Hi, 3 weeks in to my 365 project and I am in awe at the amazing amount of talent on here. So I'd like to know why.....why do you look at life and everything around you through a lens? What is it about photography that just makes you get the camera and keeping taking images? For me it's a life long love of photographs a passion I've got from my grandparents. Only taken the steps to take it seriously in the last few months. So please tell me your love story with photography.
My wife appreciates the first one as well, but it is fun to be able to document our lives but capture those rare moments in such a way that is artistic and not just a quick snapshot. Something that captures the essence of the moment and the person as well as is very pleasing to look at.
And the second is one I hope to continue to improve. To capture life around me in a way that shows the beauty of the common and uncommon things. To see things that some other may not and be able to bring them to light, or to see things in a way that others may not and show it to them.
I have always enjoyed taking photos, but since the digital revolution, it is so much easier. I look at the things around me and wonder what they will look like in a photo. I love taking photos of everything, at all levels and angles. I try to take my camera with me everywhere I go, and am very disappointed when its not around my neck, and damn, I missed that sunset, or whatever. It's like a bug, an addiction, a way of life.....and I LOVE IT!!!! I still have so much to learn, and am slowly learning from this great website, with all its wonderful people!
I started it for a bit of fune but never realised how much it would change my life.
I now notice much more about my surroundings and it has helped me capture and share my imagination with others.
I find myself constantly looking for 'the next shot'.
I have documented my family's life in pictures for years. I started the 365 to improve my ability to do that. I never realized it would completely change the way I look at the world around me. I pay more attention to my surroundings and certainly appreciate the beauty in the ordinary things around me.
Simple story: Few years ago I was trying to find my passion... all the other people were good drawers or athletes or musicians or...
And I looked at a few different photography sites, and found it so cool that I immediately ordered a good camera... and here I am, trying to figure it out :D
People I know who follow my project now get giddy over the mundane objects I photograph. We'll be walking down the street, and then, "Awesome it's the wall! Look! The chicken! Oh my, the dandy lion weed! It's getting so big!" I was walking down the marina trail with my sister the other day and we both stopped and pointed when we came across this spot:
"It's the pretty flower!" I'm excited that not only is it getting me to look more closely at the world around me, it's getting my friends and family to do the same.
For me, it's a way to capture the beauty of life and nature and hold onto it. It also helps me to be more observant and see things in different ways and notice the world around me more which I love. I also love the creativity of taking and processing pictures.
I agree with everyone so far! I started out from an art background... I used to love to paint but after college when I got an office job I found I just didn't have the time to paint, so I took up photography as a new outlet for creating art. Through the learning process, and espcially since I've joined 365, I've definitely developed a new appreciation of the mundane and seeing beauty in everything. There have been so many beautiful moments I never would have witnessed or experienced if I hadn't been out looking for my photo of the day! Having a great image to remember it by is icing on the cake :)
For me its about slowing down the world around me and taking note of the wonderous things. You mentioned looking through the lens, and people have said to me same thing. But for me in reality, looking through the lens is the last part of the process. I spend most of my time observing with my eye and viewing from different angles and watching the light change etc etc etc. Then you attempt to capture with the camera. So for me photography is like therapy from my crazy life and is my time out to see and feel and experience the world around me.
I was born blind, and was an "experimental baby", because of it. They didn't expect my eyesight to last much into my adulthood. I think that photography became a way of helping to "burn" images into my mind, observing the things around me and making them last.
I still have my eyesight today, it's not great, but I'm still able to use corrective lenses and lead a normal life. However, I still love picking up the camera and looking at the images made from it.
The drugs used for me were just released for use, by the FDA, a couple of years ago...so, after 40+ years of study I hope others get the benefit of being able to see, too.
For me a way to express my artistic side by catching light. Tried hard to draw and paint but with no success but with the camera I think I have found my medium.
I agree, It is the creative side of me, I also tried drawing and painting, I can draw but get very frustrates when I try to add paint. The camera does it all for me. It has also taught me to look at the world with my eyes open. Now I look AT things, not just look at things.
