. That is physical work. But he is the one, who made clear to me, that here are two aspects the moment of capture and the joy of outcome. I have not been so conscious about that before.

When I take and process pictures in earnest, it's usually portraits. People fascinate me, their expressions fascinate me, their mood, complex , subtle, or simple can be so varied. I take pride in my best portraits because I think for many people I'll take one of the best or most interesting pictures in their lifetime and that is satisfying as any work reasonably well done, especially when it's done for others. I am emotionally close to most of my best portraits because their mood, their expression is something that I chose, perhaps elicited myself, and then enhanced during processing, living with them or even inside them for those hours I worked on them. They are partially me and I am partially them. That's exhilarating...

 

Anna

Is "just because" a valid answer?

 

If not, "I take pictures to see how the world looks in pictures". 10 points to the person who guesses who said that without using Google.

Thank you for this question Peter. I have enjoyed reading both your answer, and those of others. Certainly I have some things in common with those who have already written. The reason I take pictures has changed over time, as I have changed.

 

Photography is not my profession, and I think this has probably had a great influence on why I take pictures. I have been taking pictures since I was a young child. My family did not have many books when I was growing up - it was a working class family. Yet, we did have photos - all neatly placed in Albums with little corners around the edges of each photo which held the photo in place. I still have many of those photos today, and they were taken almost 60 years ago.

 

Back in the 70's I had access to a darkroom and needed to complete courses the Liberal Arts to earn a degree. I went ahead and took some very basic courses in how to make develop negatives, and how to make black and white prints. I became totally enthralled in the entire process; I had discovered a creative outlet. I was given as a gift a Nikon FE, and three fast Nikon lenses. And off I went to learn and enjoy.

 

Anyone who has worked in a darkroom will understand that the process of making print really feels like you have created something. and it has this magical feel to it. I spent about four years enjoying this darkroom, made many prints, had them framed and still enjoy some today. My reason for taking photos then was to make something from what seemed like nothing, and to do this with my hands.

 

After that for so many years I just took vacation snaps, and family pictures, mostly in color and using slides and film. My own purpose there was to document something for the future...to engrave it in a way...onto paper so that moment would be remembered.

 

When digital photography arrived for me around 2000, I was once again impressed, something so new and different. I had a lot to learn. I had BTW already discovered Photoshop in 98/99 so now I had 'new' photos to play with. I have always seen Photoshop as my own digital darkroom. Once I became familiar with digital I discovered I really loved macro photography, and so my reason for 'why I take photos ' changed again. Now I wanted to see the smallest things possible. I also wanted to go beyond one photo and took an interest in compositing photos.

 

My most recent phase as to what makes me take pictures involves light. I will say that the some of the photographers on lX inspired me to take some risks with my camera. I have thousands of these photos now. I have processed very few , because up until now my purpose was not about processing and showing. Rather, it was a means to learn how to remain in the present moment and to 'see' more deeply. That is a whole topic for itself I believe.

 

I have already written too much, but at my age we sometimes have to cover longer periods of time. Only recently, have I started to process some of these photos, as I am ready to share some now.

 

I would enjoy to have a dialogue by asking some questions, but I am not sue how to do that without interrupting the flow of people answering your first question. Thanks for this opportunity to talk about his.

 

Phyllis

Why take pictures?

 

"Euphoria", from Ancient Greek 'ευφορία'.

 

I am an addict.

My addiction consists of three phases:

a. The run, looking around for dope.

b. The shoot

c. Euphoria

 

Those could be the words of a junkie addicted in heavy staff, well...no, it' s me.

The first stage involves countless hours of walking around in the open, in meeting spots, transport stations even on the wild side.

Looking for something to disturb me.

Than comes a situation recognition and the anticipation that something is coming.

A quick look at the camera settings.

The actual shooting is not involving any effort or thinking, i let it go on instinct, on P mode I would say it in photographic terms (though I never use P in the settings of my camera).

I discovered through the years of shooting people that if much thinking is involved the result is average.

 

I cannot in any way claim that i achieved to hit any targets, this is a constant battle, I found it though very creative to work in this way.

If the shooting goes great, I know it, I can recognize it immediately.

