Wednesday 17 October 2012

Why Photography? Part 2

One of the reasons why I am galloping through my photgraphic history is that a while ago I was so fed up with my art that I was thinking of throwing everything away or at the very least giving all the stash and art media away.  And finding another less messy hobby.

Over the years I have had many other hobbies - I learned to play the flute for a while, I did 4 years of Creative Embroidery, I slightly flirted with Patchwork and Quilting.  Actually that mostly involved buying fat quarters and stroking them, rather than actually making anything.

I think there were other things - oh yes - quilling, scrapbooking, and I expect other things will come to mind.

But as each of these interests has come and gone, photography has remained as a constant.  I may not have taken photographs every week but the camera was always available.

When I discovered digital cameras, firstly with a compact camera
and then with a Bridge Camera
it released me to take thousands of photographs.  In fact the last photograph I took was numbered 1,170,314 and that doesn't include the compact camera or the camera on my phone!   It's no wonder my hard drive keeps filling up!

So what is it that draws me to photography.

There's the obvious - I can record
  • places I visit
  • family occasions
  • my son growing up
  • holidays
  • church events
But if you had the time (and the patience) to trawl through my 1 million plus images what would you find?

Actually, not many photographs of people.  There are photographs of Andy growing up.  And of his wedding to Naomi.  There are a few sets of church events and a record of my parents 60th Wedding Anniversary party.

But really I don't take photographs of people.  Unless when we are on holiday people walk into the photo I'm taking or spend too long in the way of what I want to take and because I'm impatient I have to include them.

There are lots of photographs of nature - flowers, grasses, trees.   And a great many landscapes.

There are quite a lot of photos of my art work so that I can upload the work to Flickr groups or to my blog.

There are lots of pictures of buildings and parts of buildings.  Like a close up of some bricks! Or chimneys or part of a door.  Some of these were taken when I was doing the Creative Embroidery course and needed images of pattern or texture to inspire or inform the embroidery. 


And then there are the ones where I took a totally different view of something than from the usually viewpoint like the Sydney Opera House roof but from inside the building.

Or the quirky.  A totally relaxed gorilla!

Or patterns in the street. With a bit of added quirkiness!  I loved the plastic swimming rings against the paper balls.

And then there's light.   Early (or early-ish) morning light and as with the photo below, late afternoon light.
And yet I don't really think I've answered the question of why I have kept coming back to photography and why I spend so much time on it.

I guess I'm still trying to get that elusive photograph that really speaks to me.  I don't go out on photography field trips much.  I go out for a walk or a visit and take my camera with me and along the way I take photographs for all the reasons outlined above.

And occasionally I come up with something that I really love.  I took this photo last week and I love it.  But it was just a fleeting moment.  I didn't go out to take this photo.  It was just there.  And I took the opportunity.
It's a mix of colour, pattern, shapes and texture that I like.  And yes it does have people in it.  But this time it was deliberate as it needed something to give it a sense of proportion.

So why photography?  Because I love it.  Because it can be many things.  Just because!

Oh and I mentioned the million plus thing to Roger and he wonders whether the first photo I took on the camera was actually numbered 00001!

What do you think?

11 comments:

  1. Well I have no idea about numbers, but yes, there is something constant about photography for me as well.

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  2. A very interesting look at your relationship with photography, I enjoyed both your words and the images you shared here. And if in the end the answer to 'why?' is 'just because' that's as good a reason as any!

    I love the above photo too, you captured something special there.

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  3. you have a beautiful eye :) and heart! xxo

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  4. I love the patterns and textures in the above photo, but adding the people have made it very special. Thanks for sharing your story.

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  5. I'm with you on architecture and pattern and come to think about it I don't take photos of people very often.

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  6. Thanks for sharing. Your photos are lovely. Why? Because it is good to have something constant and because you are good at it!

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  7. I love photography as well. It was my first art and one that has stayed with me for my entire life. I love that I can go out with my camera and create art. I love the variety of things I can do with my camera and know it will always be a part of what I do.
    Rinda

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  8. "Just because" means "just for you." I think that's the best reason of all! It's probably what keeps you coming back, regardless of what else you work on. I have found the same thing for myself... photography is a thread that has continued through in some form. Every time I explore something else, I keep coming back. It's got hooks in my soul. Thank you for taking the time to share and answer the question! That last image of the seaside is stellar. The framing of the lines, the perspective from above and the inclusion of the people to add the scale and contrast all work to create an image with impact. Great job!

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  9. Enjoyed your journey through your photography history very much.
    The last one is so great with the sea, sand, the perspective , the diagonal.

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  10. Sorry, forget to name my entry - Ghita.

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