Why Photography?

There are a lot of hobbies a person could choose and have, name it and you’ll spend most of your time thinking which is the best. Then why photography?

By definition, Pho.tog.ra.phy (noun) - the art or practice of taking and processing photographs. But photography is more than its definition. It is really an art where your canvass is as broad as what your eyes can see and your brush is your camera and paint when light reflects. Others say, it’s an art of capturing light.

Photography, for others is a very expensive hobby, but I say define expensive. If you think photography is expensive compare to what you can learn, capture or even earn in photography then, you need to know more photography inside out then tell me if it’s expensive.

I first encounter film camera from my dad, it’s not an SLR but a rangefinder type (Yashica). Never got the interest until I hold a film SLR from a friend in high school (Richard) where you can zoom in and out from your subject. The first thing I got focus on is the lady crossing the street but can’t shoot since no film is inside. I still can remember that vantage where we sat near the window holding that SLR on recess time.

For 10 years since I got held an SLR camera in my hand, I decided to get one my own. You may ask why wait 10 years? It’s because I can’t ask something that much from my parents and I believe getting something from what you have worked and sacrificed for is much more treasured. Learning photography is amazing, you either get under exposed or over exposed photos until such time you get the hang of it. Taking photos is like driving a car, there so many aspects you need to consider. You must be fast and knows how to control your gear before you squeeze that shutter release.

Photography is an expression of patience where you wait for the right timing in the right place and knowing your subject. It’s not just pointing and shooting rather must have to tell a story and convey a message to the viewer. Composition is an essential part of creative photography. It’s how you capture an image differentiating the subject from the background with an expression to communicate inside the rectangular view finder.

Most questions related to photography and other interest now-a-days are answered by search engines and community forums on the internet, but nothing beats the experience of looking through that small window and pressing that button at the right moment. People engaging in photography may have different point of interest. Some wanted landscape, others want portraiture and others macro photography. Whatever subject you have in mind, has the appropriate lens for that. There will be no perfect camera for all purpose, it’s not like flour. Get to know your prospected subject then buy your gear accordingly. Photography need not to be expensive as long as you know what you want, and not buying something you don’t need for the time being. Upgrades, new lenses and accessories will always be there and no need to rush things especially during the learning process.

For me, lenses are more to last than camera body especially in the times of dSLR. Where digital sensor acts as the capturing element for the camera. Technology moves so fast that almost every 3 - 6 months, a new model is being released for the market. it’s definitely not about the MegaPixel count. Some say the higher MP you have the better, Maybe for the point and shoot. Pixel (picture element) is a single unit that composes an image in digital world. The more you have the bigger your image is. But in relation to Photography specially in dSLR cameras, it’s better to look at sensor size than the number of pixels it has. Of course, getting higher number of MegaPixel is a marketing strategy to attract users which are not that familiar with the megapixel paradigm.

In digital photography, the advantage is you can shoot as many as you want as long as storage permits with the flexibility of adjustment before getting the hard copy and not to mention realtime preview. Processing your photos to the extent of adjusting contrast and brightness, hue and saturation or even adjusting a certain aspect of your histogram to get the result you wanted to have is at your convenience with the use of a digital darkroom (personal computer).

For the past 9 months since I had my first dSLR, its like every time I shoot there’s a piece of my subject that will be forever embedded inside me. There’s always room for learning and sharing that to others with the same interest is a way of appreciating the true nature of photography.

Then to answer the question why photography, it’s simply because when I shoot a subject I have the opportunity to frame the moment and still remain as time moves by. It helps recall the exact scene as you wanted it to be, colors, shades, moods and specially the perfect time of exposure when you’re behind it. Photography is one of the very unselfish act. You may not always be the subject and often times on the back of the camera, but surely is you get to see how the subject looks or emphasize simple things that makes others say wow. The famous quotation says, “A Picture is worth a thousand words.”, then if you take more than 1 photo in your lifetime then that makes you rich man, in words. A single photo can express the subject’s story or meaning in less time than reading the words which is interpreted by the one who have seen it. You need not to ask how and why, all you need is to do peek and press. Your subject may not always be there for you to wait, So what are you waiting for? Decide and think, you need it more than I do.

James Lloyd J. Clavel
- Photography Enthusiast - Getting Serious.