Benefits of photography

Quicksnapper

Quicksnapper

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Sara
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http://www.picturecorrect.com/tips/9-amazing-benefits-of-photography/

I think that sometimes, we get a bit too caught up in the technicalities of photography, what equipment we're using and whether our images have any artistic merit. But this short list looks at it from a slightly different angle. Photography has a number of very tangible benefits over and above the process of capturing the image. Reading this list has given me food for thought at a time when my photographic mojo has been slipping a bit, and given me a bit of food for thought, so I thought I'd share it with everyone.
 
I'm still relatively "new" to photography but for me, at least, it's just about capturing something I like the look of. I agree with it being a stress reliever but in my early beginnings I'm just enjoying being able to capture a moment in much higher detail.
 
While I agree with your sentiments in posting that Sara, and I wholeheartedly agree that far too many "photographers" are far too obsessed with the technical but that's a pretty lightweight, trite list of benefits if you ask me.

How about....

It can change the world.....

It can educate and enlighten

It can be the catalyst for social change....

or cultural reform....

...or promote awareness of the fragility of our environment.

Photography is the perhaps the most powerful tool in the world. It can be used for good or evil. We all rely on it for almost everything. Governments fear it and try to control it. It's the most useful way we have as citizens in a democracy for making our point and saying what we want to say.

...or you could shoot birds on a twig :).. but that's the beauty of it: You can speak a truly universal language with it, and it can lay bare every aspect of the human condition.
 
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quite simply i found the more i took pictures for other people the less i enjoyed it. when photography was just a hobby going back all the way to when i first started 30 odd years ago up until around 4 years ago it was something to enjoy and wonder at when out ad about on my travels, be it days out, family holidays , or just walking the dog. it was a way to relive what was seen at those times, remember people from the past who for one reason or another i have lost contact with or are no longer with us, to recall occasions of celebration or trips made with the family.
Didnt matter if they wernt technically correct, if some were over or under exposed, if a few were a little blurry or OOF, if they had blown highlights or wonky skies. they were "personal momento's of a time passed.
Shooting for a living changed that slightly. changed what i shot and how i shot it. made me more aware of mistakes and more critcial. but also at times made it less enjoyable too.
Sometimes we may forget why we took up photography in the first place and on many occasions now i have to remind myself when im out that the shots im taking are for me and my family to enjoy and share and not to worry to much about the finer points and instead enjoy the time with the family rather than worry about what im shooting.
Generally now i'll just switch it to auto on days out like that and though i pretty much always have the camera with me when we go out i try and ensure im using it as a "happy snapper" rather than a "pro tog"
 
Pookeyhead said:
While I agree with your sentiments in posting that Sara, and I wholeheartedly agree that far too many "photographers" are far too obsessed with the technical but that's a pretty lightweight, trite list of benefits if you ask me.

How about....

It can change the world.....

It can educate and enlighten

It can be the catalyst for social change....

or cultural reform....

...or promote awareness of the fragility of our environment.

Photography is the perhaps the most powerful tool in the world. It can be used for good or evil. We all rely on it for almost everything. Governments fear it and try to control it. It's the most useful way we have as citizens in a democracy for making our point and saying what we want to say.

...or you could shoot birds on a twig :).. but that's the beauty of it: You can speak a truly universal language with it, and it can lay bare every aspect of the human condition.
Click to expand...

Whilst I agree with much of the sentiment, I still believe that the written and spoken word still is, and will remain, the most powerful tool in the world.
This is, of course, simply a personal opinion, and not in any way intended to start a debate.
 
true enough but occasionally an image can portray far more than any spoken word. the example that sprang straight into my mind was the image of Phan thi Kim Phuc, the vietnamese girl in the famous shot taken during the vietnam war in 1972.
im sure there are plenty of other examples but it was the one that sprang to mind straight away.
still as you say not intented to start a debate. i guess all forms of media be it writeen, spoken, image or video has exceptions that stand out
 
I remember one National Geography photographer once saying,"I go to all theses lovely places and take my photos only to go back and fine them spoiled,because everybody wants to go their because of my photo"

And at the other end of the scale say photojournalist covering wars,a lot of old timers say they think their photo have made little different about stoping wars,and you can see what they mean if you look at what going on in the world.

Whether any media has the power in the long run to change the nature of who we are,and make us better on the whole only time will tell.
 
media certainly raises awareness if nothing else.. sadly int his day and age it also gives a voice to the bad guys too.. as shown today in the news .
 
Well there must be reasons there are so many of us are on this forum, brought together by a common interest in photography. And I suspect most of the reasons we're here are from the list in Sara's link rather than the list David gives. Small reasons that make lots of people feel a little bit better about themselves every day have got to be a good thing.
 
Alastair said:
Well there must be reasons there are so many of us are on this forum, brought together by a common interest in photography. And I suspect most of the reasons we're here are from the list in Sara's link rather than the list David gives. Small reasons that make lots of people feel a little bit better about themselves every day have got to be a good thing.
Click to expand...

I absolutely agree Alastair. But David's reply provided links to iconic and historical images which have indeed variously enlightened and educated millions of people. As with all types of activities, we all have our own drivers and motivations. I think it was Confusious who said ... "One seeing is worth a thousands tellings ...."
 
Quicksnapper said:
I think it was Confusious who said ... "One seeing is worth a thousands tellings ...."
Click to expand...

John Cage said he had nothing to say and was saying it. :D

More pertinently, Joseph Conrad wrote; "I don't like work - no man does - but I like what is in the work - the chance to find yourself. Your own reality - for yourself, not for others - what no other man can ever know. They can only see the mere show, and never can tell what it really means." Which I have found applicable to photography - amongst other endeavours.
 
Pookeyhead said:
While I agree with your sentiments in posting that Sara, and I wholeheartedly agree that far too many "photographers" are far too obsessed with the technical but that's a pretty lightweight, trite list of benefits if you ask me.

How about....

It can change the world.....

It can educate and enlighten

It can be the catalyst for social change....

or cultural reform....

...or promote awareness of the fragility of our environment.

Photography is the perhaps the most powerful tool in the world. It can be used for good or evil. We all rely on it for almost everything. Governments fear it and try to control it. It's the most useful way we have as citizens in a democracy for making our point and saying what we want to say.

...or you could shoot birds on a twig :).. but that's the beauty of it: You can speak a truly universal language with it, and it can lay bare every aspect of the human condition.
Click to expand...
Great post and a great choice of images. Thanks.
 
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