Does your Significant Other "get" your art ?

I completely understand where you're coming from Taqi!

My wife has surprised me on many occasions by taking an interest in my photos, even ones in which I think she would have little interest. I don't know that she understands why I take some of the photos I do, but she indulges me and is kind even when providing criticism.

Actually, she surprised me a few weeks ago. I was going through photos, especially some old color ones asking her what she thought about this or that. After looking at all the photos, she stated that she thought of me as a B&W photographer. While I don't know if I consider myself such, I was pleased that she had even put any thought to the subject. It's the little things....🙂
 
My wife often takes better pictures than I do. The problem is that she has no idea how to use a camera. She used to have a Canon AE-1 and put everything on "auto" and knew how to focus and shoot. Now she has a cheap digital P+S that she likes even more. I'll show her one of my photographs and she'll tell me exactly what's wrong with it and though she's completely untrained, 9 out of 10 times I'll take her advice. Some of my best work are pictures that she has told me exactly how to set up. She has an enormous amount of talent, but almost no desire for photography. Despite this, I'm glad to have her around as my "art director".
 
My wife was an art/humanities major, and a painter. She is my number one critic, and has prints of her favorite photos in her office. She holds my lens when I switch lenses on the street. She fakes posing so I can take a discrete over the shoulder shot. Yeah, she gets me.
 
Although I jokingly use her as a reason that I can't buy gear... she's actually the opposite of that (don't worry - she understands I'm kidding). She's extremely supportive to the point that I would often hear the following, "... if you want it, buy it..."
 
I'm lucky that my wife is not critical of the expense of my gear, and is generally understanding and patient with my stopping for photo ops if we're together. She does not "get" most of what I like photographically, yet she accepts that too. For her the subject is EVERYthing. She uses a digi p&s and it's irrelevant to her if the shot is sharp or blurry or tilted or poorly composed; it's only the color and the subject that matter.
 
Sorry... didn't realize I didn't actually answer the question...
My wife enjoys the same urban/street/snapshot type of photos that I do. Many times, she sees the same photo ops that I see and usually knows when i have to let go of her hand to raise the camera.... 🙂
 
I used my wife's painting classes to justify my GAS 😉 she likes my stuff, and does shoot film herself, Canon SLR with a wide/short tele zoom. We are remodeling our house and she has offered my at least one wall for photos😀
 
My wife is no fan of mine. I envy those of you who have creative spouses who understand your hobby.
I think she is finally accepting that I won't be happy without this outlet, so she's more supportive than she used to be...but just barely.
 
My wife accepts my photography 100% just like I accept her passion for collecting movies. She is a wiz on the computer, but doesn't wan't anything to do with taking a picture. She did take the one of me thats in my avator with her digi cam. Thats about as far as she will go. But her eye for composition is incredible. She can see a photograph when alot of times I miss it, like the other week when she found a dead bird lying in the road in front of our house with it's feet purched up & how the background of tha asphalt glissoned in the sun. Shes definently a true companion.
 
My wife is my best critic. She's also patient, but not always. However, she's learned that if she wants me to go somewhere with her, all she needs to say is "think of the photo ops."

BTW, she's not too crazy about some of my pics. But then there are some she likes.

I'm just happy.
 
Eh....pretty much, she understands what I do and what im trying to say for the most part and helps me out with messages and whatnot. Since she is a fellow photographer with a lust for 50mm lenses it kind of all works out.
 
ray_g said:
My wife was an art/humanities major, and a painter. She is my number one critic, and has prints of her favorite photos in her office. She holds my lens when I switch lenses on the street. She fakes posing so I can take a discrete over the shoulder shot. Yeah, she gets me.
Click to expand...

I envy you, Ray_g and GeneW.

I cannot blame my girlfriend for not getting it when there is probably no 'art' in my mediocre photographs.
 
The last handful of womenfolk who deemed me worthy of a relationship with them have more or less "gotten" my creative urges (among others), which, some have said, was part of what they regarded as "attractive" in me. (Like most men at such moments, I'm liable to believe anything I'm told to this effect.) 😉

Then, too, there have been musings to the effect that creative-types do what they do to attract potential mates. (I think these studies, as with too many others, tend to emphasize males; I doubt the findings speak for everyone, to put it mildly.)


- Barrett
 
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My SO (wife in a little over 2 months) is also into photography, but not a gear head. She's happy using her P&S most of the time, but "borrows" my Olympus E400 or E1 when she wants to get more serious. She has a great eye and will often get the shot that I wanted. She's as happy shooting street/candid as she is landscape or macro, although flora holds a particular interest - she's a garden designer. She does get what I do and my need to do it. She is my greatest supporter and seriously questions any gear disposal, but not acquisition (stopped me selling my M8 recently). I am a very lucky man.
 
Yes honey, that's great

Yes honey, that's great

She used to go "oh, that's nice honey", but now she discovered my Canon A-1 and she is actually starting to enjoy photography herself.





.
 
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my wife is very supportive of anything I do artistically. But she doesnt always understand why I do some things. especially my street photography is a mystery for her. She doesnt like the photos of people she doesnt know 🙂 That goes for my drawings too. "who is that?"

in the last two years I almost constantly have a camera with me, it has become such a part of my everyday life that everybody I know just had to accept that 🙂
 
My wife-to-be ( 6 months of freedom left😀 ) is supportive, loving and generally brilliant but does she "get it?" Not a chance!

She doesn't really understand how I can spend all day photographing for work and then want to take more photographs in the evening, at weekends and any other time I can. Maybe its because she's a teacher and is only too pleased to put her days work behind her once she's finished all her marking etc at about 10pm.

She prefers pretty landscapes and all the usual stuff that 'most' people seem to enjoy and doesn't understand why I want to take photos of complete strangers or light falling on something of 'no interest'

Having said all of that. She takes loads of photos at parties, in the pub and at all the get-togethers we have with friends which is something I really appreciate. Friends being as hugely important as they are she knows the value of capturing the happy times together which I rarely do with my cameras...I don't actually understand why I don't take more of my family and friends, maybe that's my 'downtime?'
 
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