Why do you shoot.

[Guy Mancuso]

Not kidding what makes you shoot , what is the driving force about you being in Photography. For some of us it is because we are Pro's but what makes you go out and take pictures. Maybe asked better like this . What is the allure of photography for you?

 

[dlew308]

I shoot because it's something I've enjoyed since I was a kid. The challenge of capturing what you see and the excitement of seeing your pix in print not knowing how they turned out. Of course that was long ago in the film ages. It's still fun to see what you took on a large monitor, you slow down and take in the moment. Heck, there's always surprises in pictures as well, you don't always notice everything right away.

 

[Steen]

good light !
when I see good light I can't resist trying to capture it
catch it and lock it up in an image where I can look at it again when I feel like it
even if I cannot find any interesting subject to photograph

 

[Steen]

some of the images I like the best look like paintings rather than photos

 

[johnastovall]

I have to go with Winogrand on this, "I photograph things to see what they'll look like when photographed."

 

[ChrisDauer]

To remember. I shoot for me. And a photograph is worth a 1000 words, so one image will remind me of an entire trip much more effectively than; well, a 1000 words.

 

[TRSmith]

I wish I knew. It feels like I'm just going with the flow, no deep meaning, just a simple urge to do it. Maybe it's like those ancient cave painters. "Hey! Look what I can do!"

 

[Guy Mancuso]

Sounds good enough to me. LOL It is interesting to see how folks feel about this. I guess in the beginning as it is today was a way to express myself visually.

 

[JimCollum]

i photograph cuz i can't *not* photograph

 

[Terry]

I also shoot for myself. Some of it probably a challenge to see if I can get the shot I'm after, some of it is to remember, and for me I generally always have something artistic going on.
I think digital is a huge positive for me in learning and working at getting better (and why I think I came back to photography). If I am trying to get a shot like a long exposure in the morning or something more fleeting, I do get the instant feedback and in many cases the ability to try again and get it right or closer to what I was thinking. There are those that like to be a bit more surprised when the film is developed but to me the moment has passed and it is harder to think about what I would change and do differently in the exposure, framing etc.
It seems like so many people take lots of pictures these days and that is a great thing as it gives camera manufacturers the motivation to continue to innovate and stoke the flames of the gear whore side of me at the same time.

 

[asabet]

I started taking more photos when my first child was born. You only get one chance to have good photos of a kid, and I wanted to get it right. Since then, I've come to realize that I enjoy photographing a variety of subjects. I enjoy both the process and the results of photography, especially candid photography of people. However, documenting the life of my children remains a significant part of why I shoot.

My little one's first snowfall:

Leap of faith:

Walking with Grandpa:

First car, gift from Grandma:

Look little brother!

I realize that these photos of my kids may be just snapshots to the next person, but you asked, so that's my answer .

 

[jonoslack]

Easy
to make the ordinary extraordinary.
Doing it is more difficult however.

 

[DonWeston]

DON'T REALLY KNOW, BUT just driven, out of confusion, I find order....albeit, then more disorder, 40 yrs later....still looking for order....I guess..

 

[Guy Mancuso]

There really is no wrong answer here , for me even after 35 years as a Pro i still dream it , live for it and enjoy it. But I am tired of the business of it. Frankly some days i would rather just be a hobbyist and have a real job.

 

[LJL]

There really is no wrong answer here , for me even after 35 years as a Pro i still dream it , live for it and enjoy it. But I am tired of the business of it. Frankly some days i would rather just be a hobbyist and have a real job.

It was the business needs that took me out of photography for a while. I got totally burned out chasing jobs, dealing with clients that wanted the impossible for free, and struggling to retain creativity. So I shifted to more "part-time pro" for a while, shooting the stuff that I knew I had support/interest in while working at something else that really paid the bills and that I could turn off when I left the office.

That did not satisfy me from a shooting perspective, as there were all these other excuses to do things other than photography. So, I got back into it full time, with many of the same photography business related issues (they just do not change), BUT with a very different perspective on my end.....only chase the work that I really want to, and that I can deliver at the level of my requirements. That means fewer jobs, less overall cash return, but way more satisfaction for what I pursue. The harder part is now dealing with the constant stream of new and exciting gear that one just has to have

In the end, if I am not enjoying what I am shooting, I stop shooting and pack it up to work on something else. If I have taken an assignment that becomes that way, I tough it out to complete it, but I make sure that I do not repeat that kind of mistake again. Life is too short and there are too many wonderful things to see and shoot.

Photography is a wonderful way to see things far beyond the superficial or first glance the way many wind up seeing the world.....even things that many would not even bother to look at. It is a big driver life force for me.

LJ

 

[Lisa]

Why I shoot? Two reasons:
(1) When I go somewhere interesting (especially on vacation), I want to record what it was like for myself so I don't forget it. I look back at the photos later and remember the trip.
(2) I often feel the need to exercise my creativity, and since I can't draw or paint worth a damn, and redecorating is expensive , photography fills that niche.

Lisa

 

[MikeScecina]

Ok, I'll say it. In addition to "what they said" above shooting affords me the opportunity to play with my cameras. I just love 'em.

 

[LJL]

Ok, I'll say it. In addition to "what they said" above shooting affords me the opportunity to play with my cameras. I just love 'em.

Mike,
This is so true!!:thumbs: When I was a kid, my dad was afraid to let me get too out of control with a camera, so I used to just go out and "practice" taking pictures without any film in the body. True story. My dad was worried that I would bankrupt the family with all my film purchases back then, so he tried to slow me down, but did not want to completely discourage me The downside of this past practice is that my addled brain seems to recall those non-existent shots that I took and has me looking for them every now and then.

LJ

 

[DonWeston]

It's funny, in the old days, the 1960-70's, we could use bulk roll TriX or PlusX, roll your own, for about a penny a frame, color slide film was an extravagance that only came on special occasions or trips....old times...now digital I wonder if you figure the cost of the gear and how much we shoot, whether the final end cost comes down to that level......interesting...

 

[LJL]

When you start to add in the costs for higher horsepower computers (versus stainless tanks, reels and chemicals), more applications to handle the images (versus doing more limited, but longer work in the darkroom, or paying for retouching at a custom lab), more HDs piling up for storage (versus tidy boxes or trays of slides, and books for negatives), and we have not even gotten to the printing part yet, I start to think that digital is costing way more than film. The cameras certainly cost more right out of the gate, but all the other stuff costs quite a bit more also. We do wind up shooting a lot more, and I would bet that most of us are not brutal at culling shots, so we wind up storing a lot more also, much of it never looked at again.

However, I for one would not go back. Shooting digital is way more instantaneous, more productive, and it lets one try things they may never have attempted before, when film had to be bought, stored, loaded, processed, etc. I know instantly if I got the lighting correct, got things in focus, got a good composition, etc., and that is worth every penny/thousands of dollars spent on the digital darkroom and support equipment. Not a contest in my mind.

LJ