why do i photograph?

it's about the only thing I can do that makes me feel happy and not have to worry about pleasing anyone else.....simple.
 
The only way to spent lots of $$$$ and being able to "proof" that it was necessary to spent that $$$$ by showing some prints ... :D
 
I photograph to photograph. And I photograph to photograph because...

Oh, hell. What Winogrand said.

Edit: To embellish with a bit less flippancy, I mainly photograph:

- to discover

- to rediscover

- to remember

That's it. And, it's fun, but the fun is interwoven with all the above.


- Barrett
 
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...to see what something looks like photographed?

Todd
 
I photograph because....

I like it , i have no way of explaining it , but its enjoyable and its a great time sink.
 
My family had no TV 'till I was quite old. My pa was an avid reader of newspapers though, and news magazines. We'd sit together and he'd explain the goings on in the world to me, and we'd discuss the photos.

I suppose that this was towards the end of the period of great photojournalism in the press. The images were striking and always stuck in my mind. The conflicts in east asia and all manner of turmoil in africa and india. I wanted to be like those guys, reporting the news from all over the world and bringing the images into the homes of normal folk.
All quite impossible at twelve years of age equipped only with the family box brownie.

I got there, later in life with the proper equiptment, and still get an enormous pleasure when seeing how I can depict the world and the goings on around me.
 
I agree with the previous comments, and would like to add:

- it's good exercise to grab a camera and walk or bike for miles. It also gives a good motivation to exercise... to take pictures!

- Sometimes I see something and I think, "you know, I bet nobody has ever before taken a picture of this." At that point, a photograph becomes a historical document.
 
Sometimes, to make something interesting or beautiful to look at.

Sometimes, to just document our lives and friends and family.

Sometimes, just because I'm bored.

Always, because I like it. It's always a challenge, in a good way. And I always look forward to seeing the negatives, slides and prints. That's like opening a present.

-Laura
 
I photograph because I like people. I especially like people doing what they love to do, hence my frequent visits to 'events' of all kinds.

I photograph because I am curious. I had no idea what a tattoo convention was like, or an exotica event, or even a rodeo, up close and personal.

I photograph because it gives me entry into worlds that are not necessarily my own. As a photographer, I need no other explanation as to why I am anywhere.

I photograph because I think other people might like to see the things I see.

I photograph because I think someone ought to, especially the fleeting moments of people being people, which are too soon lost, discarded as mundane and ephemeral.

I photograph because I feel creative. I express my creativity in many ways, including writing, but I truly enjoy getting out and expressing myself with images I take.

I photograph because some part of me wants others to see things through my eyes, to perhaps understand my perspective in some way.

I photograph because it is a constant challenge and something not easily mastered.

I photograph because someday I won't be able to do it anymore. Photos will be nice to look at, besides just having memories.
 
Damn it, people, you're all stunning me with your comments....!

(Bill: How many nails can you hit on the head in one night?)


- Barrett
 
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Because I can communicate with photography better than with words.
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