Belief in oneself—that’s key, right folks? Well, occasionally, even though my brain knows this, I fall into a classic pit, and that pit is self-doubt. I come across maybe too much inspiration out in the land of the internet, and I start to wonder if I’m not really up to snuff. I am trained as a designer, and that makes me quite a perfectionist. So, then I wonder if I am really even up to my own photographic standards and taste. I think to myself… why should I bother doing what I do, photographically speaking? What can I offer that isn’t already offered beautifully elsewhere? Yes, I occasionally (but don’t worry, not too often) feel a bit in the dumps when I am daunted by some other photographer’s greatness. So, I stop and remind myself why I do what I do. Today’s post is motivated entirely by the utterly lovely and talented Amanda, from Mocking-Bird, who asked, this morning, “Why do you take photographs?”
So, why do I do what I do? what reminders keep me from wallowing in self-doubt?
First, I take photographs to understand. I gain so much perspective and knowledge about the things around me. I learn MORE through photographs. They allow me to get quite a bit closer to the subject matter, whatever it may be. This is especially true with photographing people. You learn about these individuals in such a rich way. I come to know them so much better. You learn about human nature, fragility and joy. This is the very basis for why I address in my FAQ on my website, the fact that everyone thinks they are not photogenic. Human nature is a funny and revealing thing, and I am a better human for understanding these things. Thanks, photography!
Secondly, I take photographs because it charges me, like a battery. I see some magic in the world, something that might be invisible to all other passers-by, and I have to know that I caught it in my little jar of preservation. I also celebrate that I can return to them to be charged again later, to feel more alive and connected to this thing that was fleeting, once, but is available to me always.
Third, and last (and also, kind of part two of the second point), I take photographs because it allows me to connect to other people. Specifically, because I need to put these experiences and perspectives and feelings and magic out into the world and know others can see and understand and relate to it—that we can share. That we can know each other. My photographs enable me to tell a story, which is something at my very core of being—learning to communicate in ways that matter. So, really, I take photographs because of the connections they allow me to connect with other people. This morning, a colleague told me that yesterday’s post inspired him. And that filled me with delight. There’s one way to connect to others! Gosh, I used to hide behind my camera, actually: it became a protective force for someone like me, who was so incredibly shy. I still look at myself and see a shy person, but these days, I realize nobody else sees me that way. Because all these years behind my camera now, somehow taught me how better and bravely to connect to the world and engage with the people in it. Which brings me back to the first point… photography is learning, always. And as I have said before, one of my number one priorities in life is to learn and grow.
So, I know Amanda has already asked why you take photographs. So maybe I will just ask an element of that: how does photography enable you to learn or help you grow?
Tags: connection, growing, insights, introspection, learning, photography, thoughtful, understanding people
oh Jasmine…I think we may be kindred spirits.
This post was amazing. You rock, lady.
I need to think about my answer but I’ll be back!
I seriously owe you a beer for your role in motivating this post. Next time (um, first time) I’m in Vancouver, you and I are hanging out. And drinking beer.
Oh, that Amanda. Every time I visit her site I think too much. But in a GOOD way, lol. I love her photography and sometimes I feel a little inferior when I think about it. Also, with yours. I always feel like my nine+ years with a camera didn’t do me nearly as much good as I’d hoped. But then again, I went from using film to digital, so I’m a different type to judge. But every new shot I take I learn something new. So that, to me, is worth it. Also, I just finished my project today and that made me feel super good. Never doubt yourself, love. You’re your worst critic. I know I’m mine as well. But you never fail to amaze me.
Yeah, I hear you, girl. I actually went from film to digital as well. But I was garbage at film originally—digital photography helped me get a much better grasp of the mechanics and relationship of the things. I agree with you wholeheartedly, though: the fulfillment of a shot that helps you learn something is a serious reward! Thank you so for these kind words.
It’s interesting what you say about taking photos to connect to other people, because for me, photography has often served as a barrier to other people. When I’m photographing an event or a moment, I tend to feel like I’m less “in the moment” and less connected to the people I’m around. But that is one of the things I was drawn to early on in photography. I’m also very naturally shy and as an awkward teenager in high school, it gave me an excuse to meet people and attend events, without having to justify my presence or actions to anyone.
That said, I think one of the principle challenges of photography is to overcome that natural barrier and still give the viewer a sense of being there. You are a natural at being able to capture spontaneous moments and beautiful reverie to communicate moods through your photos.
On the other hand, when I photograph buildings and places, I don’t truly have the sense of having seen or experienced the place unless I’m photographing it. The experience of photographing a building allows me to see it more completely. And when I am someplace extraordinary without my camera, I feel a sense of anxiety and emptiness, and long to return with a camera to record the experience.
