Is it time to give up?

[woof woof]

Are there any people here who take pictures as a hobby?
If so, why do you do it?

For instance, if I wanted to I could take a nice picture of a bee on a flower. But why?
I could just stand there and look at the bee.
Almost everyone knows what a bee looks like so why would they want to see a picture of one.

When I go for a walk I often take pictures of things that catch my eye. I often stop to look at something and that could be Mrs WW at a place, a scene or a single leaf. When I'm home processing the pictures helps me relive the experience and I often have a slideshow going. Maybe a part of this for me is that I'm tied to the house a lot so looking at pictures is I suppose a form of escapism. I don't know how many pictures I have, certainly thousands, we all do, but when looking at a fair few of them I remember the day and could even tell you what camera and lens I used.

Oh, and that last line. "They" don't need to see your pictures but I suppose if you feel no connection at all to the pictures you're taking and get no enjoyment from this "hobby" that's a biggie. I can't imagine feeling like that but at least you'll have a phone with you should you see something you want to snap.

Good luck with it.

 

[rob-nikon]

I know I’ve felt like this in the past too. I’ve been very close to fully giving up. What stopped me is that I thought about why I still do photography 10 years later. The reason I do photography has changed no end. I worked out it’s taken me to some great places that I may not have otherwise visited. Ive also met some good friends through it too. Getting photos has very much come second to just getting out there being in nature. I’m not so worried about getting a photo now. With COVID I’ve not been out much in the last couple of years but I’m trying to get back out more.

Whatever you decide do what’s best for you. Hobby’s come and go. You can’t force yourself to carry on if it doesn’t feel right.

 

[RichardC27]

Are there any people here who take pictures as a hobby?
If so, why do you do it?

It's probably my main hobby. Quite simply I enjoy it. As someone said above, I enjoy the technological aspect of it. I like using gadgets so there is an element of that.
I enjoy the thought process behind taking an image, and in my field of motorsport photography, trying to tell the story of a race or event, and give the atmosphere of that event.
I enjoy processing my images. Shooting Raw and processing the image to your taste is the digital equivalent of developing your own film. I'm in control of how the final image looks and I enjoy that.
It's allowed me to be involved in the sport I love in my own way. I can't afford to be a driver and I couldn't tell you which end of a spanner does what, but photography has allowed me to be accredited and intimately involved in some massive events.
Plus, and at the risk of blowing my own trumpet, I'm good at it. I seem to get lots of positive comments whenever I show my images, and that does give me a nice feeling. I like that people enjoy my images.
I suppose I could do it as a job if I really wanted to, but I don't want that. I do it to get away from my job and it gives me a lot of pleasure. Turning it into my main job would take away a lot of the enjoyment I think.

But, all of that said, I think what you're experiencing is normal, and most of us will have had these sort of thoughts. I know I have several times

 

[toohuge]

Are there any people here who take pictures as a hobby?
If so, why do you do it?

For instance, if I wanted to I could take a nice picture of a bee on a flower. But why?
I could just stand there and look at the bee.
Almost everyone knows what a bee looks like so why would they want to see a picture of one.

When I started out in photography, it was always a dream / aspiration to get paid for it... I achieved that and it sucked all the enjoyment out from the whole process.

I now only shoot as a hobby and turn down a lot of paid opportunities as it's not what I want to do.

Why do I continue to photograph? - For me, photography has and always will be about people.

I was into city photography for a while, that was nice. I went through a really rough patch in my life and city photography gave me a purpose whenever I travelled, however, my best work was documenting by-gone era / urban decay which, upon reflection, was / is still a little close to home. It felt like I identified with the past greatness and the (inevitable?) decay into a broken, shell of former greatness. - Ouch, that was deep.

As I got better and made personal progress, I realised I have no interest in landscapes / flowers and to some extent wildlife, it doesn't excite me. I photograph people to make them look great, it makes me feel good and allows me to engage with people in a different way / dimension and I find that hugely rewarding.

