Why Do You Photograph

Why do you photograph?  Have you ever given a thought to this question?  On the surface it seems like a simple question, but once you peel back the first layers, you may see how deep this question can go.  I wrote down this question several months ago on a sheet of paper that sits on my desk which is full of ideas and thoughts about art, photography, psychology and much more.  No to-do’s on the list, only creative ideas that I glance at during the day to perhaps spur on some thoughts as I go about my workday.  I know that I may be consciously focused on the task at hand, but my subconscious head can be chewing on some of these deeper thoughts as I go about my day.

So, why do you photograph?  I’d be really curious to hear your thoughts on the subject and doesn’t matter if it’s a big thought or small thought.  Even if it’s just “I’ve never thought about it”.  I think it’s an intriguing question and one that if examined, may help us better understand ourselves while we are taking or editing images.  My thinking is that if we know ourselves better, our motivations, our energy, the “why” we are doing this…then that may be better communicated through our camera on to our compositions, resulting in a more expressive and connective image.  It might even help us find that elusive “voice” that everyone is always searching for. 🙂 Spending a few minutes thinking about “why” we do something exposes our motivations and can help us focus that “why” energy in to being more effective when we do the activity, and thereby, derive more enjoyment from it by spending more time in the areas that really bring us enjoyment. The scary side of thinking about “why” we do something may expose us to the truth about ourselves which is something that could be scary or unpleasant if we are truly honest with ourselves. Sometimes we just don’t want to look deep in to ourselves, or aren’t sure how to do it, or are just plain scared of what we might find.  That’s OK!  Take it slow and gentle because after all, photography should be fun and enjoyable.  This is not a psychotherapy post, but I would encourage you to spend some time thinking about this question and exploring as much as you can.  You never know where this train of thought might take you or how it may impact your images.

So I’ve asked why do you photograph, but what about me? Why do I photograph?  I’ve always felt that if I ask a question of someone else, I should be prepared to answer it myself. As I mentioned above, I’ve had this question sitting on my desk for several months and I have to admit I haven’t made that deep of a dive and explicitly listed out exactly why I pursue this form of art.  I do have some general categories of reasoning that I trot out when asked about my photography or when I dive deep on to another topic.  So, I’ll start with some of these to help explain my reasoning, my “why”, for why I do what I do and am so passionate about it.

Share the beauty of the world

As a young man, I realized how utterly amazing and beautiful our natural world is and even at a young age, I was grateful and thankful that I had the awareness of the beauty around me.  I was an avid outdoor person, growing up in Oregon and often engaged in hiking, skiing, kayaking and camping.  Anything I could do outdoors I would do it, more for being outdoors than the activity itself.  I remember vividly that as I was outdoors, I had very strong feelings of wanting to share this beauty with as many folks as possible, to have them see and appreciate the beauty of the world.  I could never hope to actually bring people outdoors, but that didn’t stop me from wanting them to see it, appreciate it, value and treasure it and ultimately protect it.  On all of my outdoor adventures I typically had a camera with me and would take pictures along the way. Some were the basic documentary pics of what we were doing, but I started thinking and working towards the concept of capturing the beauty so I could bring it back and share with others.

This feeling has remained with me as an adult, the desire to share this beautiful world with others, to help them see what an amazing blue marble we live on!  And, as ecological impacts are becoming greater, the need to raise awareness in folks so that we may all rise up and protect our beautiful planet.  It is a strong motivator for me and adds to the “why” I photograph.

Good energy

One of the other motivations I uncovered in myself was the desire to make people “feel good”.  By nature I’m generally a people pleaser and I enjoy when others feel good or have a happy moment, especially if I was in some way responsible for that.  Showing pretty pictures to folks has been proven to release chemicals in the body that make them feel good, so this has reinforced some of my desire to create pleasing photographs and share them.

Not to get too “hippy” here, but one of my other motivations in this category of “good energy” is on a deeper level, I wanted to put as much “good energy” out in to the world as possible during my life and one way to do that is to make pleasing images that can make people feel good and maybe unlock an awareness of the beautiful world around us, enriching their own “vision” of the world as they see it.  There are some art forms that I feel put more positive energy in to the world than others.  Those that elicit an emotional response, those that trigger chemical reactions in the body, those that “resonate” with people on a deeper level or those that have the potential to raise up humans to new heights.  Music is one of those for me, photography is another.  Both of these touch us on a deeper level as we can have a deeper, almost basal, response to them.  I often hear people describe music or photography in terms that they “feel” and can’t quite describe, which tells me it is something they are feeling at a very deep level, not something superficial.  I’ll show a bit of my bias at this point and contrast this with painting or the more “classical” arts.  Much of this art appreciation is done in the head, not the heart, evidenced by the words used to describe them and how people value and react to them.  That’s all fine and good, don’t get me wrong, but my motivation was to touch people on a deeper level which is part of the reason why I gravitated to photography as a form of art.  Ultimately sharing “good energy” in to the world would be my small contribution to helping make the world a better place.

