“At some point in life, the world’s beauty becomes enough. You don’t need to photograph, paint, or even remember it. It is enough.” – Toni Morrison
Chloe Anthony Wofford “Toni” Morrison was an American novelist, essayist, editor, teacher and professor emeritus at Princeton University. Her first novel, The Bluest Eye, was published in 1970. The critically acclaimed Song of Solomon brought her national attention and won the National Book Critics Circle Award. She passed away on August 5th, 2019. RIP
So many people have digital cameras or smartphones with cameras that each second of each and every day thousands of photos (and videos) are being made, many of which are being shared on the Internet. The fact this trend continues to grow would indicate photography and sharing of photos and videos must fill some need or provide some positive feedback, some type of pleasure, to these photographers. While this mass photography may seem harmless and even funny at times it has it’s serious side, such as when people fall to their deaths capturing that “good” self-portrait or when photo history comes back to haunt or crash a budding future career. Determining the why or reason for so many making so many photographs and sharing them might be impossible or at least the reason(s) would probably be as varied and different as the people participating.
My curiosity drove me to begin compiling a shortlist of what I view as broad topic reasons which might motivate people to make photographs. And yes, I acknowledge a combination of these reasons apply to me with different ones being applicable at different periods of my life. With age and experience, the reasons shift and change. This list is not meant to be complete, it’s broad, a shotgun approach, so feel free to share new reasons you feel are valid in the comments below. As you can see I left the last line item open.
Reason’s people make a photograph:
- to be heard or seen
- it makes me feel something
- in hopes, it will make the “pain” go away
- to hold on to memories or special moments
- to learn to see
- as a form of expression and creativity
- to tell a story
- to share with others
- for financial or notoriety gain
- for the joy of the technical process or equipment
- to document or record an event or fact
- to feed or fulfill a narcissistic need
- …
Somewhat related to reasons for photography, I had an interesting experience during the three years Bonnie and I were full-time RV’ing. During this period there was always new experiences and new places to see as we were always changing locations, many which were spectacular and well worthy of photographing. Initially, I was photographing everything, trying to capture it all. However, somewhere in the second year things changed or perhaps more accurately, I changed. I kinda remember there was a moment where I realized I’d much rather prioritizing enjoying it over spending so much time photographing it. From that point forward the number of photos I was taking decreased but the my personal enjoyment level of each moment increased. Just to be where I was with who I was with, able to enjoy a cool breeze, the sun on my skin, a breathtaking view or a simple quiet moment of appreciation became more than enough.
That’s the reason the Toni Morrison quote above resonates with me. While still enjoying photography my heart carries the lasting effect of this change focused on experiencing the moment more fully…if photos also result, it’s gravy. I felt the above red cliff face photo fitting as it’s a photo not exactly true to how it was but true to my vision of how I came to see it after a few quiet moments.
I think I’ve written about this before, but several years ago at a dinner I sat next to a well-known local artist and we chatted about travel. He mentioned that he never carried a camera because to him he wanted to be able to experience a place without the interference of seeing it through a lens. I’ve always thought that to be an interesting approach, and there are situations today where I just leave the camera at home or in the car so I can enjoy an event unencumbered by the need to photograph it.
For me personally, the primary reason to make photographs is to capture the memory of a place or event (somewhat merging two of your choices!). But interestingly, for all of the time I take making photographs, I often forget to take the “tourist” shot or the pictures of our hotel room or cruise ship cabin. Weird and irrelevant, perhaps, but when I get home and realize that I did an “incomplete” job of really documenting the experience, I feel a bit silly.
When we do our photography as a means of expression the motivation for making photographs changes. Perhaps for you the experiences you had began to take precedence over the need to be expressive, to the point where enjoying the moment and capturing the memory without the camera became the point. Interesting to think about.
Tom, I can well understand the viewpoint of the artist you mentioned but I can’t say I’m ready to totally give up a camera. It usually comes down to balance…finding that personally satisfying combination of viewing and experiencing. I seldom take a “tourist” photo and if I do it’s usually of signs or buildings during a multi-day adventure, when I’m not GPS tracking because I want to remember a name some data or detail about where the photos were taken. Thks!
I used to think that going out exploring looking for photographs helped me get to know a place better vs. just a casual wandering around like a “tourist.” It was usually reinforced because I have traveled in groups of non-photographers, often heading out hours before anyone even got up, and found some really interesting places where I could really take my time. Then when people saw some of the pictures, they asked “where did you see that?” “While you were sleeping” I would say.
