Why do I take pictures?
I think everyone who deals intensively with photography will sooner or later stumble upon this question. I have to admit that I never asked myself why. Photography has become such an integral part of life in recent years that this question did not arise. Maybe a little too much of an integral part of everything and sometimes certainly a little too dogged. But that's a completely different topic. Things that you "have always done like this" are too rarely questioned. After Matt Payne regularly asks his guests about it in his podcast, "F-Stop Collaborate and Listen", I often thought about what my answer would look like.
In addition, in conversations from time-to-time allusions /statements were made that allow the conclusion to be drawn; I only shoot for Instagram. What should I think of this? - More on that later.
Why do I take pictures?
When you start answering this question for yourself, you realize that this very simple question is not so easy to answer. The answer, at least for me, is very complex. The answer will most likely never be exactly the same. Rather, it is different today than it was 2 years ago and especially different than it was at the beginning.
Why did I start taking pictures?
When I started taking pictures, from today's point of view, it was certainly the technical aspect that appealed to me. It was a more or less coincidence of multiple things at the time. By the time I started photography, I had just completed my first part-time studies. So I had a lot more time that wanted to be used sensibly. In addition, I was still in "learning mode", so to speak. At that time (2013) I was totally excited about HDR images and just thought they were damn cool. I also wanted to take pictures like that. From today's perspective; a very terrible phase 😊. At that time, I really enjoyed experimenting with the camera. I always wanted to try new things. I was also not very picky about the motifs I wanted to shoot. From architecture to cars and macros to nature shots. At that time, I photographed almost everything. Only things that can move have never been fun for me. Things (people) who can speak even less.
Soon after, another factor took the upper hand, travelling. It was about the time when the time and financial possibilities to travel were available for the first time. Whether city trip, travel with your own car or air travel. Traveling to foreign countries became more of a focus and documenting these trips with the camera was only logical. Travel and photography went hand in hand. Relatively soon it turned out that nature and landscape photography is my real passion. Why? That's a question I certainly couldn't answer at the time. Perhaps I still cannot give a conclusive answer to this today. I will at least try it in the further course.
From the beginning, I have always been on the road at regular intervals on weekends to take pictures in nature. Of course, travelling and discovering new countries are no reason for this. If the alarm clock rings on a morning (or in the middle of the night) on the weekend, this can hardly be explained rationally. Possibly 1-2h car ride + 1h hiking, then to be on site at 06:00 am at sunrise, do not sound so crazy for someone who does nature and landscape photography. For anyone who does not photograph in nature, this sounds totally crazy. But it doesn't always have to be a special place. Often I also leave the house on foot and roam through nature, which is right on my doorstep. In the vast majority of cases outside, not even a usable image is created. Nevertheless, in retrospect I feel good and above all better than before. But if most of the time not even a good photo is taken, the question of why do I photograph does not seem to be accurate enough. Rather, the question must be a little more concrete.
Why do I photograph in nature or in the landscape?
The question is also difficult to answer with a few precise and striking words. Here is an attempt and afterwards I will try to describe it a bit better and in more detail.
I shoot in nature because the whole process gives me fun and joy. From walking around in nature to finding an appealing scene, taking the actual photo, to the digital development of the image.
I also believe that photography makes me a more balanced person. Not that I consider myself to be particularly balanced... but photography helps I think. As soon as I discover something that I think is worth a photo, I forget everything around me. I deal with the scene so much that I forget all the worries and the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Appointment calendars and open errands suddenly no longer play a role. Sometimes this condition also sets in before taking images. Honestly, it's not clear to me if it's because I'm already subconsciously "looking" for photos or if it's because I'm in nature. What exactly it is, does not matter to me in the end. Photographing in nature brings me exactly what I need: peace, balance and the opportunity to switch off.
Developing the digital raw data on the computer also gives me something. Here the pictures come back to life. Even though naturalness and realism are very important to me in the editing, there is still a certain creative scope. In the meantime, I believe that creative aspects of photography are getting more and more important for me. However, my thoughts on the subject of creativity are not yet very advanced. One day I might be able to articulate the whole thing better.
From conversations (written and verbal) I have recently heard hints and statements that allow the conclusion that I only photograph for Instagram or social media.
- Only for likes and more followers –
A statement I don't want to live with. Yes, I have an Instagram account and yes I regularly post pictures from me over there. But it's not that this platform drives me in one direction and influences which pictures I take or which I don't. Of course, I am happy about every like, every comment and every follower. But it's not the reason why I take pictures in nature. Maybe I just have the feeling of having heard such allusions, because it is particularly important to me that this is not my motivation in photography.
Keyword: yellow jacket!
I even have a red outdoor jacket, but I would never think of taking a picture of myself in the countryside with this jacket. I didn't create my Instagram account until 5 – 6 years after I started taking pictures. If there is no more social media tomorrow, I will still continue to take pictures. I have the impression that today many people start photography with "wrong" motivation. It's just "cool" and trendy to take photos in nature. Driven by the hunger for more likes, every trend must be followed without any own principles or ethical principles. Keyword: yellow jacket – poncho – tent!
Often you are put in this category and I don't want that. "You're on Instagram?" Yes, I'm a landscape photographer who posts his pictures on Instagram; but I'm not an Instagramer. For me, this makes a big difference and the difference is very important to me!
Why am I photographing now? Have I answered this question sufficiently? Is the question important at all and is the answer to it important at all?
In any case, there is no right or wrong answer. It was very interesting for me to think about this question. As long as fun and joy are at the top somewhere, the rest doesn't matter. Why photography can be fun and enjoyable and will certainly change over the years. I was able to determine that for myself and probably this applies to the vast majority.
In fact, I am just as "obsessed" with photography today as I was 5 years ago. I spend almost every free minute with it. The only thing that has changed are the focal points of content that I deal with. For example which books I read. Today, these are less technology-oriented and deal more with topics such as creativity. For me, it turned out that the question: Why do I photograph, alone cannot be answered precisely. What I photograph is a huge factor in the why.
Nature and its effect on me is the key factor.
I am very curious to see how and if the answer will change over the next few years.
