Someone asked me today why I take photographs?

[RichC]

"...Sometimes I wonder how all those who do not write, compose, or paint can manage to escape the madness, melancholia, the panic and fear which is inherent in a human situation.”

Graham Greene

I photograph to expose the madness, melancholia, the panic and fear which is inherent in a human situation.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Main reason. I have family, we take pictures at home and around. Nice to check them later.

Second reason.
I was living in USSR which is gone and I have almost no pictures.
I was visiting and working in Europe before it went to Unions style.
And only few pictures.
Even England, speaking Friday language, could you imagine they have no Stella in every pub as of now? I tasted old good England, but just dozen or so pictures.
Now I'm trying to catch it up in Canada. It is changing way too fast here.
I like to document farm lands, old houses, Main Streets and Canadian factories before they are gone.

One very famous Soviet time movie is based on true situation then every building at every city was the same like. Same going on in Canada right now.
Same in Vancouver, same in Toronto. No name, no neighborhood, no sun above the church high-raised slams. In terms of photography, of course...

In few words, it is nice to have pictures of something you have seen, but it is gone.

I don't think what Fred Herzog did it on porpoise, but because of him we knew how Vancouver used to look like....

 

[angelopartemi]

To record a time and place in my life, roaming free, searching for for something.

 

[Darthfeeble]

Because I can't draw.

 

[markwatts]

Because it is very unhealthy to be an engineer 24 hours a day.

 

[maddoc]

... because something tells me that I have to. No rational reason behind.

 

[Roninman]

Yes...and I can't think of anything else to do with these nikons and leicas laying around, plus it helps me stay in the present

 

[raid]

I like what Keith said. It makes a lot of sense to me.

 

[gb hill]

I photograph to create a visual record of what is in front of my feet.

 

[Iestrada]

Because .... Because I like to play with my toys, because it allows me to travel back in time any time I want to, because on occasions it allows me to see what I am unable to see with the naked eye, but above all, because I want to.

 

[Wayne R. Scott]

I photograph to earn astonishingly large sums of money. Or maybe to spend astonishingly large sums of money. One of those two must be it.

 

[Pablito]

I hate that Winnogrand quote. You see it repeated again and again and it does a real disservice to photography.

 

[Richard G]

Compulsion
Curiosity
To see
To remember
To record
To be absorbed
To solve a problem
To affirm my presence at a time and place
To be in tune with time and light

 

[Keith]

I hate that Winnogrand quote. You see it repeated again and again and it does a real disservice to photography.

Explain to me why it does a disservice to photography ... I'd be curious to know why you feel this way?

 

[Barnackdriver]

Main reason. I have family, we take pictures at home and around. Nice to check them later. Second reason. I was living in USSR which is gone and I have almost no pictures. I was visiting and working in Europe before it went to Unions style. And only few pictures. Even England, speaking Friday language, could you imagine they have no Stella in every pub as of now? I tasted old good England, but just dozen or so pictures. Now I'm trying to catch it up in Canada. It is changing way too fast here. I like to document farm lands, old houses, Main Streets and Canadian factories before they are gone. One very famous Soviet time movie is based on true situation then every building at every city was the same like. Same going on in Canada right now. Same in Vancouver, same in Toronto. No name, no neighborhood, no sun above the church high-raised slams. In terms of photography, of course... In few words, it is nice to have pictures of something you have seen, but it is gone. I don't think what Fred Herzog did it on porpoise, but because of him we knew how Vancouver used to look like....

Very good point. I think these are excellent reasons to photograph, a sort of historical record. In all seriousness and respect I salute you, my friend.

 

[thegman]

A few reasons:

It's fun hobby, you get to play with very cool things, like Rolleiflexes.

I like to travel and see beautiful scenes, photography makes nice recordings of these memories.

Something resembling a sense of achievement. Getting a photo I was happy with made the hassle of using 4x5 film worth it, for me.

I like landscape photography, all I really want to to accurately portray what it's like to be in that place. I'm not looking to make art, just good pictures of beautiful places.

 

[farlymac]

I do photography because it's the one thing that keeps me sane.

PF

 

[Greyscale]

Because if I don't, parts of my world go away forever, and I am not smart enough to build a time machine to revisit them.

 

[hendriphile]

Lest we forget.

 

[Samouraï]

Because I can't paint (kidding guys).