It 's probably the primitive joy explosion after the "big kill" that creates this Euphoria and this is what I am after when shooting, the only difference is that “the big kill” is in my mind and only there.

Am I sick Doctor?

I like that line very much.

 

IT could mean many things..

 

Phyl

"I wait for something to disturb me.".

 

Phyl

 

"I wait for something to disturb me.".

 

I agree Phyllis, and thanks for underlining this phrase.

 

"IT could mean many things.."

 

Getting deeper in to this involves the danger of misinterpretation as my intention here is not to promote my photographic skills, if any. This "disturbance" varies on the individual, unique way that each and every one is looking at our world.

Gianni.

 

Well - your question made me thing all day - I have been taking pictures today and tried really hard to find the roots of the unpleasent feeling holding the camera. I think the best word is a feeling of violation. I violate the course of time, by captureing it and hold it there to study for eternal time. I violate my mind because the visual impression at that specific time from that specific point was only intended for me - not for others.

 

Do it make any sense???

 

 

may be a good explanation to why I feel a satisfaction afterwards. I am a serie violator of time and my mind - I can not help it :-)

 

@Phyllis - it is nice to read how photography have followed you for so many years and evolved over time - I hope that I will be that lucky also.

 

 

Yes - that is a very good explanation on the trigger that forces you to pull the camera. For me this disturbance usually come from within...

 

/P

Of some reason I cannot edit my last post - only the first..

 

it did not "make my thing" but "make me think" and a lot of other misspellings :-)

 

Done Peter

 

I chose photography as a universal language with its own structure, rules and vocabulary because of my urge of communication. In this case "euphoria" comes only when i have the feeling that this particular photo is going to be able to express what i see. If it wasn't photography it would be painting or even poetry.

 

 

Hello,

 

I thought of that question a few days ago when trying to write a few words about my "vision" of photography to send a few of my photos as a test to a French gallery.

 

In fact I came to about the same reasons why I take photos as you state here Gianni !

 

I added the little text in French in the "about" in my profile on 1X in French.

 

Why in French ?......because I'm too lazy to translate it into English..... ;-))))

 

"In fact I came to about the same reasons why I take photos as you state here Gianni !

 

I added the little text in French in the "about" in my profile on 1X in French."

 

Je suis completement d' accord avec se que tu as ecrit sur ton profile Marie Claude, ca marche pour moi aussi. (excuse mes erreures en Francais mais ca fais longtemps que je n' utilise plus cette langue adoree)

 

Taking a picture for me is for a number of reasons. Either I like a subject or I see a piece that I can work with later to create an artful image, also I enjoy taking pictures very much. I take pictures for myself but strive to create images that others will take note of. If I were just taking them for myself I would not post on the web.

I love this post, and all the responses and I thank your question Peter.

I had a crisis with photography some months ago, and now I'm ready to say that because I love it.

 

Love has no answers but love itself. Can be crazy, can to has no sense, nor time or age, but you just can feel that thing inside of you.

It makes me to be a better person too. Like all the real love, of course, cause all real love starts for oneself. Taking pictures, you can be yourself at all, in esence, and being yourself and being with yourself alone, is when you realize who you are, and how to be better, how to eliminate those things and thinkings and fears or judgments that are not yours but are family or society things, cause in those instants you only hear your heart, nothing else.

I can stay a whole day taking pictures without food, or without sleep. Even stop feeling cold or time. The hours and minutes longer exist, there is only eternity and me.

 

I fully agree with Stig, particularly with this:

 

 

I emphasize this sentence, cause the crisis to which I refer above has much to do with this, or even the issue of not being professional

 

Some years ago I started a relationship with a boy who was quickly "infected" by my passion for photography. But his passion was not heart but more material, I think. He started to study and practice a lot and to learn what a picture has to have, to be more commercial, cause his idea was to travel around the world and to live only with money from his photographs. So I found myself constantly with his judgment and a new opinion was set up in me and I went away from my heart and my own creativity, looking for a picture easier to sell.

An example might be stupid but really affected me, was about to take panoramas. I love the panoramic, and with the proportions that I want. I think that each image is created to be viewed in a particular way. But for him, only official proportions were correct, and anything that came out of that concept was criticized.

 

Fortunately this did not last long, my heart told me what I was doing wrong, when in a whale watching, one of my dreams fulfilled, was more concerned with getting a good shot that enjoy the moment.

