Why I make photographs
The world has changed dramatically since I started taking photographs many years ago. Back then it was all film. That had its own charm and although my results were ‘variable’, I enjoyed seeing what I got.
When digital hit there was a big change. Then it was easier and less expensive to shoot as many images as you liked. There was no cost of developing film, although the initial cost of digital cameras was higher than film cameras. Software was needed to develop digital images. That’s when ‘digital darkroom’ tools like Photoshop and others arrived.
Now everyone who has a smartphone also has a camera. So everyone has the ability to be a photographer. That’s why the internet is saturated with images on every concievable subject. And artificial intelligence (AI) is seen as the next big thing which will make photography and photographers obsolete. Or will it really?
The obvious question I ask myself is ‘why bother?’
Why buy expensive camera equipment when my iPhone will do a good job?
Why trek to a location and take the time and effort of setting up to capture a scene?
Who actually cares?
I think that if I followed that logic, I’d probably sell all my gear and not bother.
But I’m not making photographs to make money or to compete with other photographers or AI! If someone likes my work enough to buy it that’s wonderful. But that’s not my primary motivation.
I’m not doing it for the cash. I’m not a struggling artist because I’ve spent more than 40 years in business, so I’m in a good place financially.
For me, there is a purpose to making photographs. There is the careful attention to detail that interests me. I love the whole process of deciding how to compose and capture the scene. Or how something just presents itself and I merely have to grab it. And when I look back at it, I do get a sense of satisfaction. A sense of being back there again. That moment frozen in time reignites what I felt when I captured the scene.
But having images and not sharing them could be seen as pointless. After all, the way others see and appreciate your work is a reward in itself. And that’s really what it’s all about I suppose!. It’s essentially my online photographic journal. It’s where I keep a visual record of the places I’ve visited and the experiences I’ve had.
I’m happy to share this with others who may be interested, or even motivated to visit and enjoy their own experience. And if that happens it will have been worthwhile.