Why do you do it?

DarknFuzzy

DarknFuzzy

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I'm sure this will have been discussed before, and i appologise if it was recent

I am interested to know what sparked your interest into photography. There are obviously some very skilled and creative people on this forum and it would be interesting to know what made you pick up that camera for the first time.
 
For me it was to capture the superb sights I see early in the mornings at work, but it has moved on since then and I am more into bird and macro photography.
 
I got my first SLR around 17 years ago as a teenager, inspired by my late mother who was an avid photographer.

I lost interest (well ok it was an expensive hobby and I couldn't afford to keep getting films processed at the time) so I sold all my kit and didn't really start again until the first digital compacts appeared and I had a few of those before getting a DSLR
 
When I was around 10 years old back in the 50s, most people had either the standard Kodak box camera, or if they were a bit posher, some sort of folding variation with bellows. Standard procedure was to shoot your roll of film and drop it into the local chemist for processing. To most people, photographic processing was some sort of black magic practiced in the dark, and completely beyond the ken of anyone without a brain the size of a large loaf.

A neighbour who happened to do the processing at the local chemist showed me how to make contact prints from the family negs and cursed me for life with a fascination with image capturing which remains to this day. When I'd run out of negs to print, I built an enlarger from plans in a library book, and went through the lot again, cropping and enlarging and generally having a whale of a time in a 'darkroom' partitioned off from the coal cellar, but hey! - it had a sink with running water. I had posher enlargers in later years, including a cold light colour enlarger and neg analyzer, but I don't think I ever had more fun than I did with that original home made one. As soon as I could afford it I bought my first 35mm film camera, and a little later my first SLR much to the amusement of my dad who told me it couldn't possibly match the quality from the family box camera.

I was in love with the whole idea of digital photography and bought the first camera on the market, an Olympus compact which was less than 1mp - quality was frankly crap but the immediacy of the media was a minor miracle. I had a succession of other digital compacts as they improved but they still weren't anywhere near being a serious replacement for film. It was rather frustrating because at that time I was doing a lot of photo restoration and retouching and the technology available in software was revolutionising that sort of work, but sadly, as for actually taking pictures, there was still no realistic replacement for film.

With the arrival of the Canon 10D both on quality grounds and price, the leap to digital for many people became a realistic one, but I held off till the launch of the 20D at which time I bought one and sold all my film equipment.

So there you are, I'm still here, still snapping, and just as fascinated by it all as I was all those years ago. :shrug:
 
Fascinating story CT, it's been pretty much a life long fascination for you then.

I'm quite a technical person and work in a very technical profession. I find that photography gives me a creative outlet which I love, I havn't really had a creative side until now. I'm learning the getting out and about with my cameras relaxes me and the challenge to improve keeps me going.

I love the storys so far, i hope we can keep this going.
 
Started taking pictures in nightclubs years ago, and it's gone on from there. Gone through 4 point and shoots and now I own an SLR.
I'm not one of the talented people, a few of my fave shots aren't to other peoples tastes, but unless its a club booking it's all for me anyway lol.
xx
 
I've always been fascinated by gadgets, and at the age of 11 (that's in 1964 ;)) my parents bought me an Ilford Sporti which, er, I still have.

Mum & Dad didn't take photos at all, so the family album from that time on was all my own work, and pretty abysmal it was too. I had a few other cameras but lost interest for a while until 1981 when I got a Canon A1 - still my favourite camera of all time. :) And I haven't stopped clicking since.

I take photos occasionally as part of my work, but these are generally boring. Mostly I want to record what's around me - even mundane things that people take for granted, because one day they may be of interest as a record of bygone times. I love old photographs for the same reason, and enjoy restoring them.

So for me the interest is mainly in creating a record of people and places that will never be quite the same again. And bees... You can't have too many bees. :D
 
Im really new to photography,bought my first camera about 4 months ago using some advice and reviews from this forum:). After looking at the posts i felt i wanted to join in the fun, only thing i didnt realise is how expensive the hobby can be, but i think its worth it in the long run.

