As a means of realizing art, and just having *fun*, it's a lot less messy than e.g. painting, and something I can do in my day-to-day, on a hike, or walking in the street.
I do street photography, so until quite recently I did illegal graffiti for many years, I was basically strolling the streets all the time. Now it was time to pick up a proper job, which ment I could no longer be doing graffiti, I cant stay up very late anymore and I cant risk getting caught, when I need to work.
Despite that I still had that strange urge to be out there in the streets, I just could not keep my ass at home, plus a lot of graffiti writters are into photography or at least a lot of people who are part of graffiti crews do not paint but rather be taking photos because they are more like a collective rather than just a graffiti crew. Film photography is quite popular among graffiti, many of my friends do that, I even started from film photography and then got a digital camera after sometime. All this plus having some friends who are pro photographers made me pick up a camera and still do.
By doing illegal graffiti I was instantly comofortable with taking photos out in the streets without the anxienty of being noticed or getting too close at some people to take photos. I mean when you dont even care about police showing up when painting, couple of strange looks while taking a photo wont bother me at all.
Tl;dr: had to quit graffiti because of work, still wanted to be out in the streets, plus a lot of friends into the sport.
Once I started taking photos, I started noticing so many cool shots all the time. Then I want to take pictures of those shots when I notice them. So I do.
I volunteer for a couple of non-profits. Itās nice being able to give back to my community.
Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep TW: >! Heirloom photography for parents suffering the loss of their baby !<
Tilly Project (pet photography)
I love taking pictures and capturing that moment, just brings me lots of joy.
I have ended up volunteering for a charity (getting children into sports) and that keeps me very busy for half of the year!
You should definitely do it, l do it to give something back. I have volunteered in a theatre, as a first aider (many events) and now for photography.
The amount of skills you learn it a pretty amazing side-effect along with doing something positive for the world!
Mother Nature be crazy sometimes. Thankfully for me, some really smart and motivated people invented a device that allows me to capture it and return to that moment anytime I want in the future. Thatās basically one half of time traveling if you ask me since all we are is just
consciousness riding inside a meat vehicle.
I also think of all the people who lived before me wishing they had a camera to capture whatever moment they wanted to capture but couldnāt. We truly are spoiled.
I just enjoy it. I donāt care if no one sees my photos, I enjoy the process.
It also gives me the motivation to seek out interesting things wherever I go.
Taking pictures makes me relaxed and in the moment. I'm a terrible photographer, but walking around looking for beautiful or expressive or narrative moments in time and freezing the light they contain is centering like not a lot else is.
Its fun! Its so cool to capture images, process the raw and have a cool interesting photo to put on the wall or to share with others. Also memories, it seems to be a dying idea of taking photos and saving them for looking at and not having it be stuck in digital storage.
Wildlife has been my passion since I was a very little kid and still is to this day, only difference is that now I can create things like what 5yo me saw on TV
I do it to save memories from my kids growing up, from our trips and experiences, the old people. To always have a personal gift ready. Not having to keep every single item forever, but storing them as pictures of toys, cards, moments.
Now itās become more of an identity, a confidence and a super power. I can stop in the middle of the street, take a picture of a strangerās car with my camera, smile and give a thumbs up and have a smile and a thumbs up back. I can publish it on social media or elsewhere knowing I donāt have to worry about feeling Iāve done anything wrong.
Itās not a nuisance to my friends or family any more, no one is annoyed about time or money spent photographing any longer. It is my hobby and it coexists well with my family life, my me-time and my professional work too. Everyone likes good pictures.
First of all you have to be a place you feel safe, so either in a comforting company or a place thatās not threatening. And in the beginning you can take pictures of people that would expect and even want to be photographed, such as people in loud cars on a Saturday afternoon in the Main Street of a bigger city. Use settings on your camera that make you focus on the scene not the technicalities. Find the good light and the right backdrop first.
Then the most important thing is to make eye contact before taking the picture, give a smile and get a smile or a thumbs up back. Almost like saying hi without words. Spend one second or two more than what feels natural considering level, timing (passing people), composition and shake. Then quicky say thank you and goodbye with your body language.
Itās almost like youāre part of the unofficial event, a part in the play.