I photograph a lot of sport / action. I enjoy the challenge of getting in the right place, being fast enough / brave enough to be in the right place at the right time to capture their talent and emotion all in the pursuit of making them look great. Working with athletes from any discipline is fantastic and when they see the commitment you put into capturing the perfect moment / perspective, it all becomes a highly rewarding process.

I'd like to do more portrait work, however, that takes the subjects time as well as my own, photographing sports / action is great as I show up while they are pursuing their hobby / interest and it all works really nicely.


On a general life perspective, I continue to photograph and invest in my photography seriously, as it's an excellent means of applying myself. I'm a big believer in success breeds success. And if one can experience success through application of yourself, run with it, excel at it, push yourself and get used to learning to apply yourself. This in turn, will lead to further success in other aspects of your life as your raise your baseline and application of yourself becomes second nature.

My view on the world is people are far too hesitant to celebrate others - and as the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words ... if I can create images that communicate to the world what I see in that person, I've done my job and hopefully, expressed what I see about that person in a series of images.


Wow - that's a lot of drivel on a cloudy Monday

 

[AndrewFlannigan]

If so, why do you do it?

There have been anumber of answers given above but if you need to ask that question, it is almost certain that you would be unable to understand, or relate to, the answers given.

One might as well ask why someone would listen to music or read a book.

 

[Marino]

If so, why do you do it?

People forget

Are there any people here who take pictures as a hobby?
If so, why do you do it?

For instance, if I wanted to I could take a nice picture of a bee on a flower. But why?
I could just stand there and look at the bee.
Almost everyone knows what a bee looks like so why would they want to see a picture of one.

Well if you take just a picture of a bee it tells me nothing. As you said, I'd rather look at the bee in real life.
I think representing reality through a photo is meaningless, unless you're trying to capture a moment in time.

 

[sirch]

Are there any people here who take pictures as a hobby?
If so, why do you do it?

For instance, if I wanted to I could take a nice picture of a bee on a flower. But why?
I could just stand there and look at the bee.
Almost everyone knows what a bee looks like so why would they want to see a picture of one.

I think vast majority of people on here are hobbyists. As to why? people will have different reasons and motivations but breaking it down for me:
Pretty much everyone has some free or spare time.
Some people like to use that time proactively
Some people want a challenge
Some people want to be creative
Some people (in fact a lot of people) want to have a record of what they have done

A camera is a multipurpose tool and photography is a vast field of endeavour so for me there is always the challenge of learning something new and implementing learning, I can be creative in the ways I shoot and process, I have spent an hour or two before now shooting bees on flowers, not an original idea but it develops a physical and mental skill and they are my interpretations of bees on flowers. If I'm doing some other activity then knowing the basics of photography and having some decent gear means that I can get reasonable photos of what I am doing and share those with others.

So for me it is the right mix of challenge, creativity and having a physical output which keeps me engaged.

 

[gramps]

Are there any people here who take pictures as a hobby?
If so, why do you do it?

For instance, if I wanted to I could take a nice picture of a bee on a flower. But why?
I could just stand there and look at the bee.
Almost everyone knows what a bee looks like so why would they want to see a picture of one.

I am entirely a hobby photographer and I would guess that most members here are too, I do it as a means of relaxation, exercise and just sheer enjoyment.
I used to shoot wildlife and enjoyed looking at different species, watching their behaviour and being able to capture an image of the behaviour, the colours or a specific moment.
I took many photos of ducks, small birds, raptors and mammals, some quite similar to others I had taken and certainly most (but not all) the same as others had taken before me and will take again. None of that took away the enjoyment of the hobby for me and clearly to have just thought 'a duck is a duck, why take another photo' would have been to ignore all of the enjoyment that I was getting from the hobby.
I now shoot 'street', which is very different. I have much lighter equipment, which is a joy, and it has forced me to use my eye and my imagination more, whilst still getting the exercise and enjoyment from the hobby.
I cannot imagine life where having seen a bee that I would never want to see one again - to be so would mean that I had lost heart and possibly the will to live!

 

[myotis]

Are there any people here who take pictures as a hobby?
If so, why do you do it?

