1. CAPTURE A MEMORY THAT YOU CAN HAVE FOREVER
With a photo you can capture a moment, and have it forever. I think we take that idea for granted, with photography being so ubiquitous these days. But seriously just take a second to appreciate that. If you did that in Ancient Greece they’d call you a sorcerer. Or a god.
2. NOTICE THE DETAILS
Photography changes the way you see things. It’s actually quite an incredible transformation to experience. Suddenly you notice light, shapes, colours, textures, people, bulidings, trees, flowers…Everything around you looks different when you start to see the world as a photographer.
3. SEE THE BEAUTY IN THE EVERY DAY
Once you start noticing details, you inevitably start to see how much beauty is all around you. Every day is filled with it—in the most ordinary or unexpected places. When you start to derive happiness from seeing some particuarly awesome light, you’ll realize that photography has changed your everyday experience.
4. LIVE IN THE PRESENT
And to round out this theme, photography, through it’s ability to help you see details and notice the beauty around you, helps you to truly live in the present. When you shoot you have to be aware of everything if you want to capture it. You can’t be thinking about the movie you watched last night, or what you’re going to have for dinner. Photography focuses you on the now, which is incredibly valuable!
5. FORGET YOUR WORRIES
Photography is something you get immersed in (see above!). You lose yourself in shooting, and all your worries and daily stresses just melt away.
6. SHARE IT WITH THE IMPORTANT PEOPLE IN YOUR LIFE
One of the top ways people got into photography (according to our results) was through someone important to them. People credited their mother, father, aunt, uncle, grandmother, grandfather, sibling, friend and even great-grandparents. Photography is a passion that you can share with the important people in your life. You can pass it down to the next generation, and spur their love of this amazing art.
7. DOCUMENT YOUR FAMILY
And the MOST common reason folks got interested in photography was because of family—particularly having their own children. Photography is a way to document the lives of your kids, and that alone is worth learning all you can about it. One day you may also be documenting the lives of your grandkids!!
8. CAPTURE THE AMAZING RANGE OF LOVE AND EMOTION IN KIDS
Whether they are your own, a friend’s, or a client’s, kids are an amazing photographic subject. They see the world differently, and often express a lot more love and emotion than adults. Being able to capture that is both a fantastic photographic challenge, and a profound learning experience.
9. IT’S A CREATIVE OUTLET
Everyone should have a creative outlet. There’s no use pulling the excuse that you’re “not creative”. Anyone can push the button on a camera, and point it at something they think looks cool. It’s honestly that simple to be creative.
10. MAKE ART
And the result of that creative act? You can create art. That just flat out rocks.
11. A GREAT CHALLENGE
Now, there is actually a lot more to photography than just pointing the camera at something and pressing the button. That’s where you start. But learning to become a great photographer is a serious challenge. You’ll always be learning something new, have new directions to explore, and new challenges to face. And that’s a good thing! This is a pursuit that you will never be bored with.
12. SHARE YOUR PERSPECTIVE
Everyone sees things differently. Put 100 photographers in a room and you’ll get 100 different photos. The way you see the world is unique, and photography lets you share that perspective with others.
13. EXPRESS YOURSELF
Your unique perspective can go further than just showing people how you see a scene. Photography also lets you express yourself—your opinions and beliefs. You do this by choosing what you photograph, and how you represent it. This aspect of your photography is ever-changing as you change. You get a sense of what a photographer is like as a person by looking at their body of work. This part of photography is absolutely fascinating as a viewer, and fulfilling as a shooter.
14. TELL A STORY
Photography is a fantastic story-telling medium. Whether you’re telling a story with one image, a sequence, a series, or an entire portfolio, the possiblities are endless. Just ask yourself what story you want to tell, and photography can get you there.
15. CAPTURE AN ADVENTURE
One very common way people get interested in photography is through travelling. Who doesn’t pack a camera with them on a trip? The more you practice and learn about photography, the better you’ll be able to document your adventure.