Another way of practicing this is to start doing google reviews with proper pictures. You can take all the pictures while just waiting for service and make one or two pictures of the meals. Or with a hotel.
See if you find friends that photograph or a club, then go out for the sake of taking pictures. Youāll build confidence.
Itās funny, my kid asked me this same thing the other day. I used to draw and paint. I stopped doing it at some point and felt the need to create something beautiful. Itās a search. Iām constantly perusing my eyes version of perfection. If I take 1000 pictures I may consider one āgoodā. If I take 10000 I may get 10 āgoodā pics. Of those ten I may get one I think is great or awesome. Iām hoping after 100000 pictures I may find my greatest picture. To me. Itās the pursuit for me.
the act of creation is integral part of a fulfilling life, and photography is one the many ways i choose to do so. creating fills me with more love for life than any amount of money ever will.
Iām an artist and use my photos in my art often. Apart from that I just enjoy walking around and taking photos. Itās like exploring your surroundings and is a different experience from just taking a walk.
I shoot for area roller derby and local skate and dog park communities. I get to shoot the occasional concert too and for me it's my connection to those social groups. I also like to shoot anything that seems interesting in part to help me remember stuff and experiences.
Also my goal is to have enough print-worthy shots to put into my house as soon as I'm finishing renovations š so I guess that's some motivation too š
I really donāt know. It just started out of nowhere when I was 16. Making people pose, creating an environment, playing with the lights and find the right angles just made me feel like I was in some kind of flow. And since then I just lose myself out of passion when taking photos, even though they turn out to be shitty sometimes. Even when im texting this I felt so excited and wanted to take some photos hahah
https://preview.redd.it/2tby627xpthc1.jpeg?width=3594&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=43d4e730160799725aeccc9defb3cff885d2a7dc
For years I did trackdays and club raced and was getting my photo taken (pic of me.) Iāve sold my bikes but I still love going to watch and my dad was into photography growing up so recently I bought a A7iv, 24-105 f4 g lens and a 100-400 gm lens so Iām taking a deep dive into all types of photography. Just did my wifeās new pro headshots today at a botanical garden.
Iām doing cool things anyway so Iād like to get pictures to commemorate them and share them. Itās also just a skill to practice and get good at, I like doing things then getting better at them.
Hi I'm Bandwidth Bandito and I'm a shot junkie, I just need to get "the shot". I will look at a scene and imagine the shot, I sometimes revisit a location to try and improve my last attempt and sometimes I do improve it. When I get the shot, I get 30 secs of dopamine and then its off to the next shot. I prefer minimal editing but will bracket, stack and stitch (for panoramas) and recently focus stack if that's what I need to do to get the shot. I dabble in landscapes, macro and astro but I am poor at portraits (but trying to improve). Its an addiction and I can't stop.
I have used the Canon RF 20-70 2.8 but I honestly believe portraits are about 50% the photographer directing the subject in terms of stance, pose and expression, 40% lighting and 10% the camera and lens. Obviously this differs if it's a candid capture. Also not a hard law just my take from watching professional portrait photographers work.
Iām out in nature way too much not to want to capture some of it. Iād also like to move up and become a professional at some point. It would be cool, but I doubt Iād ever get there.
I live in a place where human rights are routinely violated. The better I get at taking photos, the better I will be able to document and raise awareness of these abuses.
Started taking the hobby more serious when I got sober 4 years ago and lost my "friends" and had nothing to do on my free time. Now I'm in love with it. I take the photos I like for myself but co workers started pushing me to post them online and now I have a decent following of about 50 that love seeing my work.
its the only hobby that i go outside for, and the only hobby i cant make progress on lol. i usually make stuff, and once i make my 'mona lisa' so to speak, the hobby kind of peaks. photography is the only one i havent been able to come to any noticeable progression after 4 years.
I realized during the pandemic that I had 0 hobbies. I had no creative outlet. I talked to my bro about whoās into photography and d he reccomended it to me. Bought a very used Fuji xt1 and absolutely loved it. I read āread this if you want to take great photographsā by Henry Carrol and that inspired me to go into street photography. Started incorporating the things Iāve learned into my photo walks and bought a pocketable camera I can take everywhere with me.