What i think is great is your always learning something new and you start to appreciate the environment around you, seeing the world in a different light. Everyone needs a creative outlet and what better way than capturing life itself in our very own unique way. In years to come these pictures will be even more magical to us, a digital footprint of our past which will bring back fond memories. It is our proof of existance...:)
 
I blame my brother to be honest. Back in the 80's he had an old SLR which he went around Derry, N.Ireland with taking photographs. Back in those days it was a bit of a bomb site literally so he'd also get some great shots of soldiers, bomb remenants, cars burned out, rioting aftermaths etc. He'd vanish into the attic for hours and come out smelling of vinegar, apparently it was cheaper than fixer or something lol ! He had some great shots in b&w and I was always badgering him to let me have a go. He did and I was hooked. as an early teenager I liked all the mess of developing negatives and enlarging prints and seeing a picture appear before my very eyes ! I'm sure the old style photographers here remember that feeling !

Eventually I went to uni and bought my very own SLR, a Practica BX20 ;) and carried on taking photos at the camera club and now 20 yrs later i'm still an amateur !!! Although I've had my 300D for a while now, i think an upgrade is in order.... ;)
 
blinkerz said:
only thing i didnt realise is how expensive the hobby can be, but i think its worth it in the long run.
Click to expand...

:agree: completely.

I think I do it because whenever I'm not taking pictures, I want to be taking pictures. Right now I'm aching to use my camera but have nothing interesting to shoot. Can't be long before the men in white suits catch up with me :cuckoo::D

I just love doing it really. And even though before I got my camera I was pretty un-interested in birds, now that I have it all I really want to do is take pictures of birds.

I just can't help it :D
 
Ewan said:
, now that I have it all I really want to do is take pictures of birds.

I just can't help it :D
Click to expand...
Can't understand that at all. Have you sought medical help? :thinking:
 
I used to love just taking photos. And I admire "glamor" photography, like on the side of buses, billboards... right down to nature programs where people capture those fantastic shots.

I always used to think "Wow, someone actually had the opportunity to take that". I believe life is ALL about opportunity, I have the "right place at the right time attitude" and too many times these opportunities just slip straight by us... And i was sick of that.

After getting bored of my Dads FujiFilm FinePix (can't remember the model... about 6 years old now though!) I decided to buy my own. After lots of thought, help and advice I settled for the Canon EOS 20D.

Like others have said, it's an expensive hobby... but it's a good one. The only object in my way these days is the technical ability... Sometimes I look at my photos and think "That's rubbish" and it just makes me feel down. So I put the camera down.

However, it's all about practice, and there aren't enough hours in the day!

One day, I'd love to have my work on someones wall.. on a canvas, or in a frame. Not to make big bucks, not to become famous... but to feel like the opportunities I have been able to capture, someone else can have the chance to experience it too.

/Steps down.
 
DarknFuzzy said:
I'm quite a technical person and work in a very technical profession. I find that photography gives me a creative outlet which I love, I havn't really had a creative side until now. I'm learning the getting out and about with my cameras relaxes me and the challenge to improve keeps me going.
Click to expand...

The exact same with me.

I started about 4-5 years ago when my dad first gave me his 30 year old miranda SLR (which has unfortunately has now given up the ghost :( ). Since then I took an A level in the subject and after a year I bought my first ever camera... A nikon F65. For a first modern camera, it was excellent! Had a lot of fun with it, and it saw me through my A level in the subject.

Once I got to uni, I bought a Nikon F80 and some assorted glass. At the time I was still convinced that film was better than digital, so I didn't migrate. My downfall was that I no longer had as much money to do what i wanted with, so film processing became an issue. This caused me to stop taking as many photos.

One day I was walking along the high street with a good friend of mine, (oliver9523) and we saw the D50 for around £300 iirc. This of course got us both in the mind set to get new kit and once and for all (for me) to make the migration to digital.

And so here I am, slowly getting better, occasionally taking a fairly good shot. I just wish I had more time to get out and take photos, but being a student with no cash and studying physics, I don't really have that much free time. Thats my story :)
 
many moons ago i started having interest in photography old 35mm film but getting developed was expensive 7-8 spools a week. Anyway along came oldest daughter 17 now, then marriage oops was late as usual. Photography was slowly getting pushed out of window.. too expensive.