Communicate

This is one of the biggest reasons why I photograph and it is also the one that I understand the least. Since a young age, I’ve had a feeling, the best word I can find to describe it is “yearning”, to communicate with others, to touch them through what I’m saying to expand and enrich their lives. This yearning goes beyond using words, as those can often be superficial, but goes much deeper in wanting to communicate on a more basic, emotive level.  I have always felt that using visual imagery was a fantastic way to communicate as it engages more of the brain, can trigger emotional responses and can also be left open to the imagination of the viewer to enrich the message. In thinking back, and even to this day, I haven’t identified exactly “what” I want to communicate.  It feels like a large part of what I want to communicate is emotion, either what I’m feeling, what Mother Nature is feeling, or connect on an emotional level with someone else.  The other concept of communication that I sense is a desire to have an authentic conversation or connection with someone else.  Especially nowadays when we are so busy and have screens glued to our eyeballs, the human connection is slowly fading away.  We as humans are programmed to have connection with others and slowly we are ignoring and eroding that basic biological need in favor of electronic connections.  Sorry, I digress :-).  This yearning to communicate and have a connection was, and still is, so strong in me that it is a major reason why I photograph and create the images that I do.  I seek out emotion, storytelling and connection in creating my images.  I’m not just chasing the superficial beauty, only the “best” light or iconic landscapes.  I want to be a “storyteller” to touch others and express the emotions that I am feeling at the time of capture in a location. I want to bring viewers along on the experience of being in these beautiful locations and share this amazing experience with them.

A reason to be outside and have experiences

Going back to one of my earlier points about sharing the beauty, photography gives me a reason to continue being outdoors to witness the amazing natural beauty in our world.  I am so fortunate to travel to amazing locations and get to experience them firsthand, feeling the sun and wind, rain or snow, to smell the scents and watch the wildlife. Photography gives me a great “reason” to spend my time, money and energy to go outside in this beautiful world. I am a firm believer that nature is restorative and healing and we as humans need nature in our lives to stay healthy, happy and sane.  After all, back in the Neanderthal days up to the 19th century, humans were very much connected to the natural world for our basic needs.  I don’t think that with the advent of the automobile, cell phone, Google or talking refrigerators that we’ve lost the need to be connected to the natural world.  So, I choose to celebrate that connection and be in nature as much as I can to let go of the stresses of our modern life, the struggles of first-world problems and just let go of the stuff that doesn’t really matter in life.  Get back to simpler times for a moment and connect on a deeper level for restorative reasons and/or simple enjoyment in the basic pleasures around us.

The longer I pursue photography, the less important the images are becoming to me.  Yes, I still want to share the beauty of the world through my photographs, but more and more I value the experiences I have while photographing. Contrary to what our captitalistic society teaches us, having more “stuff” is not the end-all/be-all of life…I don’t need more cameras, lenses or images.  It is the experiences we collect over our lifetime that are the truly valuable things we can “collect” as we walk this journey of life. Pursuing photography gives me the chance to have amazing experiences that I can hold on to and treasure long after a camera body is sold or my website falls in to disrepair or whatever.  Watching bison covered in snow forage for winter food or standing on a windswept cliff in Iceland feeling the offshore breeze and taking in the sights and sounds, standing along the shoreline and watching/hearing the gentle waves crash along the sandy beach, etc…  Those are priceless experiences and memories!!!  Yea sure, I’m taking photographs, but I am also well aware and cognizant of the experience I’m having along with the photography.

Final Thoughts

This is as far as my thinking has gotten me so far on this question.  So I’ll ask again, why do you photograph?  Have you been able to put in to words even a part of your motivation and rationale for why you pursue photography instead of spending your time on another activity? Your reasons are your own and don’t have to be anywhere near mine.  Creating art is a highly personal activity and we all do it for different reasons.  Even if you choose not to view your photography as art,  your motivations are your own and they are completely valid.

The above reasons are very personal and perhaps esoteric and not meaningful for some of you.  That’s OK.  Over the years talking with other photographers I know there are other very big reasons why some people photograph.  Maybe some of these help answer the question of why do you photograph.

Technical Aspects

We are heavily dependent on technology for executing and presenting our photographs and for some, that technology can bring enjoyment and motivation to photography.  Some people don’t want to admit this aspect of their enjoyment, but really, it’s OK.  We are gear-centric group and the manufacturers keep reminding us of this.  New cameras with amazing functionality, new lenses, a plethora of software options…the list is endless.  The creative side of photography engages one side of our brain and the technical side of photography can engage the other side…both are OK as motivations for pursing this avocation.

When I started my photography, the gear wasn’t in any way important to me.  As I got further in, gear became important and I enjoyed the GAS and everything that went with it (to be honest, I still do enjoy it a little bit) But now, I’ve moved to a place where I see my camera and other gear as just “tools” to communicate, connect and express myself.  I’ve realized that the enjoyment of gear isn’t a component of why I photograph.

Social

Some folks may cite the social aspects of photography as a motivation.  Going on a group workshop, belonging to a camera club or just going out with friends to a favorite location.  Sharing the experience with others in real-time, having a traveling companion to share the journey with, even just someone to talk to who understands what we’re seeing and feeling in the moment.  Don’t deny the social aspects of photography as a motivation as you try to answer why do you photograph.

For years, I was a solitary photographer.  I made a point and went to great effort to photograph by myself, declining invites from others to go out shooting.  Why?  I felt I couldn’t connect with my subject, couldn’t feel the energy and nuance of a location if I was chattering away with someone else.  I did, and still do, my best work when I am by myself, immersed in the location and what it is telling me. Over time I have learned to enjoy the social aspects of photography, sharing the experiences with others and still creating good work. Maybe not my best work, but still work that I can be proud of.  I’ve learned that we can be together chatting, or, it’s perfectly acceptable to go off by myself and regroup after the shoot so I can find some alone time.  I’ve learned to enjoy the social aspects, but also know that is not one of my motivations or reasons for why I photograph.

I am very curious if you have thought about why do you photograph. Please drop me a comment below or send me an email and share your thoughts. I find it a curious question, one that can be answered simply, or one that can take a lifetime exploring the reasoning, perhaps never coming up with a satisfactory answer.  I for one will keep pondering this question, working to understand my motivations and drives so that I can relay some of that energy in to my images and to the viewer in order to create a compelling, emotive or connective experience through my images.