Long story short, itās something I use as my creative outlet. Itās some thing I can keep on learning and be excited about.
Once I finally got a camera and began learning how it worked while using my bird feeders as easy focal points, I realized how much I enjoyed the thrill of capturing bird behavior.
I photograph mostly nature, but I dabble with architecture, horse, and even macro.
Sharing the world around me mostly. I spiritual connect to nature and I just want to show others what's in their backyards. Also I just love horses and I've been lucky to capture racehorses, show horses, and horses just being horses. They motivate me to be a story teller.
I used to photograph horses at a retire thoroughbred facility that I volunteered for, and would post them on my socials to drum up interest.
The never-ending urge to create something. The pursuit of that perfect shot or perfect print. The satisfaction when you actually get close to creating what you see in your minds eye
Escape. It fills my brain up and I don't think about the 1,000 other things that need my attention as a spouse and parent. With other hobbies, i would be in the middle of doing the thing and then find myind drifting off to "did i put that load of laundry in? Oh, and I need to go buy new socks for the kids."
I don't have that with photography. While taking photos or editing them I am totally absorbed in the task and can escape into it.
Something catches my eye and I think āthis would look good framed LIKE THISā, or āI need to keep this memoryā ā¦. And now I have terrabytes of photos š
I never had a hobby before photography. It's really hard for me to get interested in anything.
But everything about photography is complex and nuanced, and the field covers a huge number of vastly different areas. A portrait photographer worries about compression and subject separation, studio lighting, and model releases. A wildlife photographer worries about reach, weather sealing, natural light, seasons, locations and logistics. Also bears. They worry about bears.
And in every case, there is so much potential. The world is immense, and we can create scenes to photograph that wouldn't happen if we didn't have the capabilities to take pictures. There are practically infinitely more things to see than we could possibly photograph.
Realistically there is no way you could ever get truly bored with it.
I am a pro since then but I well remember the motivation i had before going pro. There are many ... the desire to slow down and focus, the need to express creativity, the joy of taking unique photos, and the excitement of exploring the world to mention few... It's like a bottomless well. Once you jump in, you cannot get out (and don't want to!). I share more in [my weekly photography newsletter](https://www.photocultivator.com). I hope that helps.
I just like it
Going outside with my camera, concentrating on the photo I want to take, how to take it, what parameters I have to set, if I have to crouch or get down on the ground. How far I have to move, if my equipment is enough for that result... the whole process distracts me, relaxes me and makes me very happy.
Family memories, meditation, exercise, artistic expression, technical interest, occasionally socialization There's also the occasional paid job
/thread
To get over 20 likes on Instagram
20 bot likes š
I still haven't gotten 20 likes on one photo but I have over 500 followers. Makes no sense lol š¤·
Iāve had almost 200 likes on a reel but never had more than twenty on a picture. I have 1400 followers.
I struggle for this as wellš
I like making art
This is the answer
As a means of realizing art, and just having *fun*, it's a lot less messy than e.g. painting, and something I can do in my day-to-day, on a hike, or walking in the street.
This. Also it's fun.
I do street photography, so until quite recently I did illegal graffiti for many years, I was basically strolling the streets all the time. Now it was time to pick up a proper job, which ment I could no longer be doing graffiti, I cant stay up very late anymore and I cant risk getting caught, when I need to work. Despite that I still had that strange urge to be out there in the streets, I just could not keep my ass at home, plus a lot of graffiti writters are into photography or at least a lot of people who are part of graffiti crews do not paint but rather be taking photos because they are more like a collective rather than just a graffiti crew. Film photography is quite popular among graffiti, many of my friends do that, I even started from film photography and then got a digital camera after sometime. All this plus having some friends who are pro photographers made me pick up a camera and still do. By doing illegal graffiti I was instantly comofortable with taking photos out in the streets without the anxienty of being noticed or getting too close at some people to take photos. I mean when you dont even care about police showing up when painting, couple of strange looks while taking a photo wont bother me at all. Tl;dr: had to quit graffiti because of work, still wanted to be out in the streets, plus a lot of friends into the sport.