I feel emotionally driven to make photographs, and being a "photographer" isn't something I have much control over. I started photography at school and worked in professional photography for 15 years before changing careers.

After my career change, I had 30 years in a photographic wilderness, when up to 100hr working weeks in jobs unrelated to photography (but related to nature), meant I barely touched a camera. But, throughout this period, I still saw the world like a photographer, and still "felt" like a photographer.

I have always had a deep connection with the natural world, and making photographs is, I think, me affirming that connection. This is strongly related to the "ritual" of making (not sharing) photographs, and includes both the taking and the processing. I regularly re-process images to see if I get something that better reflects what I saw and felt at the time of taking. I also regularly re-visit the same few locations to strengthen and deepen my understanding and connection with them.

Even when I worked full time in professional photography, I spent my spare time making landscape photographs. Now retired, I feel photography has returned to it's proper place in my life. I am also back to taking some bird photographs, which I think of as a "hobby" that provides a bit of a fun escape from the my more emotionally intense landscape work.

I might well give up the bird photography as I'm happy enough to just go birdwatching. Indeed, where as I feel my landscape photography adds to my enjoyment of the landscape, bird photography tends to detract from my birdwatching experience.

That all reads much deeper than it really is, but I take virtually no photographs of days out, holidays, or family and friends, and only a tiny number of that tiny number are processed and leave my hard drive. Over the years, I should really have made more effort with this aspect of taking photographs, but it's never interested me.

 

[GeeJay57]

Are there any people here who take pictures as a hobby?
If so, why do you do it?

For instance, if I wanted to I could take a nice picture of a bee on a flower. But why?
I could just stand there and look at the bee.
Almost everyone knows what a bee looks like so why would they want to see a picture of one.

My parents were quite interested in photography and Dad had a darkroom in the loft. I used to clamber up there with him and we’d make prints from the films they had exposed and processed. There was something magical sat in a darkened room with a red light, exposing the paper, watching as the images appeared. I still have Dad’s old TLR, but it needs a shutter service. Was only the other day thinking about getting it fixed and running some 120 through it. Not used film for decades.

When I was about 10 I was given an Agfa Silette, my first camera. I picked up a Zenit E and a couple of lenses in my teens and a Pentax ME Super a bit later. Got my first DSLR in 2006 (Canon EOS 20D) and currently use a 7DII

So photography has been with me for as long as I can remember, I even considered doing it professionally at one time. Glad I didn’t as it’s something I do when I want to, not because I have to.

Here we are 55-years later. I still enjoy photography, in I guess the same way that anglers like fishing. It’s not necessarily what I catch, but the thought process behind it. I don’t do lots with my pictures, don’t consider myself to be especially good at photography (particularly people photography) and am still blown away and inspired by a lot of the images I see on here.

Good luck in whatever you choose to do, whether that be to continue taking pictures or doing something else.

 

[Chipper]

I think most comments on here have been to do with making single images. I wonder if you have photographed a series? I enjoy making them and now am developing the skills in making some of my ideas into hand made books and the software skills to create PDFs for books printed by companies like Mixam etc. A recent conversation with a dealer said that film cameras prices are high now because they aren't made any more so, if that is accurate, you could keep them and keep an eye on prices. During that time it might come back. I tend not to make my best decisions when I am gloomy or down about something. Mine started as a kid. It vanished a few years when my mother died; during this whole pandemic malarky it has been just brilliant.

 

[Mozziephotography]

I'm reasonably creative and have developed my observational skills over the years. I enjoy looking for a different angle on things as well as the "normal" stuff. Drawing and painting ... not much ability there. Photography allows me to create in a way that other hobbies don't. The decision is entirely up to you but hopefully you won't regret it in the future.

 

[soupdragon]

Reading all the responses it appears photography as a hobby is not for me.

I sold all my digital gear and went down the film route believing that the lack of anything tactile from the process was the problem.
This transpired not to be the case as film and processing has only held my attention for a very short time.