That's a good question. I have always been drawn to the art of photography. Ever since I picked up my first box camera I have been hooked. Not to simply record events, although that is a part of it, but to make art. I didn't realize that until I got into this project. My purpose to start this was to push my creative side, plain and simple. That was my reason but I got caught up in what so many others do by me disguising it as a means of capturing a moment in my day or to record events or whatever other reason I could come up with. All the while forgetting my initial reason and really the reason I love photography. It's a creative outlet for me. The more I allow it to be that the more I enjoy it, no matter what I'm photographing. It's a never ending journey on discovering the art of photography that keeps me at it.
I have alawys been interested in photography.
My Dad always had books on photography when i was younger that i always enjoyed reading. One of my main things when growing up was wanting to be a photojournalist. i never really had any oppertunity's to get into photo journalism ,but still retain my love of photography and until the last few years had the resources to take it seriously .
Its hard to explain the joy and passion i have at something like photography .
i enjoy trying to get others to see what i see when i look at something , through my lens.
I take a lot of pictures to document our life. We travel a lot, see a lot of things. Seeing the pictures, helps us remember all the cool stuff we have seen and done. And sometimes, the things I photograph are once-in-a-lifetime events. We'll never see or do that again.
Because my wife would kill me if I bought all of this equipment, paid for all the training and the best I could do was turn out the occasional snapshot of the cats.
I love this question. I personally have a hard time living in the moment. I tend to worry about the next thing, the next day, the next event. I find that when I look through my camera I'm enjoying every part of the moment. Especially things I wouldn't have noticed had I just been sitting around. @michaelelliott I LOVE your first sentence. "For me its about slowing down the world around me and taking note of the wonderous things." Very much how I feel.
I admit that I started taking pictures to record life events of my family. Nothing terribly imaginative or beautiful. But then my nephew's wife started doing 365 back when it first started and I realized that my recording events didn't need to be bland or boring. I started studying photography techniques and started looking for other things to photograph, and then I joined 365. :-) And I have to say that I have learned more here than I learned in my reading and fooling around with my camera before. Like many others, I find myself not only accidentally catching a great shot, but actually looking for the way light hits a building or sparkles on the water, or the patterns that girders in a construction site make against the sky, or a murder of crows that are circling above a cornfield being harvested.
A friend gave me a mug that says: "Be Present. V. to be focused on the moment at hand. to be engaged in what is going on now and not worrying about the future or focusing on the past." In a lot of ways, that is what my photography has done for me. It has helped me to "Be Present" wherever I go or whatever do, paying attention to the life and light around me, and giving me more opportunities to take photos that really matter to me, not just because I need something to fill in a day on the calendar.
And I still record my life and the life of my family. Those shots, though, are now surrounded by others of the world around me--a world I really didn't see until I came to 365. :-)
The thing I love about it is that it makes me live in the moment. It makes me notice EVERYTHING. Before, I went through life in my own little bubble, mostly trying to avoid people, and things, and stress. Now, I observe, I look at things from new angles and perspectives, and I just LOVE getting that special capture, that moment that will never ever happen again.
I've always had a camera and enjoyed 'snapping' through the kids younger years. My MIL bought me and former hubby a Canon film SLR when our son was born in 1984, but because hubby couldn't use it, it had to go. wind many years on and I bought a digital SLR in 2009 and haven't looked back since...........it's my way of being creative as I am so frustrated that I am completely incapable of drawing or painting.
And........If I am ever stressed or scared and don't know how to cope........... I pick up my camera ........it soothes me :-D
Photography helps me see things better, and nearly every important thing I have is the result of photography. I met my wife in a camera club, all my best friends are photographers, I explore my world because of photography. I wouldn't even be living in this beautiful valley if not for photography. It has changed my life.
@michaelelliott Well stated, Michael! @newbank, I started out wanting to be a better photographer, which at the time to me, meant learning technical facility with my camera. It's now all about observing the world -- the day to day events and places, small and large. The photograph is the result of that opportunity to slow down for observation. And the community that connects through visual images, which is where 365 has become so important to me, so that as we share in each others' work, we can learn from one another.
One time my wife and i were on holiday in Margret River. Which is about 5 hours drive from where we live. While we were there we walked into a old house that was converted into a art/photograph display. The artist/photographer was a guy named Christian Fletcher. He takes beautiful landscape photos. So where were deciding if we wanted to spend $1500 on a framed photo (we're not rich buy any means, i think it would have been an impulse buy)( http://christianfletcher.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/fraser-island-1.jpg)
Well we didnt end up buying the picture, but thought why not spend the money on buying a camera and printing and framing our own photos..
sorry for the long rant
Wow, have really enjoyed reading all of these responses. For me, photography has always been my creative outlet. My close group of friends (and my husband) are an artistic bunch -- writers, woodworkers, quilters, etc. I figured out a long time ago that my talents lie behind a camera.