Many years later was doing a few courses at college & graphic design was one of couses included. I liked photoshop & spent about a year doing graphic design, got bored was same thing everyday. Went to networking then seen a digital camera thought i'll have that, PC's were not a problem.

Started again but when seperated wife kept camera's (dont they always) after couple of years i realised hey she not even given me any recent photo's of kids. So at xmas last year bought a fujifilm S5600 mainly as liked look & was cheap. Few weeks ago decided i still liked photography & great as piont & click are they are limited. So 3-4 weeks ago picked up a canon 400d with 18-55mm lens for £312 also picked up canon 70-300mm IS USM so been having fun ever since. 5500 pic taken so far lol

Oh! yeah bonus managed to lose job so being unemployed at moment i've plenty of time to persue hobby
 
I started with pencils and paper and crayons and pastles and glue and scissors and charcoal etc... I was always into art and started playing around with cameras and polaroids as a kid.

I spent a year at art college doing a general art and design foundation and started using 35mm a bit more in my work. Then I did a 2 year BTEC in photography where I learned to develop and print (this is all in the pre-digital 80's). By the end of that I was adding writing to my images so I moved on to a degree in Audiovisual Design as I was into making movies at the time.

So I've been shooting pics since the age of around 10 (30 years!) and I went digital first back in 2000. That really renewed my interest in photography which had dropped off a little due to cost of materials and being skint which meant selling a lot of darkroom stuff.

I've been publishing on the internet since 1999 and sell a lot of prints worldwide.

The best decision I ever made was not doing photography professionally - I love the fact that I take the photos I want, not what a client wants (and having spent many years working as a graphic designer I know first hand how frustrating that can be!!)
 
I picked up the camera for the first time about seven years ago. I had always been into art in some form or another (piano, singing, drawing, painting) but photography had never occurred to me.

I started taking a few shots of my kids, but got bored with pretty shots very quickly. After that, I was motivated by something a little deeper and darker. I had been raised by a repressively religious father and an overly submissive mother, and had never really fit in at home. Never having felt valued or understood as a child motivated me tremendously to photograph kids in a way that showed them the respect they deserved.

I don't limit myself to photographing children anymore, however I do take the same motivation and goals into my portraits of people of all ages. Respect and honesty are big photographic themes for me, whether I'm photographing people, places, or still life.

Note that I've left out all reference to equipment and technical stuff. That part I only learned because I was tired of trying to print crap negatives. ;)

- CJ
 
Mines is oddly the other way round, I use/have used photoshop for the last 12 years manipulating other peoples images and generally buying stock photography to produce books/ads/posters etc... decided seeing as I know the software it would be nice to know the production side - ie: the photography so I bought myself a 400D read tons and tons of books and went out and snapped anything that moved until I became more selective. I will say that photography changes the way you look at things - I tend to study composition/colour/detail far more now than I ever did, and if I see something intereting it drives me mad if I don't have my camera with me (rare tbh)
 
So that I can put myself in debt to be able to come on here and feel inferior!

Michael.
 
There are some quite personal stories in here, I think it's great how much people obviously love what they do and continue to try to improve thier art. Thank you to all who have contributed so far, i hope others find this kind of discussion as fascinating as I do. :)
 
I should probably give you a less flippant (though arguably not untrue) response.

Both motion and still photography are something I have always been interested in but never really had the opportunity to do anything about as a child. But I only became more active in photography relatively recently though after someone told me it was something I was interested in! I guess that proves other people can know you better than yourself as it is something I sort of knew I liked but never really how much. That is what prompted me to upgrade to an SLR.

While I am still interested in video it is something that is very difficult to do alone as you need a more active narrative than you do with a still image to remain engaging. One of the advantages of still photography is it is something you can get out and do on your own, which is useful.

Given my current situation and the way things are at the moment, being able to get actively involved in photography though has been a good thing and very helpful in various [non-financial!] ways well as being enjoyable. It just fits me, I only wish I had the ability to actually make more of it.

Ultimately it is as Slapo says, we just do it because it is fun. But I cannot really explain why it is that way for me though any more than I could say why I think root beer is gorgeous. Which it is, and anyone who says otherwise is clearly in denial. I just wish it was easier to find.

