# What does it mean to you?



## Southbound33 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ok, time to spill the beans. Coming here has been a bittersweet experience. Its only been a week and I have already met some of the best CC that one could ask for. I am simply amazed at some of the things I have seen on this site. Everybody seems really nice and helpful. As someone who is new to this art, I have found Pandoras Box, a plethora of endless knowledge that I can only benefit from. For that, I thank you. 

Like any art, freedom of expression is the very thing that makes it art. Its the very desire that we all share. We all have our own views about literally everything. A question I face with any form of art is why the masses try and consolidate general ideas.  Simply put, photography is an art.  We have all felt it, the moment when you realized you could capture the beauty of this world and share it. It really is amazing. We all have that starting point. 

My question here is, why do you do it? Do you want to prove yourself as a photographer, as an artist? Do you still love what you do, or has it become a job? Being that this is an art, is there really a right or wrong? 

I am heavily tattooed, and I always research my artists before. I think people should do the same with photographers. I hate the idea that there should be a cookie cutter photographer on every other craigslist ad. I for one, would never do a wedding. Because thats just not me. If you asked me to photo your classic Ferrari or a beautiful woman then yes... Im there.

Heres the important part... why are you doing this? What made you realize the beauty in this world and decide "Im gonna share this with everybody". In my mind.. That vivid decision is what makes a great artist. In my case, I was in the mountains of Afghanistan and I wanted to show my family that it wasn't all war and death. Ive been to places that look like a damn Coors light commercial. Thats what did it for me and I can share those photos upon request. 

To sum this whole thing up, the question is still, what does it mean to you?


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## 480sparky (Jun 27, 2015)

I have nothing to prove.  And I am not willing to prove it to anyone as I don't do it for money. I flat-out refuse commission work.

I just do it for the sheer pleasure.  And I think the vast majority of those here are not pros as well.  They just enjoy it and have no interest in paying the bills by clicking the shutter button.


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## Designer (Jun 27, 2015)

Southbound33 said:


> My question here is, why do you do it? Do you want to prove yourself as a photographer, as an artist? Do you still love what you do, or has it become a job? Being that this is an art, is there really a right or wrong?


I'm strictly an amateur who likes photography.  Any artistic endeavor may or may not be photographic.  The "right" is; making a photograph that serves the purpose.  The "wrong" is failure to do so.


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## baturn (Jun 27, 2015)

I do it for me. It's a hobby that gets me outdoors and replaces hunting and fishing. I share only with family and friend and except for TPF, NOT on social media. I only share here in hopes to get critique that helps me improve. It's all for my own self satisfaction and entertainment.


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## paigew (Jun 27, 2015)

I have nothing to prove. I consider myself an artist + photographer. Photography is my full time job, not a day goes by when I don't pick up my camera. After 3.5 years of shooting I feel like photography is a part of who I am. I see photos in every scene and I desperately want to capture them so I never forget. I love sharing my photography with others; being able to capture raw, real moments is a what I live for. I want my images to convey emotion and bring people back to how they felt at that exact moment in their life. I also use photography as a creative outlet, my ongoing 365 project pushes me to see things in all new ways. Photography has my sweat, blood, and tears, literally . So....yeah, to me its pretty important.


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## limr (Jun 27, 2015)

I'm also not a pro and wouldn't consider being one. I would sell my work but not my services; I have no desire to shoot pictures for someone else.

I do it because it's a way to express myself. Writing is my first love, but sometimes the idea or feeling I have is still too unformed for words, or it's too skittish and runs away when I try to identify it too clearly. That's when I turn to the camera to help me figure out what I want to say or to allow me to show it instead of saying it.

Photography is also an intellectual challenge for me. It's a puzzle to figure out how to get the image the way I envisioned it, and more importantly, how to do that more consistently. I enjoy that challenge.

Finally, it satisfies my desire to create something concrete, something I can see and touch and smell. It's one reason I still shoot film because it's a much more satisfying process for me; it's tactile and it includes more of my senses, makes me feel more involved in the process and invested in the final product.