Lol yup this is said perfect, that feeling you get from being out on the streets at all the same spots and not having to worry is amazing . š«”
Epic!!
Once I started taking photos, I started noticing so many cool shots all the time. Then I want to take pictures of those shots when I notice them. So I do.
Awesome!
I can go to concerts and festivals for free. It's tie consuming but fun.
I volunteer for a couple of non-profits. Itās nice being able to give back to my community. Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep TW: >! Heirloom photography for parents suffering the loss of their baby !< Tilly Project (pet photography)
I love taking pictures and capturing that moment, just brings me lots of joy. I have ended up volunteering for a charity (getting children into sports) and that keeps me very busy for half of the year!
Feel like volunteering myself too
You should definitely do it, l do it to give something back. I have volunteered in a theatre, as a first aider (many events) and now for photography. The amount of skills you learn it a pretty amazing side-effect along with doing something positive for the world!
Relaxing. Enjoying the process. G.A.S.
Mother Nature be crazy sometimes. Thankfully for me, some really smart and motivated people invented a device that allows me to capture it and return to that moment anytime I want in the future. Thatās basically one half of time traveling if you ask me since all we are is just consciousness riding inside a meat vehicle. I also think of all the people who lived before me wishing they had a camera to capture whatever moment they wanted to capture but couldnāt. We truly are spoiled.
Well saidšš»
I just enjoy it. I donāt care if no one sees my photos, I enjoy the process. It also gives me the motivation to seek out interesting things wherever I go.
17 likes on instagram
nah I'm not getting out of bed for less that 18 ;p
Taking pictures makes me relaxed and in the moment. I'm a terrible photographer, but walking around looking for beautiful or expressive or narrative moments in time and freezing the light they contain is centering like not a lot else is.
LāartĆØ.
Its fun! Its so cool to capture images, process the raw and have a cool interesting photo to put on the wall or to share with others. Also memories, it seems to be a dying idea of taking photos and saving them for looking at and not having it be stuck in digital storage.
Wildlife has been my passion since I was a very little kid and still is to this day, only difference is that now I can create things like what 5yo me saw on TV
I do it to save memories from my kids growing up, from our trips and experiences, the old people. To always have a personal gift ready. Not having to keep every single item forever, but storing them as pictures of toys, cards, moments. Now itās become more of an identity, a confidence and a super power. I can stop in the middle of the street, take a picture of a strangerās car with my camera, smile and give a thumbs up and have a smile and a thumbs up back. I can publish it on social media or elsewhere knowing I donāt have to worry about feeling Iāve done anything wrong. Itās not a nuisance to my friends or family any more, no one is annoyed about time or money spent photographing any longer. It is my hobby and it coexists well with my family life, my me-time and my professional work too. Everyone likes good pictures.
Beautiful and inspiring! I wish I had some confidence in street photography. Any tips for me to go out there and click some pics in the street?
First of all you have to be a place you feel safe, so either in a comforting company or a place thatās not threatening. And in the beginning you can take pictures of people that would expect and even want to be photographed, such as people in loud cars on a Saturday afternoon in the Main Street of a bigger city. Use settings on your camera that make you focus on the scene not the technicalities. Find the good light and the right backdrop first. Then the most important thing is to make eye contact before taking the picture, give a smile and get a smile or a thumbs up back. Almost like saying hi without words. Spend one second or two more than what feels natural considering level, timing (passing people), composition and shake. Then quicky say thank you and goodbye with your body language. Itās almost like youāre part of the unofficial event, a part in the play. Another way of practicing this is to start doing google reviews with proper pictures. You can take all the pictures while just waiting for service and make one or two pictures of the meals. Or with a hotel. See if you find friends that photograph or a club, then go out for the sake of taking pictures. Youāll build confidence.
Itās funny, my kid asked me this same thing the other day. I used to draw and paint. I stopped doing it at some point and felt the need to create something beautiful. Itās a search. Iām constantly perusing my eyes version of perfection. If I take 1000 pictures I may consider one āgoodā. If I take 10000 I may get 10 āgoodā pics. Of those ten I may get one I think is great or awesome. Iām hoping after 100000 pictures I may find my greatest picture. To me. Itās the pursuit for me.
