Why do we take a photo?

Scott Murray

Senior Member
This has plagued me for a while.

What in ourselves makes us take a photo?

With the ever changing dynamics of photography this is becoming more and more important.

Why go out and freeze time?
 

Blacktop

Senior Member
Short answer, because it makes me happy.

Long answer.
Ever since I can remember , it always made me feel good to create something . Whether it be a piece of music, some poetry or taking photographs.
If it moved me in some sort of emotional way, that always made me feel good.

I always do it for myself,but if others enjoy it, then it's icing on the cake.

So, to be brutally honest, I don't do it to capture a moment in time, I do it for selfish feel good reasons.:)
 

Roy1961

Senior Member
Contributor
for me (as I mostly take wildlife shots) is to try and catch/freeze that moment, not always easy with BIF or animals as they tend to do what they want. Its a good challenge and rewarding for me.
 

Scott Murray

Senior Member
Short answer, because it makes me happy.

Long answer.
Ever since I can remember , it always made me feel good to create something . Whether it be a piece of music, some poetry or taking photographs.
If it moved me in some sort of emotional way, that always made me feel good.

I always do it for myself,but if others enjoy it, then it's icing on the cake.

So, to be brutally honest, I don't do it to capture a moment in time, I do it for selfish feel good reasons.:)


I started out drawing and painting what I could which was basically anything so long as you wanted it scaled up. Photography has allowed me to be lazy.

I see an image be it big or small, my major aim no matter what format is to show the public. I used to class me as an artist but now I am unsure. There has been no art, no discovery. No challenge. Photography, drawing, painting, computer design this age it is all much the same as what we produce with a camera can be painfully duplicated with a computer even an Oil painting and its layers, so why do we do it?
 

WayneF

Senior Member
I think artists may want to show what they imagine, where photos show what is (both have exceptions).

So we can want to create, or to share, or to sell, but really a big part of photos (snapshots) is because we want to see it again later.
 

cwgrizz

Senior Member
Challenge Team
An artist, I am not. I can only draw flies. A musician, I am not. I have trouble playing the radio without static. I do like to try to be creative, however. Even though my "creativity" really pales to others, it does give me some satisfaction. Welding some junk together to create something else, building something out of wood, designing something useful that you could buy for 1/4 the cost of what is already available. That seems to be how I roll.

Saying all of that, I have the desire in my photography to accomplish something that is pleasing and better than I accomplished yesterday. Improving on techniques and vision are my goals.
 

Ironwood

Senior Member
That question certainly provokes some thought. I cant pinpoint one particular reason because lets face it, there are many.
On a personal level, there is the need to improve, with my macro insects, I try to get a better shot than the last time I encountered that particular insect, and to continually improve my lighting.
Memories, I recently shot my Sisters wedding. That ones a no-brainer.

I could go on but I would just bore everyone. And drive myself crazy with this dodgy keyboard :rolleyes:
 

traceyjj

Senior Member
Personally, I find it relaxing... and in the fast paced world we live in, we need to slow down and relax.

I also (like Chris) like to document "today" as that building might not be there tomorrow (hence my website)

I am so looking forward to retiring so I can go out, explore and shoot... and maybe one day I can be good at editing and making my images as good as some of the ones I see on this site.
 

Danno

Senior Member
I enjoy it for many of the reasons list by others in the post. I was a type "A" workaholic and biker when I wasn't working. I was always on the run. When my health wavered and I could not run I came to realize what I had been looking past. I started watching the sun come up rather then getting to work just as it came up and headed home late only to jump on the scooter and go somewhere else.

As I was forced to slow down I just got to see what I had been missing. Started enjoying God's creation. I had always like photos, but i never "had time". I bought the D3200 after being off work for 2 months and found how much I enjoyed just capturing the moment. It will be 2 years the end of October. I love being at my window in the morning and looking out and seeing the sun come up and being compelled to capture it.

There is so much that I missed. I do not want to miss anymore. I take it in and I love capturing the memory. I am thankful.
 

paul_b

Senior Member
For me, I mainly take photos of my child. I want to remember memories that would otherwise fade rapidly over time. I like to see her grow too and then look back.

Sent from my XT1562 using Tapatalk
 

rocketman122

Senior Member
perspectives that are different than our eyes, aesthetics ,manipulating, making something look different than in real life vs what the camera shows. freezing moments of life that will last forever. the feel of the gear in my hand. its not an expression to me.
 

C. Hand

Senior Member
I want to show others what I see and how I see it. Bison 008.jpg
 

RocketCowboy

Senior Member
For me, the "why" started when I started taking solo motorcycle trips across the US. I wanted to capture that sense of awe when I was places like the Grand Canyon, to capture the scale and the sense of isolation and humbleness that I felt when out there alone on the bike. When I got home and the images I captured with my point and shoot digital Pentax (or the trusty Polaroid if I was on that kind of ride) didn't capture that sense, I started looking for ways to improve my images and retain more of that feeling. All of that, brings me to where I am today.
 
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