Regardless, photography has fundamentally changed the way I see and experience everything. I look at light differently, and I’m constantly framing my everyday experiences through the eye of a viewfinder. I see potential photos everywhere I go.
Hey Darren—that’s a pretty interesting perspective. I think you and I are totally addressing either side of the same coin. The shyness that drove me to photography certainly did have me hiding behind the camera at first. For several years, even. But, these days I am realizing that there was a shift somewhere there, where I began to realize that my images became infinitely more significant for me, more valuable, more filled with the magic and learning I wanted, when I started to really engage with the audience. All that time I spent hiding? Well, I think now that it was just very slow but progressive turtle emerging from shell. So, I agree that I was quite deliberate about the barrier my camera could be—a shield I felt safe behind. But now, I use it more like an extension of my hand. And the change I can see in myself is fairly large. For me, I think this has made a huge difference in my commercial/professional work. I actually do go ahead and share the experience at a wedding, for example—I am no longer simply observing.
I do so like the term you used about seeing buildings—more completely. This is utterly key for me. That my experiencing of a subject becomes more complete when i have had so many, many more moments to immerse in it. And even during the photographic process, to consider it: I become more thoughtful and details about the thing (be it a space or person or landscape) when I decide to make a photograph. And you bet your ass I agree with you—I am fundamentally a different person because of all this. Potential is indeed what it is all about!
Oh, I forgot to mention that one of my principle motivators for photography is an attempt to show people what I see, and what I appreciate about architecture. Most people pass by or through buildings without giving them a second thought about their aesthetic qualities. I think I’m hyper-sensitive to that and photography has provided me with a medium for expressing those feelings that buildings can project.
I love this post! Thanks so much for sharing. As I’ve mentioned before, I absolutely love your pictures. You do capture things that others don’t necessarily see, especially human emotion.
For some reason I’m a little afraid of attempting to capture people, mainly because I’m not that great at it. But I’ll get nowhere if I don’t try!
I take pictures because it captures a moment in time that I don’t want to forget. Even if it’s something as small as having a delicious cup of coffee. I also love taking a picture of something I see that someone else may not and I want to show others.
Seriously great post!
I so hope you do push through the fear of photographing people. At least for me, it is incredibly rewarding! Thanks so much for sharing, Marie!
Lovely post! You put is so well- and I always like the story you tell with your photos.
I’ve been thinking about Amanda’s post a lot too…I think photography makes me a bit braver and bolder so it teaches me about myself- and to look for different ways of seeing things and because it’s a bit like a kind of alchemy- I end up seeing something new or different to the experience/scene I tried to record. If that makes sense!
Not only does that make sense, but I love the way you put it—it is an alchemy from which bravery and boldness and newness emerge. Very cool!
The best thing that photography taught me so far, is to see the world differently and spot the little things that I would miss otherwise. I love how there are so many ways of using photography. We can express ourselves and tell a story through it, capture the reality or make the world look almost fairy-tale like, preserve the precious moments in our lives and much more!
Thank you for this post and a big thanks to Amanda for posting the question! It seems like one of the baic questions, but I actually never asked myelf why I take pictures, because I just love it and the reason didn’t seem so important to me. Now that I realized, I’m in love with photography even more (if it’s even possible)!
Ha—it’s possible, for sure! I agree with you utterly that I have gained such a capacity for seeing little things I would have thought little of in the past, and celebrating their uniqueness and value. This reminds me of a story I heard about a photographer who stopped loading film into his camera, but was still going out shooting. Meaning, he stopped trying to record these things, and just spent time clicked a shutter that wasn’t actually preserving the experience—he was learning to see. I couldn’t in a million years bear to NOT take the photograph, but it’s an inspiring idea. My friend Shannon Leith runs a workshop called Seeing, which inspires the same kind of wonder-lens through which to see the world. So very delightful, right?!
It’s funny how you can read the same question, and similar response on two different days and it can affect you in two different ways. Yesterday I read Amanda’s post about ‘Why we take Pictures’ and I felt so hopeful and optimistic and happy with where I am with my photography and also where I’m going.
Today I found out that my photos were rejected from a book that I had submitted too and I fell into that pit of self-doubt.
But then I read your post, and while your reasons for taking pictures are similar to Amanda’s, today I am reminded that I take photos for me, not for others. So I didn’t get my photos in that book, that’s okay. I really like the photos I took and I felt good while I was taking them. That’s what matters.
So thank you, for reminding me of things I already knew but had forgotten.
Gosh. This is a good story. I’m sorry to hear that your photos weren’t welcomed into the journal you submitted to, but the gain from the experience is oh-so valuable. If those photographs hold value for you, you are so right. That is precisely what matters. I am so happy to have contributed to this learning experience!