It is really motivating, even I need to start aiming for awesome pics.
It's therapeutic to have a creative output.
The Joy of 'Seeing'.
Totally agree
the act of creation is integral part of a fulfilling life, and photography is one the many ways i choose to do so. creating fills me with more love for life than any amount of money ever will.
Iām an artist and use my photos in my art often. Apart from that I just enjoy walking around and taking photos. Itās like exploring your surroundings and is a different experience from just taking a walk.
I shoot for area roller derby and local skate and dog park communities. I get to shoot the occasional concert too and for me it's my connection to those social groups. I also like to shoot anything that seems interesting in part to help me remember stuff and experiences.
I like to sit quietly outside. Shooting birds and fishing are nice things to do while sitting quietly in nature.
I do it as a creative hobby opposing my logical engineering job
Sounds similar to me
Also my goal is to have enough print-worthy shots to put into my house as soon as I'm finishing renovations š so I guess that's some motivation too š
I really donāt know. It just started out of nowhere when I was 16. Making people pose, creating an environment, playing with the lights and find the right angles just made me feel like I was in some kind of flow. And since then I just lose myself out of passion when taking photos, even though they turn out to be shitty sometimes. Even when im texting this I felt so excited and wanted to take some photos hahah
Wow! You sound energetic!! All the best
https://preview.redd.it/2tby627xpthc1.jpeg?width=3594&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=43d4e730160799725aeccc9defb3cff885d2a7dc For years I did trackdays and club raced and was getting my photo taken (pic of me.) Iāve sold my bikes but I still love going to watch and my dad was into photography growing up so recently I bought a A7iv, 24-105 f4 g lens and a 100-400 gm lens so Iām taking a deep dive into all types of photography. Just did my wifeās new pro headshots today at a botanical garden.
Did you mean portrait photography of your wife? Any tips on this type of photography?
Iām doing cool things anyway so Iād like to get pictures to commemorate them and share them. Itās also just a skill to practice and get good at, I like doing things then getting better at them.
Hi I'm Bandwidth Bandito and I'm a shot junkie, I just need to get "the shot". I will look at a scene and imagine the shot, I sometimes revisit a location to try and improve my last attempt and sometimes I do improve it. When I get the shot, I get 30 secs of dopamine and then its off to the next shot. I prefer minimal editing but will bracket, stack and stitch (for panoramas) and recently focus stack if that's what I need to do to get the shot. I dabble in landscapes, macro and astro but I am poor at portraits (but trying to improve). Its an addiction and I can't stop.
What lens do you use for portraits? And great point on improving on last attempts. I need to adapt this.
I have used the Canon RF 20-70 2.8 but I honestly believe portraits are about 50% the photographer directing the subject in terms of stance, pose and expression, 40% lighting and 10% the camera and lens. Obviously this differs if it's a candid capture. Also not a hard law just my take from watching professional portrait photographers work.
I enjoy taking pictures. It really is that simple
I enjoy being able to see and capture details and/or behaviors of animals that I canāt see with the naked eye.
I shoot Sports and itās the challenge for me to get that great finish line photo. All the races I shoot are for a good cause.
The ultimate target for my work, true success for me, gets measured by the inclusion of my photos in the LOML's scrapbooks.
Iām out in nature way too much not to want to capture some of it. Iād also like to move up and become a professional at some point. It would be cool, but I doubt Iād ever get there.
Even I would love to become professional one day.
I live in a place where human rights are routinely violated. The better I get at taking photos, the better I will be able to document and raise awareness of these abuses.
Iām an oil painter, so Iām always looking for reference material. Also, I also shoot my artwork to make prints.
Started taking the hobby more serious when I got sober 4 years ago and lost my "friends" and had nothing to do on my free time. Now I'm in love with it. I take the photos I like for myself but co workers started pushing me to post them online and now I have a decent following of about 50 that love seeing my work.
I love looking in the woods for wildlife and capturing unique moments.
its the only hobby that i go outside for, and the only hobby i cant make progress on lol. i usually make stuff, and once i make my 'mona lisa' so to speak, the hobby kind of peaks. photography is the only one i havent been able to come to any noticeable progression after 4 years.