Michael.
 
The first time I had use of a camera it was my mother's Halina job which took 126 format (square) film. I was allowed to take it (with ONE - count'em - film) on the school trip to Austria in 1974. After about half a dozen shots on a 24 exposure film either the camera jammed or the film snapped. Either way - no photos of my first ever holiday abroad.

Fast forward to 1980 when I bought a Keystone 110 film camera in my last year at university. One hot and hazy day I wandered into a small local park and shot backlit rhodadendrons. Woah!!! Tropical jungle effect or what????

Then my dad bought a second hand Practika 35mm camera for about £30. He only ever put one roll of film through it because when he got the film back from the processors it was blank as he'd not wound the film on properly. Embarassment for him, but how I coveted that camera!

Fast forward to the summer of 1981. I had just graduated from Leeds Uni and had about 100 quid left from my final year grant.

Straight down to the camera shop in Middlesbrough. Left with a Ricoh KR10. Aperture priority and manual job. Over the following year or so it was joined by Pentax 28mm and Vivitar 135mm lenses and a Slik 88 tripod. I have only *just* pensioned off the tripod.

The KR10 (wonderful camera to use!) served me well for a about 10 years. I got deeper into backlight work and discovered lowlight work. The numbers all rubbed off the lens barrel, but by then it didn't matter because I *really* understood DoF. I shot Orwochrome and even had a handful of slides accepted in open exhibitions - yay!

Then about 1992 I returned to studying and couldn't spare the time for photography. I returned to it in 2000 and 2001 when I went to the Auvergne and Roussillon in France and realised that the KR10 was no longer focusing properly.

Early 2000. Exit stage left to Jessops. Bought a Nikon FM2N (and Tamron 28-200mm autofocus job) in time for a trip to Morocco. Then took it to Ghana and found I was missing too many shots because of manual focus and manual exposure.

Early 2003. Exit stage left to Jessops. Bought a Nikon F80 and so entered the photographic 20th century. Took it to southern India, Syria and Jordan. Took an *awful* lot of slides, but at least I don't have to worry about the files still being accessible in 10 years time.

Early 2006. Exit stage left to Jessops. Bought a Nikon D70s in time for a trip to Sri Lanka.

Oh b****r - the question was now what but why?. I don't really know if there's an answer to that. All I can think of to say is "because there's a world to be photographed out there". We're all witnesses to history, but who knows what history will be deemed important in 100 years time? In the meantime we're an extension of our cameras.

I am, therefore I click.
 
I think there might be another reason aside from fun that has just occured to me.
That would be: leaving a memory.
I bet that when you'll be old and if would be going through your photos that didn't burn or get accidentally deleted, you'll be thinking to yourself: "Those were the days, hmm. :)".
And maybe it could motivate someone to keep preserving wildlife, old buildings, castles, etc.
You might be telling your kids or your grandchildren how you stood near that old castle, winds blowing gently in your face felt like they were bringing the dead to life again and make them tell stories.
That would be nice and well worth getting your gear, cheap or expensive, and going there, imho.
 
to keep a record of the kids mugs . oldest is now 19 and the youngest is 15 with one in between all girls , trying to get them all to stand together is just not happening now , so i point the camera at other things these days.

and anyone with nothing better to do this weekend , if they live near detling in kent , www.military-odyssey.com might be worth a look .
 
I had a KR10. Boy did I think that was the sleekest and coolest thing in the world after my pig iron zenith.

anyhow like many of you, I first met a 110 camera when I was about 10 and was instantly facsinated with it. I'm not even sure why. Something about the way that you could point it at something and as you moved the little focus slider, your view would materialise there before you.

Wonderful! I supose it was as if I could share something with the camera. It was able to see the world as I did.

From then on I was never far from a camera and over the next six years I used pretty much every penny I had to achieve a kit which was the envy of every snapper. A Pentax ME Super and a couple of really nasty lenses. :lol:

But it was always more than enough for me and helped get my only A grade at O level.

Then some sod nicked it, the whole bag. :'(:'(

I didn't replace it as my artistic outlet had become music now and I'd sort out a camera when we got signed. :cuckoo::shake:

That covers why I got into it I suppose but not why I do it.