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## DarkShadow (Jun 27, 2015)

It's a very Joyful hobby for me,self gratification,stress relief and it helps me slow down and enjoy and appreciate the things around me.


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## Trever1t (Jun 27, 2015)

I have always been "here" though not to the skill level I am today I was born with a camera in hand. Coming from a family of artists with varied mediums I was exposed and trained in the arts from an early age, thank my mom for that. 

Having been a "Pro" I currently refuse most all paid work even though I am offered. When I was charging it because "Work" and as such I lost interest. Now I only shoot for my pleasure and even then I am refusing payment. Crazy, perhaps.


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## SCraig (Jun 27, 2015)

Just a hobby.  Photography isn't the reason I wake up in the morning nor do I carry a camera everywhere I go.  If I put my camera down for a day or a week or a month or a year my world won't end and I won't go through withdrawals.  That's probably why I've enjoyed photography for 45 years or so.


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## 407370 (Jun 27, 2015)

I have to do it. The voices keep telling me to do it.
Seriously I love photography and I find it interesting that the photos I take that I like most stir very few emotions in anyone else.


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## vintagesnaps (Jun 27, 2015)

I have no idea why I got started in photography - really, I don't remember... I bought my first camera after I graduated from college and I have no idea what prompted that! lol But now the camera seems to be an extension of myself, it's so natural I forget sometimes I'm still holding it, it's second nature.

I guess I'm still at it because I can't imagine not. I suppose if it's something you're driven to do and have the passion for it then you will.


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## mmaria (Jun 27, 2015)

I'm on the phone which means that I can't type a lot... so can't answer  to your questions... but I wanted to mention sentences you started op with... are you sure you're talking about tpf?


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## KenC (Jun 27, 2015)

As with many others here, I do it just for myself, although I share it on here and elsewhere.  My usual answer to why and what I get out of it is that it seems to be therapeutic for me and I just feel driven to do it and am not as happy when I don't.


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## table1349 (Jun 27, 2015)

Would someone please tell me exactly when the concept of doing something just for the sheer joy of it went out of style?  Apparently I missed the memo.  

I'm guessing it was about the same time as when simple things like enjoying a sunrise, conversing with people in person, and just doing something nice for someone for absolutely no reason of all went out of style.


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## limr (Jun 27, 2015)

I think many of us here have, in fact, been saying that we get joy out of the activity. But simply, "I do it for joy, just because" doesn't answer the question of WHY this is the activity that brings us joy. Not everyone gets to joy by the same path. And understanding that path - i.e. figuring out not only what but why - can perhaps lead us there more reliably and frequently.


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## 480sparky (Jun 27, 2015)

limr said:


> ......... But simply, "I do it for joy, just because" doesn't answer the question of WHY this is the activity that brings us joy.........



It brings me joy because there's both a technical side and an artistic side to creating images I like.


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## limr (Jun 27, 2015)

480sparky said:


> limr said:
> 
> 
> > ......... But simply, "I do it for joy, just because" doesn't answer the question of WHY this is the activity that brings us joy.........
> ...


 
I think most of us have pretty much answered the "why." I said I enjoy the challenge of learning how to manipulate this tool so I am able to express myself effectively. This confluence of intellectual and emotional satisfaction creates great joy in me.


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## table1349 (Jun 27, 2015)

Why does "WHY" matter?  Does the "WHY" make it better, more important, or mean more if you understand the "WHY"?  

Perhaps, just perhaps, instead of overthinking virtually everything in this world these days, humanity might be just a little better for itself if it was a bit more accepting of that that is and less a little less "cerebral" about ever little thing.  

I have been in love with my wife for the last 39 years, and happily married to her for the last 37.  Why do I love her?  Hell I don't know, and frankly I don't care "WHY".   I do.  Thats all I needed to know then, all I need know now and all I need for the future.  The is no "because" to it.  It just is.


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## 480sparky (Jun 27, 2015)

Why do I like the color blue?

Why do I like home-made malts made with home-made ice cream?

Why do I like the purring of a kitten?