This post is wonderful. I end up in the “what’s the point?” mindset quite a lot but thankfully I snap out of it eventually. I take pictures to save things I wouldn’t otherwise remember… to create a visually pleasing memory. Photography has also taught me how to see things I never would have seen before…as other people have said. I’m glad I take pictures and use Flickr because otherwise I would have never been exposed to such a wonderful world of other (talented!) photographers who are a constant source of inspiration.
Oh my gosh, you’re right, I should have done a call-out! Without Flickr, I would not in a million years be where I am now. Finding a resource like that is incredible. Can you imagine what it would have been to be a photographer fifty years ago? It would have taken SO much more effort to seek out the inspiration and learning and growth!
I think photography for me has been the strongest way I’ve been able to feel like I am a creative being. I think people often pegged me as a creative person in high school & college, but I never felt like I had something physical to prove that to be true. Photography has given me something to share with people to say, yeah, I capture moments like this, and that is an artistic thing.
That and I just love being able to look back on my experiences. Plus looking back on when I started and seeing that growth always encourages me.
Tell me about it—the growth… the journey over time, it’s pretty amazing. Of course, it’s also a little embarrassing, when you see your old work. I nearly removed all my old photographs from Flickr at one point, fearing that folks would dig back and see how terrible I used to be. And then I remembered—that should be celebrated… the immensity of the change, you know?
It is exciting to read your post, see these comments, and feel the love that gleams out of this shared experience and/or love of photography and the vulnerability within. I just love this introspection.
Great post. I take photographs to connect with people also. And to see better, like I’ve blogged about before
And it just makes me feel like I’m experiencing life more fully.
And THIS:
“Secondly, I take photographs because it charges me, like a battery. I see some magic in the world, something that might be invisible to all other passers-by, and I have to know that I caught it in my little jar of preservation. I also celebrate that I can return to them to be charged again later, to feel more alive and connected to this thing that was fleeting, once, but is available to me always.”
Me too!
And I’ve always been a shy person as well, but photography has been bringing me out of my shell slowly but surely. I really feel like I’m on the right path for the first time in a long time and it feels magnificent.
I agree with everything here that’s been said already, so I won’t say it again. And what I will say is going to sound so incredibly sappy and a little bit depressing, too, but when stuff happens like… Chris’s dad died a couple years ago… Instinctively, without even thinking about it, I run to my blog and look through all the photos and posts that I built around that person, personality (hello, kitties!) or experiences that are no longer with us. I actually remember when Chris’s dad died, Chris was looking at my Flickr stream and he just sighed and said, “I’m so glad you do this.”
For anyone, whether they’re living or dead, and anything, blogging allows me to honor the short time I get to spend with them, and forever cherish the memories we had together. It’s not uncommon to find me drinking coffee in the kitchen in the mornings, looking through my “Friends & Family” tag on my blog. I read my blog probably as much as anyone else. It’s not narcissism, though it could easily be mistaken for that. It’s just another way of remembering, smiling, and being like, “Oh yeah… That happened.
”
I don’t quite have the words, but YES, YES, YES. Thank you for making this point. I remember the last time I spent with my grandparents before my Grandpa died, everyone was annoyed at all the photos I was shooting. Yeah, it’s true—I’m a little camera-happy. People start rolling their eyes, or saying, “enough”. Well, let me tell you, those photographs from that occasion are like, immense treasures to me, now. And not just me, either. The people who were a little tired of the ‘invasion’ at the time now have what I like to think of as very special photographs to treasure of someone who is no longer with us. It helped me to appreciate the potential importance of what photography can offer. I gave my mom a gift of framed photos of my grandparents that Christmas. She cried. She said she looks at them every day. To me, that says it all! Thank you, Kim, for making me think of this!
Re: Ira Glass. YES, YES, YES. I totally think of that!
Oops! I got so caught up in my emotions (cue Mariah Carey) that I forgot to ask if you’ve ever seen the Ira Glass inspired piece about figuring shit out? It is hugely inspiring and really kicked me in the ass when I watched it the first time, and whenever I fall into that pit of self-wallowing that you mentioned, i always turn this on: http://vimeo.com/24715531
Isn’t it funny how people think that just because someone is outgoing that they can’t also be shy?
I love your photos. Not just for their composition, but because of the moments you capture in this light that finds its way into your lens. (How do you do that?!)
As for me, photography is something I’ve only been into for 18 months or so. It’s the perfect blend of creative and technical – a perfect hobby for someone who, like me, is both artistic and practical. I have a lot to learn. Some days it feels like I’ll never consistently take the photos I want, but I keep doing it because of that learning curve. More importantly, I think it allows me to slow down and appreciate life’s small details, which are so often lost. Sometimes you can’t see the trees for the woods (ha!) and those little photographic moments help you see something you might not have otherwise noticed.
