Why do I shoot?
Nobody asked me this question
But I'm going to answer it anyway.
I wouldn't say photography has always been a passion of mine. Yeah, I've appreciated a good photo and once or twice, I would whip out my phone and try and get a more than sub-par shot with that, but I never really thought any deeper than that.
During my adolescence, I developed an interest in video production, mainly the editing side of things, something that I see as my first stepping stone into the creative world. At that point, I was focussed entirely on the technical aspect; lots of visual effects and very little care for composition and framing[1]. It took a while before I started to notice patterns in what was considered good footage or a good edit, so I naturally started to repeat/mimic those patterns. Sometimes I think this was again, just a technical aspect and that I didn't really understand why it looked good, but I went with it.
This edit was considered a turning point for me as a producer, both technically and creatively.
But here is where it all started...
Christmas 2016. My then-dearly-beloved bought me my first DSLR camera; a Canon 1200D. I had originally planned on using it for vlogs and other video work, but with the packaged 50mm lens, I found myself growing fond of the photos I could take[2]. It turned out that other people like it too. So much so, that I was taking photos for other people quite quick[3].
By this point, I was loving it. I would take photos of anything at all. Anything.
Here is a rotary clothes horse that was in my garden. Why not? |
It wasn't long before I decided that I wanted to share these pictures with the world, hence the watermark[4]. I started taking pictures of people, animals and things that mattered to me. One day, my beloved pup, Indie, was sat in the summer sunshine, looking out into the garden at god knows what, but her gaze was fixed. Her beautiful eyes lit by the beaming sun. She was focussed, yet relaxed. This sudden passion and opportune moment led to me capturing one of my all-time favourite photos.
There were many edited versions, but this is the one that has stayed with me since. |
Since then, I've made many decisions and taken different paths with photography. I bought a small studio kit, positioned a white backdrop in my office and started taking product photos for my IT repair business. I reached out to local bands and offered up free photoshoots and even offered to pay to get into their gigs, just to get photos for them. I have followed one band in particular around and stuck with them almost exclusively. The New Republic.[5]
Music, events, landscapes, birthdays, promotional stuff, weddings, products, schools, I have dabbled in so many different types of photography and enjoyed every single one of them, but that still doesn't answer the original question.
Why?
All of those situations that I've captured have been to earn something. Money, respect, portfolio fillers, but they still aren't why I never leave my house without a camera. It's not about 'creativity and arts' or anything that should be looked at in that way. My passion for photography is much deeper and personal, especially in recent times.
I take photos to express and share thoughts, ideas and feelings in a way that suits the way I am; without talking. I have a lot of hidden thoughts, concealed emotions, feelings that I don't want to talk about, things I never want to say, scenes that will never play out or scenes that have already played out that I just can't explain in words. Taking photos has become a way of me telling a story. My story, our story, someone else's story, then sharing that story with you.
Sometimes, I will capture moments. A trip to somewhere new. A smile that would disappear too soon. Catch someone when their true self is exposed and vulnerable. I will capture someone in their element, doing that one thing they love. A reunion that had taken way too long to occur. Love between two sisters. I want to take those moments and immortalise them, so that they can be remembered forever.
The world spins and it keeps spinning. Sometimes we get so lost in what we're doing, we miss things. We miss our puppy's first successful walk. We miss our baby niece's smile. We miss the chance to see our loved ones as they truly are, because we were too busy concentrating on our own agenda.
I want to take those key moments in life, treasure them and then share them. Memories change and fade with age. Photography helps me hang on to them.
That's why I shoot.
[1] Heck, even if the video was super exposed and flashing, with no easily-visible subject, I was still happy with it. The days of 'overediting' video game footage.
[2] I actually mention this in my first blog post here, but a 50mm lens is enough to make any photo look nice, with that juicy bokeh (blurred background) and the punchy subject.
[3] I would love to show you those pictures, but I unfortunately felt like I had to delete those in light of our relationship coming to an end. Shame really, because there were some pretty nostalgic shots in there for me and maybe a few worth sharing, so you can see what a newbie can achieve with a 50mm lens. Maybe that's another blog for another day!
[4] Just incase on the off-chance that somebody would want to steal and profit from a picture of a hinge on an old rotary clothes horse.
[5] I'm confident to say that 95% of the photos on their page are ones that I had taken.
uhhh moist
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