The reasons we find our way behind the camera are as varied as the courses we choose to pursue in our lives. These are just a few of mine.
Why do we love photography? I mean, let’s face it. If it was just a matter of finding a new hobby, we could consider jobs that cost a lot less. Perhaps you have used photography as a means to support your family. But even the best professionals can attest that there are plenty of other jobs out there if your main concern is steady and predictable cash flow.
No, chances are the reason you chose to take a photo is much more personal. Maybe you stuck with it because you see it as a source of income. However, the reason you picked up the camera in the first place and got a photography virus may have as much to do with the way you operate as a human as it does with your bank account.
Most of my major milestones as an artist did not come when I learned a new technical skill, but when, in the process of trying to find my artistic voice, I discovered Discover things about yourself.
For example, like most photographers, my journey behind the camera began with capturing the things around me: my dog, my house, my neighborhood. When that became too limiting, I switched to capturing things around the city. I live in Los Angeles. It’s a big city. But even that was ultimately too small to contain my creative ambitions. So I started to travel abroad a lot to take pictures as well as to enjoy the food and the wild dream was one night by chance I met a beautiful woman leaning against the railing of a ship. tourism.
When I returned home from France one day with over 6,000 images on a memory card and some rubber on the soles of my shoes, I stumbled upon my first realization. Traveling through a beautiful country filled with water lilies, church spiers, and iron towers, I realized that the photos that stick with me the most are those that have less to do with the place and more with it. regarding population. An early photograph that I often look at is my shot of a young traveling couple sitting in front of the Eiffel Tower. Here I am, traveling halfway around the world for the chance to visit a legendary landmark, and it turns out the only thing I enjoy photographing is an innocuous moment between two people I’ve never met. The couple was just sitting on the grass, reading a guide map of the city, with the legendary tower hovering above in the background. Not that they’re doing anything particularly different. But apparently, I was more drawn to the human story than the landscape. Going through the rest of the 6,000+ images, over and over again, I’ll find myself tweaking the collection to include similar images, always prioritizing the human element over the landscape.
Now, that’s not to say that portrait photography is superior to landscape photography. Rather, it was the moment I realized that my interest in photography was primarily because I was more interested in people than in the place. This realization helped me see my art more clearly and helped me decide on the next path to pursue.
A few years later, the desire to photograph unsuspecting pedestrians by chance as a hobby developed into a profession where I purposefully shoot model portraits for a living. No longer had to snap a photo of a couple of tourists sitting underneath the Eiffel Tower, I was now free to walk up close to my human subject to get the best angle possible. I may be photographing the aforementioned model in a location with beautiful scenery as a backdrop, but I no longer have to pretend to myself that the mountain in the background attracts me like the brown speck in her icy blue eyes. model.
It was during one of these moments when I found myself criminally close to my subject in a way that could get me arrested if I did it to a stranger on the street that I had a different perception of myself and why I love photography.
Although I have chosen a career where I photograph a lot and a lot of people, supported by a group of many more people, in reality I am an introvert by nature. If I don’t have to be around other people for work or art, I usually prefer to be alone. It’s not that I don’t like people. Basically, I just need alone time to recharge and build up my energy to deal with human interactions.
Yet despite my apparent failure as a social fly, I still find people incredibly attractive. I like to study people. I love learning about their motivations and backgrounds. I love identifying the unique little mites they have. Detect every minute permutation on their faces to signal when they’re happy, sad, or amused. I like to observe.
So one day, when I found myself standing eight inches away from a beautiful woman’s face, staring at her, but with absolutely no thoughts other than to find the best way to light up. for her so I can highlight a certain part of her cheekbones. , I realized another reason why I love photography. It’s a profession that gives me a free license to do what I like best, study people, and learn about other people.
I can engage my subjects to a deeper level than would be possible if I didn’t have a camera in hand. Sure, maybe if I met them under other circumstances, I could still find myself getting to know them one day. But the camera itself is a passport to question. As an introvert, it provides me with a certain layer of protection when I communicate with people. It gives me an entry point. This access is very important to my artistic creativity. But it’s also important to me as a human being because it allows me to have a level of human interaction that I don’t always get away from the set.
Of course, the great thing about being an artist is that you never stop learning. That means you never stop learning your craft. You also never stop learning about yourself. Just the other day, I had another such revelation. I’m shooting a massive advertising campaign for one of the biggest sports brands in the world. Lots of subjects. Lots of moving parts. Lots of pressure and prestige. Exactly the kind of campaign that, in my early days, would keep me up all night worrying.
But a strange thing happened on my way to the set. Not only did I sleep like a baby the night before, but as I pulled off the freeway onto the side street surrounding Dodger Stadium, where my shoot would take place, I realized I wasn’t even worry from afar. It’s not that I’m not excited about filming. I’m always excited to shoot. But none of the butterflies fluttered around in my stomach like before.
Now, this can be seen as a good thing or a bad thing. Fine don’t worry. If you’ve prepared in the necessary way before shooting and learned your skills, there’s nothing to worry about. But on the other hand, sometimes those buzzing words in your stomach are good. They have a way to add a bit of fear that can put you in laser focus. That laser focus can sometimes help you, or at least me, be more creative. When you are dialed, you can generate gold.
I shot. Customers were very happy. The campaign was successful. However, despite the project’s high profile and potential to make a name for itself, none of them made it to my portfolio. Why? Why is this shooting, a shot I only dreamed of a decade ago, suddenly to me like a blip on the radar? Not even worth mentioning on social media. Well, this is my most recent revelation. It’s not a destination that excites me about photography. It is the ability to constantly grow and develop as an artist.
This is a great campaign. But, I’m lucky enough to say I’ve done many great campaigns before. The idea for the shoot is also the idea that I have taken many times before. This makes me eligible to get the gig. But it also means I’ll be rereading very familiar things. Do not misunderstand me. I am extremely happy to have such opportunities. But it also means that the creative development potential of that project will be somewhat limited compared to other projects. It is just natural. The more you know about a particular topic, the less steep the learning curve will be over time. But, I guess it turns out that I prefer a steep learning curve.
I love photography because you have the potential to grow every day at work. I love the opportunity to end the day feeling more skilled and prepared than when I wake up in the morning. It’s not so much about the outcome, it’s about the discovery process. I love photography because I love to learn.
These are just some of the reasons why I love being behind the camera. What got you interested in photography? What made you stay with it? Everyone has their reasons. I want to hear from you.