16. THE BEST SOUVENIR
Photographs are the best souvenir from your travels. They are personal, beautiful, and have a story behind them. The trinkets you buy in markets inevitably break, or clutter up your home. A stunning photo on the wall is personal art that puts a smile on your face as it reminds you of that exciting adventure!
17. TAKE YOU SOMEWHERE YOU’VE NEVER BEEN
Maybe you haven’t been to an exotic locale, but photos can practically transport you there like a Stargate. They can show you the people, the food, and the sights. Or maybe you want to share your own travels with friends and family. They get to come along with you when you take awesome photos!
18. GET CLOSE TO WHAT YOU’RE INTERESTED IN
Photography is a fantastic gateway into anything else you’re interested in. Really fascinated by the music world? Become a music photographer and you’ll get to meet the musicians and observe the inner workings of the industry. We are really into coffee, and got to spend an entire day touring a local coffee roastery and shooting it. We loved the experience and they loved the photos—win-win all around.
19. MAKE YOU FEEL EMOTION
Photos make you feel. They can produce every emotion, from happiness, to sadness, fear and excitement. There is so much contained in one small frame—learning to produce them, and read them certainly opens you up to feeling.
20. CAN MAKE OTHER PEOPLE FEEL EMOTION
Your photos can make people happy. They can make people sad. Through simply showing your images you can evoke an emotion in someone else. With the internet you can affect so many people at once. Photography can really connect people in that way.
21. CAN MAKE OTHER PEOPLE THINK
With your images you can also make people stop and think. Just a glance at a powerful image can stop people in their tracks. Some images can change the way you view the world for the rest of your life. Strong stuff.
22. CAPTURE THE ESSENCE OF A PERSON
A photo can capture the essence of a person, sometimes in just one frame. This is the goal of master portrait photographers everywhere, and an enormous challenge. But when it is achieved, it’s an incredible thing. Sometimes it takes a series of photos to express the nuances of that person, but either way photography has a way of showing those subtleties that can be hard to describe in words.
23. REMEMBER SOMEONE WHO HAS PASSED AWAY
After someone has passed, photos of them become treasured items. Without getting too morbid, everyone will die, and photos are potentially the best way to preserve the image and spirit of a person.
24. LEARN MORE ABOUT YOURSELF
Photography involves a lot of introspection over the course of a career. The deeper you get, the more you realize that it’s all about what you are interested in, how you feel about it, and what you want to say to the people who view your work. As you shoot, you learn more about yourself, what you value, and how you see the world.
25. PRESERVE THE BIG MOMENTS
Life is filled with “big moments”. Births, graduations, weddings, first steps—these are all moments that should be documented for family history. And a lot of the big moments aren’t times when you’d hire a professional photographer. Learning more about photography prepares you to capture those big moments for yourself.
26. ENJOY PHOTOS AND MEMORIES WITH LOVED ONES
Imagine you’re sitting around a big box of photos with friends and family. There would be a lot of talking, laughs, stories, jokes, and maybe even a tear or two. It’s an amazing way to connect.
27. ENJOY THE WORK OF OTHER PHOTOGRAPHERS
History is filled with incredible photographers. The more you learn about photography, the more you appreciate their work. What makes Annie Leibovitz’s work so great? Why is Ansel Adams such a big name? Learning more gives more enjoyment.
28. SHOOT ANYTIME, ANYWHERE
Photography is so accessible that you can shoot at any moment. You might not always be able to pull out a canvas and some oils to paint with, or grab a guitar and start to play if a creative urge strikes you, but a camera is so small and portable that you can shoot anytime, anywhere.
29. CONNECT
Photographing someone is an intimate experience. You connect with people in a completely unique way with a camera in hand and your full attention on them. It’s easier to talk, easier to just look at them—seriously, it’s cool. It’s especially wonderful when you photograph someone you love.
30. CAPTURE A FEELING, NOT JUST AN APPEARANCE
Photographs can show more than just how something looked. They can capture how something felt. Especially if the photographer felt it themselves.
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