Thank you, lovely Lauren. I love the inversion of that classic “forest for the trees” statement. As a society, we’ve been glorifying “the bigger picture” for so long that were have totally lost our appreciate of the trees for the forest. Photographs help prevent loss. That’s a pretty magical idea!
Golly, when you put it like that… I guess it does sound magical. Atta girl, Jas, for sprinkling her magic fairy dust!
[...] These days, generally I take a camera and use it as a safety shield, and an excuse for introversion, as adressed in my previous post. In this occurrence, I did not. This was a face-my-fears kind of event for me. It was all a bit [...]
oh, how i loved this. have i told you enough times that i love your blog? i love these thoughts and these slices of your life. i found myself nodding with so many bits.
although there was one bit that differed for me — i am also a shy person and while photography has allowed me to connect with many other people i wouldn’t normally be able to, sometimes i find myself using my camera as a shield to hid behind in person… which is the opposite of what i’d want. ah well.
Aw, thanks, Miss Jazzy! And thank YOU for contributing (all of you!).
As I responded to someone else earlier, I don’t think it’s different, actually. I was the same, and am sometimes still the same, as is evidenced by my post today about shyness. BUT… I feel like I am just a little further along the track now, and have started releasing that desire to hide behind the shield more and more. I think it just takes time, and through the sheer act of practice and repetitiveness, and more and more occurrences of engaging with people as subjects, this grip we have on the shield loosens a little more. For me, this year has been big in this regard, because I have been shooting weddings so much. This means I have had many, many, many human subjects that have allowed me to start out hiding and progressively emerge a little more and more, you know?
Wow – Where do I start on this subject? I guess first of all I have to say you’re a little bit crazy. Clearly you have no idea how talented you are?! I’m no expert but I think I know a little about a little and your eye combined with your style and skills is off the hook lady! Can I just tell you how much your work has inspired me? It’s so rare that I come across a photographer that I enjoy as much as I have your work. Yes I can appreciate good photographers for lots of reasons and move on. Never feeling anything especially moving but with your stuff? I’m in that moment. I’m sensing the relaxed moods that come across in the faces you capture. They trust you! They feel awesome and you see no hang-ups they may have about “looking good” or being photogenic. It’s pure, natural, authentic beauty that YOU created. That and your appreciation of the natural world and animals.The dogs, the fog, the flowers, the sky and palm trees. All great. I can’t say I’ve ever felt any real “photo-envy.” When I see a photo that I love or is something I myself would have taken, it validates me. Makes me feel like what I’m choosing to shoot or want to shoot is on the right track and also that there are others out there like me! BFF’S!!
I’m still pretty green and I feel like my creativity has yet to blossom. I started taking photos with film and haven’t been able to afford a good DSLR yet so I hobble along with my crappy Fuji point and shoot and iphone. I do o.k. and get shots I really like but I think with the right equipment I could really do some cool stuff. I had a great photography teacher back in the day who’s mantra was “if you come away with just one photo you’re really happy with,you hit the jackpot” This was based on a roll of film but still works for me. I’m honestly not really sure why I take photos. Mostly it’s just for me. Things I like and want to have on the wall in our house. Other times it’s to tell a story. Using the images more than the words.
Anyhoo – Thanks so much for sharing all that you do. Your fears, feelings and wonderful pictures and stories. Can you maybe one day share what kind of equipment you use and like? I’d love to hear what you recommend as hopefully this will be the year I can finally shop for my new camera. Thanks!
Oh, Jen, you are too much sweetness and then some. Thank you for this. That said, I want to be clear: I wasn’t setting out to be the teenage girl that says, “OMG I’m hideous” in order to garner praise. I do totally have belief and confidence in myself and I am absolutely proud of what I am putting out into the world. But don’t we all have these moments of doubt from time to time?
That said, I am charmed by this idea of finding images that validate you. That is VERY cool. A beautiful outlook. I also would love to point out that I follow some phenomenal photographers who shoot only iPhone, or only point and shoot, and others who do mix-in p&s stuff, especially when traveling. So, trust that your ability to SEE and find magic has much more value that your ability to set a shutterspeed and aperture. I’m not saying those aren’t valuable skills—just that they’re lower on the priority list, at least for me. There are some photographers out there with MAD equipment, way better than mine, in fact—but I still think I am a better storyteller and engager and really, a better see-er (seer?) than some of those people. Learning to see—that’s the real ticket! As for my kit, I will happily do a post on that in the near future, as I have had a few requests for this.
P.s. I so didn’t think you milking the internet for praise
And I love “see-er.” That’s it exactly. Being a good see-er is a great way to describe having a little game within the photo world 
Really looking forward to your post on your goods! xo
Dutifully will work on it next week!
[...] Without it, we wouldn’t be able to do most of the things we do. Recently, both Amanda and Jasmine wrote posts about the reason(s) behind us taking pictures. It got me thinking and I came up with a [...]