3 or 4 years must have slipped by after that, I'd left school and was at the start of my road to fame and fortune in........ well something or other pointless really.

I ended up running a printing business with a friend and one day a client turned up with some images for a brochure that were truely awful. I told them "there was no point even thinking about a brochure with those images, they need to be redone. Hell, I could do better".

They phoned up the the next day and said go on then. So I took my recently bought EOS 100, borrowed a tripod and set off to shoot some newly laid block paved driveways. The photo's were OK and we went to print.

When they came in to collect they also dropped off my cheque for the images. It was a moment of revelation. I'm sure I really did see a shaft of light, hear a chorus of angels and the cheque did float down into my hand in slow motion. :lol: I was no longer lost, drifting without aim. I wanted people to pay me to take pictures.

So, I told my mate the business was all his. Took an awful job with a telephone market research company and went to collage.

17 odd years on, I still feel the same most days. I love it when people pay me to take pictures.
 
i have tried slapo honestly , ive zero chance of getting them all together but i might be able to pick them off one at a time though. as to the why, i just enjoy it , im not very good compared to everyone else in the world but hey. I used to do a lot of clay pigeon shooting , wasnt that good , but i did it because i liked it , same thing really . and i got fed up with breaking my teeth on clay pigeon pie !
 
I love motorsport, attended so many local club events along with the major stuff at my local track, and noticed all these people with camera's, so thought why not. Got myself a compact April 2yrs ago whilst off work sick following a car acident. Stumbled accross this forum, and spent a lot of time reading the posts here. I was then insipired to go out talking pictures of wildlife landscapes etc to the point i got a 350d in October last year. I got a bit of good luck at the bigining of this year and upgraded my kit to what i have now, and i now love it so much i really am aiming to make this a new career for myself, even if i need a part time job to support it,
 
Through my dad. He's always been interested in photography and he bought me my first camera (praktica mtl3?) when I was about 14. The darkroom stuff got me hooked, along with winning a competition at our local camera club aged 15 (annoying many old men in the process) then onto a desire to document my teen years and now just cos I'm hooked. Mostly due to a burning desire for personal betterment.




Oh, and cold hard cash helps ;)
 
My Dad got me into photography - I think I wanted to be closer to him so got addicted to photography and rugby and now can't get away from either.
 
Joining a Liverpool based forum and discussing all kinds of hidden gems In Liverpool and posters getting pics for the discussions, so I started using my camera phone first and as I got more experienced upgraded to better cameras.

That forums gone a bit crap now but It started my like for cycling anywhere In the feel I can think of and got me Into photographing where I go.
 
On the OCUK photography forum, someone posted an image of a set of double yellow lines going across a round grid, however the grid had being turned 90 degrees so to the double yellows sort of went ===||===

that was enough to hook me
 
Donut that is not strictly true is it, I know for a fact you used to hit 70% the the clays in the air. mine did not even break when they hit the ground. At least your diamond dog sits for you
 
i cheated i stood closer than everyone else and as for diamond dog ...........all he does is eat the wads out the cartridges .............the little *uck*r
 
I was given a DSLR as a gift two years ago, and accepted it reluctantly. At the time I was used to point 'n shoots, and never thought I could or would be interested in photography. It was a far-off concept that I cared little for.

Slowly, very slowly, a number of factors made me appreciate photography.

First of all, a friend who has great photographic skill showed me his work. I was astounded. His photos allowed you to experience his travels through a 19" screen. I was impressed.

Secondly, I paid more attention to the news. The World Press Photo competition also caught my attention. I was amazed at the impact and impression a photo could leave on myself, and others. Those pictures meant a lot to me, and I pray one day my photos can mean as much to someone else.

Finally, it taught me to appreciate the beauty in everything. The faces in the clouds, the fine details in an animal's fur, a great smile, cultural architecture... everything. I'm now more eager to experience and travel the world. I used to spend like an idiot, but now I save quite a bit in order to explore and experience more. The world is beautiful and interesting once again.

God I sound like such a damn hippy. The best part though, is it's all true.
 
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