I belong to a FB group whose focus is the photo editing software called Lightroom. Whenever I log into FB, my feed is inundated with postings from this group. Mostly it’s photographers showing their work and the photos are more often than not beautiful, so I don’t mind this new phenomenon at all. It gives me something to work toward actually.
But it did get me to thinking about why we take pictures.
So…why DO we?
We each have our own personal reasons, but I also think that there has to be some common ground, or so many people wouldn’t be doing it!
For me, taking pictures allows me to stop time. Not literally, of course, but it allows me to examine a scene in detail and notice and appreciate things that normally I might not. Unlike videos, with a photo the eye has the luxury of time to see each detail, to really focus in on the facial expressions, the background, the foreground, what people are wearing, etc. In other words, not just the forest, but the trees.
I’ve been veeerrrryyy slowly going through old photos, and this process has helped me to remember, with greater clarity, past events. In some cases, it’s helped me to remember events that have long since been forgotten.
Several years ago while at a friend’s house, we were going through old photos. I’m talking OLD as in high school and college. Her father noticed I was deep in thought while looking at them and asked me if it was bringing back memories. You’re damn right they did. (Was I ever that young??).
There was something about the way he asked, the tone of his voice which was sprinkled with melancholy, that made me feel he’s ‘been there’…many times.
I think older people have a heightened sense of the past. My elderly aunt once said when you’re older, your life is mostly about memories.
I suppose that’s true, and why it’s important to live your life so you’ll have plenty of good ones when it’s nearing its end.
Taking pictures also documents those same memories. It is a tangible way of showing, ‘hey, I was here’! But for some, photographers in particular, it’s the capturing of less significant moments, where something might have called to them, or they were impacted by what they saw, that drives them. It’s safe to say the most successful photos do indeed capture a ‘feeling’. We may not know exactly why we feel a certain way when looking at them, but we do.
I’ve noticed some photos that are taken by experienced photographers somehow feel sterile and lifeless, while far less experienced photographers often take more instinctive, compelling photos. They’re perhaps not as focused on the technical aspect of photography, but rather simply trust their instincts.
Always a good thing in my opinion.
I’ve learned, unless it’s a shot I need for my blog, i.e., my garden, a recipe or a sewing project, not to take a photograph unless the scene speaks to me on an emotional level. If I do, for sure the photo won’t convey a mood or feeling. I have been able to capture that in some of my pictures, but not very often, and surprisingly just as many of those successful photos were taken many years ago, long before digital cameras and photo editing were on the scene, as I do now.
I suppose with the onset of digital photography and cell phones, taking pictures has become so much easier, but it can also lead to comparisons. Instagram, Pinterest, blogs…they’re all chock full of beautiful photos and it’s easy to feel that yours are not good enough. Trust your own vision, and don’t worry about whether or not others appreciate your images.
As long as you enjoy your photos, it’s all good. Because in the end, that’s the reason we take them.
In other news…
For the 8th straight day, temps have reached 90 or higher here in the Northeast. Lawns are turning brown, flowers and veggies are wilting, and deodorants are getting a workout. We’ve been taking it easy at the height of the day, either staying inside in an air conditioned space or going to the lake. Anything that we want/need to do outside we’ve been doing in the morning or late afternoon/early evening. It breaks my heart to see everything look so parched after all the work we put into it, but with well water we’re cautious about over watering. We did have some much needed rain last night, but not nearly enough. Our lake is so low the docks haven’t even been brought out this summer, as it’s dangerous for anyone to jump off of them.
I made another cement leaf which turned out quite nice. I’m happy to learn some of you are considering giving it a try, but I’ve learned a lot with this project and will share details soon so hang in there because I think I may have some tips that will help make the project a success. I’ve also got a couple of new things for the fairy garden, but nothing worth sharing.
We did redo some steps outside which were looking pretty nasty! This is probably the last of the ‘hardscaping’ projects for the front of the house. At least I think it is ;). Here’s a ‘before and after’…
Pretty big difference!
Till next time…
Deb @ Frugal Little Bungalow says
We got a nice gentle almost all day rain on Thursday which was a wonderful break from the heat….hope you get some too 🙂
Pinky says
I have no clue how to use any photo editing programs. I REALLY need to learn something. I would love to be able to take better pics and/or be able to edit them. I am SO UNtech savvy and I live with a guy who spent over 40 years working with computers. XO
Cyn says
I wish I had better photography skills, but I do have fun with the editing programs I’ve used. I only have a cheapie digital, but it gets a workout!
Steps look great. It’s sweltering here too and it doesn’t make me happy. Here’s some cooled down temps in the near future!
tammy j says
I think this summer has been brutal all over.
it’s our norm here. but it has always given me a certain comfort to think…
“at least back in my beloved east… it’s still mild and green and cool!”
apparently NOT! I hope it changes for you soon there.
btw… the new steps are wonderful.
and
I think you said the best thing about photography.
