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Why do you take photos?

For many years now, almost entirely for personal memories only, both purely for myself & to share with close friends.

For a long time I photographed for cultural documentary reasons & for personal pleasure, which you might call Art as I attempted to make pictures that spoke for the subject & not of me.

I regret that the demands of full time work & increased personal responsibilities seem to have killed my interest & creativity. Doesn’t stop me collecting gear though, just in case things change!
 
@Durmbo

Just carry a camera always, and use it liberally; the phone in your pocket is more than good enough: because the camera you have on you in any given moment, is by definition - the very best camera available!

ATB.
 
I keep hoping someday I'll take one that doesn't suck. But who was it who said insanity is continuing to do the same thing and expecting different results?
 
martin clark said:
@Durmbo

Just carry a camera always, and use it liberally; the phone in your pocket is more than good enough: because the camera you have on you in any given moment, is by definition - the very best camera available!

ATB.
Click to expand...
Thanks, Martin. I agree with you. As long as I’ve been into photography I’ve carried a camera of some sort at all times. I’m never without my phone & am always taking pictures. It’s just that getting into the immersive, discriminating “seeing” that once came naturally is the impossible part! — & I’m the only one who can fix this.
 
Mainly so that I can refer to something so that I know; the login details for my WiFi, which car battery to buy, or car tyres to get quotes for, which paint to order for the hallway, location photo of my grans headstone so that I can find it again! etc.......
My iphone photos folder is a riot of creativity!
 
One thing nice about walking around with the *intention* to take photos whenever you are out is that you see more things. It’s like careful listening. You just see/hear more stuff. Otherwise the world around you can become background music.
 
Bresson was an influence on Eggleston, i think Eggleston met Bresson once and he was rather disparaging of "colour", never meet your heroes!

Obviously in that period (Magnum et al) serious photojournalist worked in B&W, colour was the medium of advertising. Bresson gave up making photographs thinking drawing and painting was a better was to express himself, unfortunately his mark making skills don't have the clarity of his eye! Not unlike Eggleston's forays into music it could be said.
Ernst Haas started using colour in the 50's, realizing it could be as expressive, vital and poetic as B&W.
Of course they're is something powerful about the tones in B&W, the luminosity of a print, stripping away the colour just leaves the essence of the photograph and it's often easier to see how the light effects the surface.
As a kid i used to watch B&W films and not really understand why they were so compelling, i now understand that it was the richness of the tonal range, dynamic compositions and the way the light was used.
 
For memories, for the challenge, and seriously I am still shocked that when I press that button… an image appears!

Also, for family abroad etc, they love the updates.
 
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