I have always loved photographs - viewing them, taking them, whatever. I can spend hours just looking at old photographs - those are so appealing to me. I always just had a point and shoot camera which worked fine for what I used it for. My finance got me a Canon Rebel t3i with actual removal lenses and I thought I just died and went to heaven. Granted, it's not the most expensive camera out there, but you know what, I love it!!! In a perfect world, I would have more equipment, more lenses, etc. to take pictures of how I imagine them turning out, but being a complete beginner with this camera, it's a nice learning curve and I think I'm doing rather well.
This site has definitely opened my eyes more to think outside the box and to have my camera readily available. Gone are the days where my camera bag sits on the floor collecting dust!
Escapism from the boredom of working life. This makes me look at things differently and take my head out of my iPhone (when not on 365) to look at the world around me.
also it makes me take some happy snaps of the kiddos who are growing so fast. Can't believe I first started here nearly 3 years ago, and how my kids have grown in that time.....
hello! I have always loved taking pics since I was a young child and would take them of my parents (with their top half cropped off usually!) and our pets.
I have always had a camera, usually something small because I love travelling and like it to be able to fit into a pocket when out and about.
I think the world is stunning and in all places there is something beautiful and this site has given me an outlet to share pictures and to view some stunning ones plus see a wealth of creativity which has blown me away!
Since starting this project I feel inspired to learn how to use the manual settings on my camera (!) and to experiment more with pictures.
Plus, I also get to see incredible images from around the world daily shared by a genuine group of fellow camera geeks!!
Your stories are all inspiring, and I relate to so many of them! I got my first camera when I was 8 & my father taught me to develop film and make prints. I got my BFA in college, but I always felt I fell short of "the possibilities". I continued to take photos, but with film, (and trial & error) I only had a few successes, but with the advent of digital, I feel as though I'm soaring! I've found so much inspiration on 365 and coupled with my art background, I've finally found my muse and my medium. I love being surrounded by this wonderful circle of like-minded artists and photographers... Everyday it's a joy to wake and know there's something new and fascinating to see and photograph. I have a life's journal and a daily record for myself and my family and a bit of history as a result.
Thanks for seeking out this introspective moment from each of us... it's been a joy to both read and share!
@debrac Your story was my first 'peek' into a real life of someone else involved in this project. Thank you for sharing. I have a friend in the 'real world' who is 'legally blind' and enjoys photography as well. I told him he should be a spokesperson for Nikon. ;)
For me it's a combination of finding myself and losing myself. I've enjoyed taking/making photographs my whole life but now, for the first time, am putting a concerted effort into 'learning the craft'. I'm already excited at seeing the change in the results. I see myself composing and imagining shots differently.
I completely see and appreciate the time and quality of my focusing (in a meditative manner) while I'm holding a camera up to my world. Never befor have I really taken the time to 'stop and smell the roses' ... literally and figuratively ... sometimes I even have the photographic proof :)
I love the memories that photography brings ....... it also links in with my creative side.
Once I got my dlsr and saw what you can do with all the settings .... I was hooked!
I also like making artwork out of photographs :)
I have been involved with photography since the late 1960's. I make photographs for many reasons, but primarily because photography is the best medium for allowing myself to express my creativity.
As a scrapbooker I always tried to make the photos the focus of my pages. And when my kids were little I always had the camera to capture the next cute thing! I still love looking at those pages and photos because of the memories (and some great photos). But I found that as my kids grew older, I was taking out the camera only on birthdays, holidays and vacations. I wanted to grow as a photographer (I love nature photography as well as family pictures). 365 has given me to motivation to pick up the camera and take it with me, so I can take pictures of everyday events (herons at the pond) or odd weather (yes, I stopped the car to take a picture of the storm front that brought baseball sized hail to the area). I see the world differently and I am getting to be a better photographer. And it is quite an accomplishment to keep up with 365 even though I sometimes do a week of uploading at a time! But at least I'm still doing it and enjoying it. Now on to learn how to do processing!