 

Months after this, the relationship broke down, but it also broke my relationship with photography being during more than a year without touch a camera, until a few months ago, after a hard but beautiful travel to my inner, I'm back.

 

Now, like before all this influences, I'm sure that photography is an art to express yourself, to express your feelings, and I can finally enjoy again the euphoria of which many of you speak.

We are infinite beings, so there has not to be limits in our art.

 

I still remember when I was a child, how my mother got angry every time she went to the store to reveal the photographic film and she payed for a pictures of clouds. She used to tell me, are just clouds, why do you photograph it? But I kept doing for many years, as well as I will continue doing street photo, although she tells me every time she sees one of these images, I will be sued.

 

I realize that the magic of photography, as well as any art, is that somehow we capture who we are, and we must not be afraid to go through, to show it, nor should we judge, just enjoy it.

 

I may be wrong Peter, but I think maybe that feeling of violation that you get when you take a picture is a judgment about yourself. If so, then I said, do not judge, just enjoy it, be yourself.

 

Well, again, thanks for posting the question, and sorry for my English.

 

Have a beautiful day!

 

Hello all of you - it is really interesting to read about what you think about this question. I cannot answer it myself - it is a very good question in deed! When I am very philosophical about it, I would say that maybe it has to do with immortality - when we freeze the moment it stands still and therefore the moment is immortal so to speak. Maybe we take pictures to try to avoid death..... that is maybe a little to deep .. :-)

I take pictures not to forget my life when I am dead and I also take them to alter them into a more personal view. I have nothing with photography in basic because it doens't add anything new for me to the things the camera sees.

The kick I get is from changing the basic image into a personal translation. But the main drive is to kill mortality.

Why take pictures?????? Its just fun and satisfying to make an images and then show someone, whom in return says" love it, or I like the other one better."

No idea really way. Its just here to do, God has a camera ( Nikon) by the way. I don't know what the other big guys shoot. Thats such a great question and theres no other questions to ask after this topic should go on for ever. All that BS aside i really think its fun, to share and to explore.

i take pictures because i want to achieve two things, my (wonderful) job doesnt offer.

 

I create something of duration

and i bring something into the world, that (is intended) to offer joy and pleasure, hopefully provides good mood.

 

And i do it, as it reminds me of the wonderful time of my youth, when my father took me and we two went out to take photographs.

 

my motivation is rather basic human instinct.

I hav so much feelings inside of me, and I can't swallow them all, so I had to find a way to let them out.

As long as i worked there was no time to do it with running after time, after needs, after musts, after other's schedules.

So when I planned to stop working I made the promises to achieve this goal.

For words I had no talent ... OUT

for music I had no talent ... OUT

for drawing or painting i had talent, but I missed some aspects : go outside, discover reality instead of creating my own, looking more intensely instead of dreaming or overlooking important moments ... OUT

 

So photography it became

The great thing about it ... in the kind of photography I like to do

- the shooting : being forced to look very intensively to the world, go out and look (far away, or very close) to search for very special moments, moments different from all I've seen, and moments telling stories about the way the world is turning.

- the editing : Being able to process the image myself, and discover what the image tells me ... and then finding a way to make it clear for others what I see as the essence of this captured and frozen time.

- the sharing and discovering pictures : it's so rewarding to discover how much difference there is in how people look at their world ... some very wide, so very narrow . And it's so amazing when people see the same ... how different they present what they have seen ... some focussing on beauty; some focussing on artistic; others focussing on - what i like so much - emotion.

it feels so good when a photo makes you aw, when a photo makes you smile, when a photo makes you cry.

- the sharing and discovering people behind those photo's ... and how words and photos correlate or discorrelate. How people are touched by a word you have spoken, How one can be awake a whole night feeling so good by just some words someone spoke on the other side of the world to express what he really felt when your picture stroke him.

"- the sharing and discovering people behind those photo's ... and how words and photos correlate or discorrelate. How people are touched by a word you have spoken, How one can be awake a whole night feeling so good by just some words someone spoke on the other side of the world to express what he really felt when your picture stroke him."

 

That's it ! Emotion and sharing !

