I was on a walk with a friend recently, talking about my photography. He stopped, suddenly serious and said “I don’t mean to be rude, and don’t take this the wrong way, but why do you bother? For instance, I have a book of photographs of amazing photographs of the moon at home, and when I see your photograph of it I wonder why did you feel the need to take one more?”.
He wasn’t trying to be rude or judgemental, and if the above snipper comes across like that then in the context of the conversation it certainly wasn’t. In fact, it was a brilliant opportunity for me to explain what motivated me as a photographer and explain to a good friend where my passion came from.
So, without further ado, let me pick up on the main reasons that I take photographs.
1. It’s about being in a competition with myself, not others.
My friend was right of course, there will always be better photographs than I can take. Landscapes, astronomy, macros, wildlife, portraits, abstract, whatever the genre it’s all been done. So why bother?
For me, my main motivation is to better myself. For instance, looking back at my astrophotography and moon photography from a few years ago I can see how much I’ve come on, what I’ve learnt and that journey is everything to me.
Photography is a process, it’s a journey that no one can say they’ve finished, there’s no “I completed photography” achievement waiting at the end. Every step builds on what we’ve done before, and that’s what I love about this hobby.
If I stopped and compared myself to the amazing photographers at my local club, or on Twitter or Instagram, then it would be easy to be demotivated but instead, I’m simply comparing myself to Chris Love, last year or last week. Have I managed a photograph that I can say shows I’ve improved my skills in some way, or that tells a story in a slightly better way?
2. It’s about community
I’d be lying if I didn’t say I didn’t enjoy the reaction my photographs get, from friends, from family and those on social media. Taking a photograph that makes an impact or gets a nice comment is a wonderful feeling, and I think many of us will share that need for positive feedback on our art. Without it I’m not sure the competition with myself would be half as much fun.
Likewise, I’m also here to see others photography and learn from their images, and also enjoy their journey. I’ve made a number of friends through photography and sharing our passion, either online or in-person, is a fantastic part of the hobby. That sense of community, of shared accomplishment and friendship, is perhaps strongest on Twitter and also in my local club Nottingham and Notts Photographic Society – and I feel a large part of why I continue taking photographs is simply to stay part of that wider group, both at a local level and on social media.
3. It’s about creating something
I’m also keen to acknowledge that photography is about unleashing an artistic side of myself that rarely gets an outing. I’ve never been particularly creative, I flunked art at school as I couldn’t paint or draw and poetry was beyond me. I’m scientific and technical, a mathematician not a creative, is what I’ve always told myself.
Later in life though, that technical side has allowed me to start creating “art”, my work led to a passion for data visualisation and that opened up a creative side that I’d not explored since my pre-GCSE days in the art room and, you know what, I was reasonably good at it! Using data to create these artistic representations of data was a release and one that’s continued through into my photography.
Photography has allowed me to take those technical aspects I’ve also been good at, understanding my camera and Lightroom / Photoshop, and combine them with the burgeoning artist within. And now the artist is released I’m exploring poetry via Haiku’s to accompany my street photography. Photography has made me a fuller rounder person who’s embracing the right and left sides of his brain. It’s fun to create things, especially when you stop worrying about how good you are.
4. It’s about getting out
I’m a relatively quiet person, an introvert some might say, and I need moments of escape – from the hustle and bustle of the family home and out into nature is a welcome moment that I need to recharge. I’ve always enjoyed a walk and nature but taking the camera and capturing pieces along the way only improves the mental recharge. It’s true escapism.
It also helps people at home understand that need for escape, “I need to go a walk by myself” somehow doesn’t sound enough reason in itself to need to get out. Adding a camera and coming back with photographs adds something material to the process that justifies the escape and helps people, who perhaps don’t understand the need for escape, comprehend the motivation.
5. It’s about capturing moments
Finally, photography for me is about capturing my world and the way I see it. As I shared when I shot my “fly me to the moon” picture last year I was super excited because I’d captured something that was a one-off, or at least very rare.
Capturing those moments and sharing them with the world is a joy and a privilege. We all have a unique take on the world and photography gives us the chance to share it. The chance of finding those unique moments, in nature, in the street or in the air, means photography will never be “done”. There will always be moments to share and details to capture.
What motivates you?
I’d love to know what motivate you as a photographer, how would you have answered my friend’s question? Let me know at @chrisluvphoto or in the comments below.
One Response
Nice 👌🏽