Why do I like the smell of impending rain?

Why do I like the cool wet grass under my bare feet in the summer?

Why do I like settling down in the evening even when there's a severe winter storm raging outside?

Why do I like seeing a rainbow in the mist of a waterfall? 

Why do I like hearing children giggle and laugh?






Why do I suddenly feel I'm writing an ad for the M4W section of Craigslist?


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## Fred Berg (Jun 28, 2015)

For me, it's about capturing the moment in a snapshot, about taking space and time and compressing them on to  a piece of paper typically 10x15 cm in size. I rarely plan a photo as the spontaneity of photography is its raison d'être, and, in my view, this essential ephemeral element is at the very heart of the matter.


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## ratssass (Jun 28, 2015)

....i woke up with a compelling need to spend even more money, that i don't have,on equipment i don't need,to take pictures of people i don't know.


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## limr (Jun 28, 2015)

gryphonslair99 said:


> Why does "WHY" matter?  Does the "WHY" make it better, more important, or mean more if you understand the "WHY"?



For me, it does. If it doesn't for you, then what do I care? Do what you want, answer or don't answer, but there is no reason to start scolding peoole who feel or think differently. You don't care about the "why" so why should you give four flying frogs if others do?



> Perhaps, just perhaps, instead of overthinking virtually everything in this world these days, humanity might be just a little better for itself if it was a bit more accepting of that that is and less a little less "cerebral" about ever little thing.



Some of us call it simply "thinking." It's a useful skill and quite frankly, I wish more people would engage in it. Your error is assuming that someone who enjoys analyzing is somehow incapable of enjoying simple pleasures, that we "destroy" them with all that damn thinking. However, the two are not mutually exclusive. Don't assume that "cerebral" people can't also be joyful.



> I have been in love with my wife for the last 39 years, and happily married to her for the last 37.  Why do I love her?  Hell I don't know, and frankly I don't care "WHY".   I do.  Thats all I needed to know then, all I need know now and all I need for the future.  The is no "because" to it.  It just is.



That's great for you, it really is. But it's one person's experience and doesn't - nor shouldn't - apply to everyone. I've been in my relationship for 10 years and I DO know why I love him, and it enriches the experience for me. I would never suggest that everyone should experience things the same way I do. By the same token, I don't want to be told how I am "supposed" to think or feel.


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## ratssass (Jun 28, 2015)




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## limr (Jun 28, 2015)

ratssass said:


>



You know you are the only one who can get away with posting something like this and still keep all your bits, right?


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## ratssass (Jun 28, 2015)

....thanks,lenny


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## Fred Berg (Jun 28, 2015)

ratssass said:


>



Well, as long as it's not a sausage sandwich...


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## limr (Jun 28, 2015)




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## rexbobcat (Jun 28, 2015)

Like some others have said, I'm not entirely sure at this point why I do it. I started it as a class project in HS. Before then, I was intent on being a marine scientist of some sort. Then I realized that I have some sort of neurotic aversion to getting correct answers in math (f* you physics (jk without you I would die, please forgive me).

So I clung to photography harder and harder until I went to college where I delved deeper into it before I graduated.

Now I'm not quite sure what I want.


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## Buckster (Jun 29, 2015)

I'm also not one to spend much time or thought trying to figure out and understand "why".  Nonetheless...

I guess for me it's just always been a part of my personality to make art, solve puzzles, invent, engineer, embrace technology, and learn all I can about everything that catches my interest.  It's just who I am.  Photography has engaged all those facets of what makes me who I am.

I don't know what percent of that is nurture vs. nature, but I grew up in a family full of painters, sculptors, poets, writers, musicians, photographers, inventors, engineers, puzzle-masters, intellectuals, and the like.  Surrounded by people doing all that stuff from birth who encouraged and taught and made the experiences joyful with me and for me, I've found personal joy and fulfillment and satisfaction in doing all that stuff over the course of my entire lifetime.

For about 46 years and counting, photography as a tool for making art has been one of the main things I do that fulfills that side of me, so I continue to do it.


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