Photography is an addiction which enables me to to see the world around me different. While looking through the finder i find a hiding place and a one reason to go closer to the people. Having a camera with me all the time feels good.

 

Robert

Photography helps me connect more intimately with my environment. This could be a beautiful sunset, a view of a farm or just people on the street. It helps me take back home a view, re-look at it, see something more within, and then share it with the others - who in turn sometimes see what I didn't.

Interesting to read all this:-)

 

Since many years, I don't take pictures, but MAKE pictures and I enjoy creating my own pictures, with pictures I toked and bring them together for a concept.

 

it's an addiction... lucky it doesn't hurt to much!

Interesting thread, this is my second contribution and I will discuss more the details of photography. Maybe not why but what and when to make photographs. If you manage to find an answer to the first question "why?" and I, myself, prefer the simple answer to that question. "I am a photographer and I like making photographs."

 

But when and what? sometimes also how? I sometimes photograph together with other photographers, but only in small groups 2-4, and it is fascinating to analyse and discuss how we go around (the subject is normally landscape and nature, but it can be the built environment also) making images. Of course you can have good discussions afterwards also with someone who has not been there at the same time, but you get an extra touch when there are others who have been to the scene. But I and most of my fellow photographers prefer to work in complete solitary when we are at the site. Maybe just a comment about something interesting that you see and have photographed. And a non competitive mood is also important.

 

Why does this work? The possible options to photograph most subjects are in principle infinite!? It is a 4 dimensional problem that you have to reduce to 2 dimensions and if you work in BW you also have the reduction in the colour space. So there are always different options. The opportunity to work on this problem together with others who share your basic interest and has found an answer to the why-question is therefore often a good help. Not always! It is mainly a solitary work to make images, but sometimes I like to share my views with others who haw "been there".

Hey, I take pictures because ever since I was a kid my family or outsiders were taking pictures and also I did a little bit of modeling so there was always this conection with cameras. As I was growing up I just fell in love with the camera life you know the traveling thing, the danger, sexual and specially the photography cameras because it demands effort to work a nice image an image that somtimes have to replace 2 or more hours of video or bring reallity that paintings sometimes just dont have. Eventually I learn that Photography is the Art of writing with light and that is very interesting to me because is someone feels that can not get out of darkroom, all that person needs to do is write with light. I am also planning to make a living from photography, in a way I had put so much time in photography during my life that I am sure I am doing the right thing.

To me taking pictures is living.

Mostly i take pictures to keep track of my own memories, to have something

to share with others when i grow old...to remember some specific, or happy moments into my life....the other thing is, i often listening to the music of my

fave bands, and i have some picture into my minds eye, that i want to grab in a real photograph, as close as i can get it...that's the thing.

 

I don't see taking photographs as a technical thing, i don't care about which

f-stop, iso or aperature a particular shot has, neither the gear being used, it's just that i need to like the image, and it's worth to post process it for myself.

 

as every other human being, i like when ppl like my pictures, but i am never

100 percent sastisfied with everything...

 

each individual have a different taste, so while some ppl like this & that,

others don't...that's ordinary.

 

well, into the end...i take pictures, because it really makes me happy,

when i think i grabbed a good one for myself...and it's the only hobby apart

mountainbiking, whereas i could relax and feel balanced inside....many other

things just stressing me. as long i can riding my bikes or taking pictures,

i feel alive....that's it, because i don't have any other kind of things that make

fun or let me enjoy....yes, listening to the music, but nothing else.

 

I'm just trying to capture the emotion, feeling within an image...but its hard

and doesn't work always. Anyway, i love to be behind the lens on my camera,

more then post processing on my pc.

 

I just love trying to capture the beauty we all see around us. I think, and hope, that that's a good enough reason.

Why I post pictures online is for the simple reason that I want to get better. You can always get better at what you do!

For me photography is just a way of life. Another way to communicate with others, opportunity to present my own point of view.

I just love street shots and portraits with a soul, taken with a lot patience and anticipation for the moment. It's a kind hunt for the best frame, including a story and facial expression, which never be the same. These together with constant search for the beauty.

Whatever you do, you can not forget this searching instinct (but I feel good, when I have a camera with me - never miss...).

Compared to painting we need to invest more, but the result sometimes comes shortly.

 

I could sign that. :-)