‘don’t compare.’
to me it is a vision of the soul. and everyone sees differently.
it’s truly an art form.
and there is too much ‘competition’ in all art.
there should be always JOY in it! and in doing it!
maybe that’s why you realized that some of the ‘pro’s work’
is sterile and often lifeless.
the stilted should and should nots…
ever at work to spoil the very soul of it. ♥
Marilyn @ Pink Paper Cottage says
I just love taking photos as each one is a memory for me… that I can look at later and fond memories are brought back to me… a gorgeous sky, or snow on a fence, or wildflowers, or a snow covered mountain with the pink sky behind it, or me picking blackberries! Anything I do or see I just about HAVE to photograph! i just have a small digital camera but it does really well for me and I use a photo editing program that came with my Fuji Film Fine pix camera (which I dont use anymore) but it’s a great program. PicMonkey is good but awfully slow on my computer which is old! I look back now through old photos of mine or my parents’ and sometimes will see me in a scene but for the life of me, I can’t remember where I was or even being there! I’m so glad I have those photos to look back on now to enrich my life now. And like your aunt said, as we get older, many memories are only in the photos, not in our minds! Very sad but true. Oh… and your steps are great! We had 107 degrees yesterday and up to 100 today and we water twice a day. We’ve kept our “garden” area small, in tubs, so easy to water.. and the flowers along the lawn all get enough water with the sprinklers going. Stay cool! At least you have the lake! Marilyn
Kim says
I was never a big picture taker until I started blogging. I have always loved looking at pictures though. They transport me back in time and I get to revisit moments and sometime people from the past. Today, I take pictures to remember special time with my family. I also take pictures to capture pretty views. Those photos are fun to peek at, but not nearly as important to me. I doubt they will be important to me as the years pass. People are what tug at my strings. I’m a sentimentalist through and through.
Kris @ Junk Chic Cottage says
We are having about the same kind of weather here in the midwest too. It has been so hot and humid. This week end it is actually cooling down some so that is good. I loved your thoughts on taking pictures. Pictures are a great way to capture a special moment or time in our lives. It does help us to remember those beautiful times.
Have a good week end. The steps look great.
Kris
Summer says
I love that photos allow us to see the details and to keep a visual image the memory with us♥
summerdaisy.net
Emily says
I enjoy photography! Whatever the subject, portraits, landscapes, countrysides or cityscapes, I find is pure pleasure. I love the “moment in time” and that which I captured are moments that are precious to me. It’s been such a hot and humid summer here. Not much time to enjoy being oust side so really looking forward to fall. Love the results of your steps project, they look great!
Cecilia says
Hm, I know 90 is hot for y’all but I’d take it. We got some rain this past week too. It was nice and cooled us off into, you got it, the low 90’s. 🙂 Yay for finished projects – your steps look much better (and safer). I agree with what you said about taking photos. Lots of beautiful shots out there but the best ones capture a feeling. Anyway, hope you get lots more rain and cool off! Have a great week!
Cecilia
kelly says
Wow! Your new steps look great! I enjoy looking back at old photos too. However, I have to be prepared to stop and reminisce when I do. Have you ever gone to look for a specific old photo only to be inundated by so many others and you lose track of time because you can’t put them back up? I find that my favorite photos are not posed but candid. The facebook group that you’re part of sounds fun.
Dewena says
What a lovely, thoughtful post this has been, Doreen. Clearly, photography is a passion of yours and it has showed through your posts ever since I met you here. I was telling my husband the other night that I looked forward to more autumn pictures from you. I’ll get my fix of leaves turning here since I don’t suppose I will see it locally.
I get lost in books but I really get lost when going through old family photographs. Just to open one of my red Christmas scrapbooks means a lost chunk out of my day, many smiles and some tears for how quickly the kids and grandkids grew up.
I have a feeling this interest you have in photography will last for years and you will get better and better as time goes by!
AnnMarie says
Oh, the heat here in the Northeast is killing me! I went out last night and just chopped all the dead flowers, some that didn’t even bloom from lack of enough water. I have watered but we need rain! I do love having pictures around, hard copies, on my computer and in my phone. Sometimes looking at them, the nostalgia is too much. Other times I am glad I took the photo. It is an emotional thing!
Cindy says
Great post my friend. Funny, I said to John this weekend, we take pictures of the pups and other people but we never have ones taken for us with our camera. Where are the memories, so that is changing for sure.
Steps look super.
Cindy
Poppy says
Very well expressed and explained, this passion for photography! Like you said, if a scene, a moment, an observation, doesn’t speak to me, then I probably won’t be able to communicate it, transmit it to my audience. In my experience, it’s been the simplest, most natural things in my surroundings that have whispered their message to me, and it is these subjects that I am always inspired to record for my own personal story, whether that is a day in the life, a moment in time, or a second of whimsy.