I am not sure if this feeling is changing now. It seems there is so much pressure – internal or external – to make a GOOD photo. Or my inner judge kicks in telling me that is bad light – or that’s not worth spending time on.
So really I’m not sure. Taking photographs along the way helps me look deeper, wander slower, and more carefully. But I also have a sense of relief at times when the camera is not there. Not that it prevents me from enjoying myself, but it gets rid of any pressure to create.
Being a photographer and reasons for making photographs do seem more convoluted than in the past and many of the thoughts you expressed in your comments do resonate with me, Mark. I know there are haunting realizations driven by this mass of web photography which can extinguish an urge to try and be creative…for example, “this has probably been done and done much better a thousand times.” or “I bet I saw something like this flipping through photos on the web and my subconscious trying to duplicate it.” But then I also think it’s mostly not about external forces but all about my own changing view of the world and my relationship to it.
Ok, the short response…I don’t have any answers but I certainly do appreciate your sharing your thoughts and comments here. :-)
Dang, I was hoping you had all the answers, Brooks. I resonate with all that’s been said. My reasons for carrying a camera have changed over the years as have the reasons to compose an image and press the shutter button. It seems like the more I stay aware and truly see the more images are presented.
Haha! Nope, no answers here, Monte, but I’m compiling plenty of questions. :-)
I very rarely took any photographs until I retired and began full-time RVing 5 years ago. I did not want the distraction of being behind a camera lens. Now, however, that has all changed. I take hundreds of pictures a week of all of the places we visit throughout the country. Mostly, my photographs are documentary and I use them to tell the story of our adventures. I always find a few surprises in my photos of things I did not notice when I snapped the pictures. And now photography is something i really enjoy…finding it relaxing and fun. But, I think the underlying reason for my new-found love of photography is that it helps me remember the places we have been and the experiences we have enjoyed. My dad had dementia for about 15 years before his death, and eventually he could not remember anything about his life or himself. My photographs are helping me to remember and I hope I never lose the ability to do so.
Hi Kathy, welcome, nice of you to contribute. Photography is a wonderful tool which serves many valuable needs and it often comes with the bonus of letting us learn a little more about ourselves and how we view the world around us. Sometimes this value gets lost in the photo-noise of the Internet and I certainly didn’t mean to indicate it can’t be worthwhile. I’ve certainly enjoyed my own photography. As you may know, I follow your travel blog and I’m amazed at how well you’ve documented your journey. I admire the dedication and I’ve also noticed your photographic skills growing over time. Thanks again and keep enjoying your photography!
I like the quote and wholeheartedly agree with it. I have never been one to take a lot of photographs (by most people’s standards) but I take even fewer these days. The funny thing is that I probably took more photos back in the days of film then I have since swapping to digital. There’s probably a number of reasons for that but one thing that definitely had a big impact on lowering the number of photos I shoot, especially when my wife and I are on a trip somewhere, would have to be the very huge increase in photos available on the Internet. I still take photos of my wife or the two of us in various locations but I don’t bother with the documentary photos. I prefer to make the most of just being there. If the urge strikes (it rarely does), I can always find photos of the places we’ve been to, shot at the time of day we were there, or the same season and from the same vantage point we enjoyed. In fact, it’s crazy how easy it is to do that.
These days I am more likely to make photos like yours above. There’s a fascination and a joy to be had in abstracting the world with a camera.
Having said all that I also agree with Mark’s statement: “Taking photographs along the way helps me look deeper, wander slower, and more carefully”. But I find that even without a camera, I still find myself walking and seeing as if I had a camera in hand.
Cedric, I had to laugh a little when you mentioned “I can always find photos of the places we’ve been to, shot at the time of day we were there, or the same season and from the same vantage point we enjoyed. In fact, it’s crazy how easy it is to do that.” I’ve done searches on places we planned to visit to get an idea of what we’d be seeing and what the conditions are like. Haha, but now I’m thinking we’ve wasted all that money on travel when I could have just put photo albums and slideshows together from the web to show friends. Kidding of course!
I find myself still fluid in deciding what role photography plays, or will play for me now but I agree with you the very huge increase in photos available on the Internet has certainly had an impact. Take care.