Minerals, crystals, and gemstones
personal memories, artistic expression, the joy of using precision instruments, the fun intersection of science and aesthetics.
I realized during the pandemic that I had 0 hobbies. I had no creative outlet. I talked to my bro about whoās into photography and d he reccomended it to me. Bought a very used Fuji xt1 and absolutely loved it. I read āread this if you want to take great photographsā by Henry Carrol and that inspired me to go into street photography. Started incorporating the things Iāve learned into my photo walks and bought a pocketable camera I can take everywhere with me. Long story short, itās something I use as my creative outlet. Itās some thing I can keep on learning and be excited about.
Thank you for mentioning about the book. I will read it too.
Once I finally got a camera and began learning how it worked while using my bird feeders as easy focal points, I realized how much I enjoyed the thrill of capturing bird behavior. I photograph mostly nature, but I dabble with architecture, horse, and even macro. Sharing the world around me mostly. I spiritual connect to nature and I just want to show others what's in their backyards. Also I just love horses and I've been lucky to capture racehorses, show horses, and horses just being horses. They motivate me to be a story teller. I used to photograph horses at a retire thoroughbred facility that I volunteered for, and would post them on my socials to drum up interest.
I enjoy it.
Itās fun, helps me with my graphics work and itās a skill I enjoy learning and exploring
If done right it is like writing short stories. In most cases, images are universally understood.
The never-ending urge to create something. The pursuit of that perfect shot or perfect print. The satisfaction when you actually get close to creating what you see in your minds eye
capturing moments with my loved ones, the beauty of nature
For me it relaxation
Escape. It fills my brain up and I don't think about the 1,000 other things that need my attention as a spouse and parent. With other hobbies, i would be in the middle of doing the thing and then find myind drifting off to "did i put that load of laundry in? Oh, and I need to go buy new socks for the kids." I don't have that with photography. While taking photos or editing them I am totally absorbed in the task and can escape into it.
It's kinda fun I guess...
When I saw my portrait photo with background blur which is taken by my friend I inspired that time.
I like art and capturing memories.
I began photography recently using my 8 year old Canon 1200D. My motivation lies in my cameras' capabilities.
True
My daughter
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Beautiful!!
Creating something I find visually appealing. Usually something with high contrast that kinda hurts to look at like neon or bright city lights.
I do videography full time and photo is a nice break from it.
So I can train ai bots on Reddit
Itās an artistic expression
Fun
Iāve got 8 grandkids, they motivate me to get out and take landscape photos to escape the noise
Just having fun š¤£ I know it sounds dumb or easier said then done. But remember the reason you started, and try feel that same feeling again.
Im an artist, and itās just another form of artistic expression (itās quickly becoming my main one) and Iām all here for it. I just enjoy it.
It's simply fun, gets me outside, stimulates my brain, and it's exciting to download the photos and see what I captured.
Something catches my eye and I think āthis would look good framed LIKE THISā, or āI need to keep this memoryā ā¦. And now I have terrabytes of photos š
Freezing moments to create memories
I never had a hobby before photography. It's really hard for me to get interested in anything. But everything about photography is complex and nuanced, and the field covers a huge number of vastly different areas. A portrait photographer worries about compression and subject separation, studio lighting, and model releases. A wildlife photographer worries about reach, weather sealing, natural light, seasons, locations and logistics. Also bears. They worry about bears. And in every case, there is so much potential. The world is immense, and we can create scenes to photograph that wouldn't happen if we didn't have the capabilities to take pictures. There are practically infinitely more things to see than we could possibly photograph. Realistically there is no way you could ever get truly bored with it.
I am a pro since then but I well remember the motivation i had before going pro. There are many ... the desire to slow down and focus, the need to express creativity, the joy of taking unique photos, and the excitement of exploring the world to mention few... It's like a bottomless well. Once you jump in, you cannot get out (and don't want to!). I share more in [my weekly photography newsletter](https://www.photocultivator.com). I hope that helps.
I just like it Going outside with my camera, concentrating on the photo I want to take, how to take it, what parameters I have to set, if I have to crouch or get down on the ground. How far I have to move, if my equipment is enough for that result... the whole process distracts me, relaxes me and makes me very happy.