I have been photographing for almost two decades, more or less actively. What I find fascinating about photography is that it is all about one moment in time, one perspective and above all one image.
I can choose the moment, the perspective and the image that is created. This power is what makes photography compelling to me, because it allows me to create images the way I want. I'm new to this project 365 thing and I want to challenge myself to take pictures every day. My goal for photography is to refine my photographers eye and perhaps sometime in the future have a distinct style that I shoot. If life is a journey then photographs can be memories or images of that journey.
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My wife appreciates the first one as well, but it is fun to be able to document our lives but capture those rare moments in such a way that is artistic and not just a quick snapshot. Something that captures the essence of the moment and the person as well as is very pleasing to look at.
And the second is one I hope to continue to improve. To capture life around me in a way that shows the beauty of the common and uncommon things. To see things that some other may not and be able to bring them to light, or to see things in a way that others may not and show it to them.
That's why I pick up my camera.
I now notice much more about my surroundings and it has helped me capture and share my imagination with others.
I find myself constantly looking for 'the next shot'.
And I looked at a few different photography sites, and found it so cool that I immediately ordered a good camera... and here I am, trying to figure it out :D
"It's the pretty flower!" I'm excited that not only is it getting me to look more closely at the world around me, it's getting my friends and family to do the same.
I still have my eyesight today, it's not great, but I'm still able to use corrective lenses and lead a normal life. However, I still love picking up the camera and looking at the images made from it.
The drugs used for me were just released for use, by the FDA, a couple of years ago...so, after 40+ years of study I hope others get the benefit of being able to see, too.
My Dad always had books on photography when i was younger that i always enjoyed reading. One of my main things when growing up was wanting to be a photojournalist. i never really had any oppertunity's to get into photo journalism ,but still retain my love of photography and until the last few years had the resources to take it seriously .
Its hard to explain the joy and passion i have at something like photography .
i enjoy trying to get others to see what i see when i look at something , through my lens.
And,.....it's just fun! LOL!
A friend gave me a mug that says: "Be Present. V. to be focused on the moment at hand. to be engaged in what is going on now and not worrying about the future or focusing on the past." In a lot of ways, that is what my photography has done for me. It has helped me to "Be Present" wherever I go or whatever do, paying attention to the life and light around me, and giving me more opportunities to take photos that really matter to me, not just because I need something to fill in a day on the calendar.
And I still record my life and the life of my family. Those shots, though, are now surrounded by others of the world around me--a world I really didn't see until I came to 365. :-)
And........If I am ever stressed or scared and don't know how to cope........... I pick up my camera ........it soothes me :-D
Well we didnt end up buying the picture, but thought why not spend the money on buying a camera and printing and framing our own photos..
sorry for the long rant
This site has definitely opened my eyes more to think outside the box and to have my camera readily available. Gone are the days where my camera bag sits on the floor collecting dust!
also it makes me take some happy snaps of the kiddos who are growing so fast. Can't believe I first started here nearly 3 years ago, and how my kids have grown in that time.....
I have always had a camera, usually something small because I love travelling and like it to be able to fit into a pocket when out and about.
I think the world is stunning and in all places there is something beautiful and this site has given me an outlet to share pictures and to view some stunning ones plus see a wealth of creativity which has blown me away!
Since starting this project I feel inspired to learn how to use the manual settings on my camera (!) and to experiment more with pictures.
Plus, I also get to see incredible images from around the world daily shared by a genuine group of fellow camera geeks!!
Thanks for seeking out this introspective moment from each of us... it's been a joy to both read and share!
I completely see and appreciate the time and quality of my focusing (in a meditative manner) while I'm holding a camera up to my world. Never befor have I really taken the time to 'stop and smell the roses' ... literally and figuratively ... sometimes I even have the photographic proof :)
Once I got my dlsr and saw what you can do with all the settings .... I was hooked!
I also like making artwork out of photographs :)
I can choose the moment, the perspective and the image that is created. This power is what makes photography compelling to me, because it allows me to create images the way I want. I'm new to this project 365 thing and I want to challenge myself to take pictures every day. My goal for photography is to refine my photographers eye and perhaps sometime in the future have a distinct style that I shoot. If life is a journey then photographs can be memories or images of that journey.