I like the particular point in time that you chose to illustrate your thoughts today. And speaking of taking a closer look, what IS that scrumptious looking, sesame smothered companion of yours?!!! A MACRO would have been perfect here, btw, Ms. Shutterbug!
XXX
Poppy
Vicky Hunt says
I love to take pictures and I love to look back at them as well. Back in my college days, I had signed up to take a photography course and ended up dropping it for some reason, but not before I had the opportunity to take several photos, pick my favorite, and actually develop it myself in the dark room. That was such a fun experience! Sounds like you are in the middle of a heat wave. We had temps over 100 with the heat index for a record breaking number of days recently. My husband and son work outside and I feel for them. 🙁 Anywho, hope you get some rain soon! We need it as well…fingers crossed! Have a wonderful week!
Hugs, Vicky
Jemma says
Doreen,
I so enjoyed this post. You brought up subjects that I too have thought about, like the memory one, which I am now finding myself doing more of. (How did we get old so suddenly?)
The comparison of photographs,to be happy with our photos, which sort of trickles down into being happy with ourselves.
As for me, my blog has been a catalyst for having faith in my ability to take a photo!
I need to improve for sure, but at the same time, I am just enjoying the journey:)
xoxo
Jemma
Carrie@northwoods scrapbook says
Such wonderful points my dear Doreen. And good food for thought! I so want to get better about working with my camera and how to photograph more manually. I take a LOT of my photos with my phone because it’s easier. But there’s such a quality to the other kind of pic.
I love looking back at old photos too. The ones that intrigue me the most are the more candid ones that have been captured. You’re so right that there’s something more sterile in ones that are more posed and too thought out. I want to get better about capturing details too. And you’re so right….it’s mostly about memories. I never want to forget. Maybe related to what I’ve been dealing with my MIL?
I also can’t wait to get more details on the cement leaf! And what do you mean “not worth sharing in the fairy garden”? Anything related to the magical wee folk is worth sharing my Dear. 😉
Blessings on the rest of your week Lovie!! Stay cool and hope you get some rain!! I’m wearing my strongest sports bra and doing a rain dance for you right now. (did I ever mention I’m a DD cup?) Yikes!! 😛
From your oversharing blogging Bud for life. Lol
Marsha says
Hi Doreen,
What a wonderful article. You captured exactly how I feel when I suddenly stop the car in the middle of a road to jump out of the car and capture that treasured picture from something I seen and felt would speak to my heart. You absolutely nailed it! The picture does provoke a feeling. I especially love the landscape pictures that I try to take and share. I hope I will have a chance to share it with others. I hope your staying cool and enjoying your summer. It has been hot in Wisconsin.
Hugs,
Marsha
Amy says
Great post, Doreen! I mostly take photos to preserve memories, but sometimes, just because the subject, or the lighting, etc. appeals to me. We were lucky to be at the beach for much of 90+ temperatures, but my flowers sure took a beating! Glad it’s cooled off a little, finally!
Mary-the boondocks blog says
Doreen, I love taking pictures, but you already know that. The good thing is that now with digital technology we don’t have to spend a fortune when we are experimenting or learning how to use a camera. As for the emotional side well that is why we do what we do. A scene has to speak to us. Something in the image has to grab us otherwise it is for nothing. I am expressing myself so eloquently here (the opposite of Poppy) haha. It’s definitely the heat that has gone to my brain we hit 100 this week… not fun. Stay cool and I really look forward to the leaf tutorial.
Karen@Beatrice Euphemie says
Hi Doreen, I loved this post – so thought provoking. I think that you have captured the essence of why we take and love photos. Sometimes I look at old photos and feel so heartbroken that time has slipped by so quickly. Especially photos of loved ones no longer in our lives or far away. Seeing my children as little ones also brings out those tender feelings. Now, when I take photos I think of how I am capturing those fleeting moments and memories. Sometimes I take photos because of a certain ‘mood’ or light. So many times I am not able to capture it the way I see it, but when I do, it is so exciting. As far as the summer heat goes, we have had a very cool summer here in WA state, but I am not complaining. Usually we are bone dry from July through to the end of Sept. without a drop of rain. It is hard to see the plants suffering and like you, I have well water and must conserve as the well gets low in drought. We had several years of devastating forest fires in our state, but this year we are getting a break. I know how you feel to watch your gardens and the woodlands shrivel in the heat. I do hope that you get some relief, soon. I’m looking forward to seeing the new cement leaf and hearing your tips. I’ve always wanted to make some. Hope your weekend is sweet 🙂 x Karen
Magali@TheLittleWhiteHouse says
The stairs look really nice. It’s weird but your post got me thinking that I actually take two different kind of pictures, the blog ones and the personal ones.