As I said earlier, I will not be without a camera but I won't be champing at the bit to use it either.

This forum is a nice place so you haven't heard the last of me.

 

[woof woof]

Reading all the responses it appears photography as a hobby is not for me.

I sold all my digital gear and went down the film route believing that the lack of anything tactile from the process was the problem.
This transpired not to be the case as film and processing has only held my attention for a very short time.

As I said earlier, I will not be without a camera but I won't be champing at the bit to use it either.

This forum is a nice place so you haven't heard the last of me.

Stepping back from a hobby you've lost interest in isn't the end of the world but hopefully if it leaves a void you can fill it with something and you can always still comment and give advice here as your knowledge and experience wont evaporate overnight

Good luck with any new ventures!

 

[MartynK]

I've owned cameras since I was a kid, but I've never had any real interest in photography or 'gear' as such. I do take quite a lot of photographs though, as reminders of people, places and things that interest me and that I might want to write about one day.

For example, we visited Pompeii a few years ago and I took a lot of photographs (perhaps 'snaps' would be a better word) because the place intrigues me, but I have no intention of printing any of them or showing them to anyone else. They're good enough for my purposes - sharp and well exposed - but I wasn't too concerned about composition because it's not very important in this context. Much the same could be said of my photographs from Rome which cover just about everything from the well known ruins of the ancient city onwards; buildings, art, people, street scenes, food, cats (including a cat sitting on a check in desk at Ciampino because I couldn't imagine that in the UK).

Photography is, or can be, whatever you want it to be, but I'd just park it for a while if it no longer appeals to you or means very much in your life. Sell the gear and move on if you're ready to.

 

[Kell]

No one but you can say one way or the other what the best cause of action is. But it sounds like perhaps photography has been losing its appeal to you for some time.

That's neither here nor there, really. Specifically as a hobby, if you don't enjoy doing it, don't do it. If it was a paying job and you'd lost your mojo that's a bigger worry.

As it is, I hope you enjoyed it at one point and feel that while you no longer want to pursue it, you at least took something worthwhile from it.

For me. I'm currently in a bit of a slump. If it wasn't for the TP52 week challenge, I certainly wouldn't be going out and about with my camera from one month to the next.

I also have too much gear and I think for many men (more so than women IME) part of the appeal (of any hobby) is the collecting of 'stuff'. In this case cameras, but it could so easily be bikes, golf equipment or old cars.

I'm just as happy taking out my little Canon PowerShot as I am taking out a 5D. In my case, unless you're in extreme conditions, the results are often just as good and the difference in overall image quality isn't so great.

In fact my most liked pictures on Flickr were taken with the smaller camera. I guess it matters if you're planning an exhibition, not so much if you're showing them to friends and family.

 

[F1.2]

I think incentive is a big part , I was a frequent user when a Club member , had a reason to take photos , Competition , Different subjects , Sunday walks in different locations even evenings during summer months , It was great fun , great friends and banter , Then I moved home , I need to find another club . Even arranged and went on 4 camera club holidays back in the day.

 

[StephenM]

The photographer's task is to show that bee in a way that most people haven't seen a bee before. To make the ordinary extraordinary.

That.

Probably nothing is as commonplace and boring to look at as a pepper or a cabbage. Everyone has seen one. But how many saw what Edward Weston saw when he looked at them? That's my motivation and reason for photographing - to present something in a new way, or show it in a new light.

 

[ancient_mariner]

I sold all my digital gear and went down the film route believing that the lack of anything tactile from the process was the problem.
This transpired not to be the case as film and processing has only held my attention for a very short time.

Sometimes a lot of the fun is to just see something, point a camera at it, press the shutter button & move on - the antithesis of film photography. Using with technical kit that's pleasing in the hand and to the eye often also plays a part too.

Noting StephenM's comment above, if your reason for living was to create art then that would be a natural driver, but if it is not then it can seem like a pressure and even make ones pleasure at taking pictures feel worthless and shallow. I don't know why you took pictures, but we often need some reason to do so, and feeling like our photography has no value can really kill the joy.