Why do we make photographs?
Is it to preserve a moment? Is it to understand yourself and how you see the world? Or is it simply because we have to?
Since I’ve started sailing and doing charters on Mental Heeling I’ve had the chance to interact with a lot of really cool clients that, after they find out that I’m a photographer, they often ask me how I became a photographer. My go-to story I tell people when they ask is that my grandfather got me into photography when I was around 13 years old. Which is true. But him giving me a film camera and him teaching me the basics of how to use the camera and the basics of photography, in general, can only take you so far. Yet, after a decade of being a photographer, there’s nothing in this world I want more than to just make pictures every day.
Over the past few years as I have started to digitize and go through his archive I’m often thinking in the back of my head; why did he make photographs? My grandfather wasn’t a professional photographer but something inside him compelled him to pick up a camera for decades. He photographed so much of his daily life and once I was born he documented nearly every moment of my life. It’s crazy to see the piles and piles of negatives and the binders of slide film that I have. It’s daunting to go through it all, and yet I still have no idea why he made these pictures.
I put this question out there on social media for people to answer and I wanted to share a few of the responses that I got back:
Simply put, and maybe selfish, it’s the best way I’ve found to be absolutely present in the moment. There’s a ton of reasons and layers and emotions that go with this, but those are part of a more complex and longer conversation - that often I can only have with myself. — @rbardin
As a means to understand myself. Sometimes photography allows me the capture what I feel during the moment as I press the shutter although it does not always translate to the viewer. Personal memento. — @dvdlcy
Photography is not just about capturing beautiful images; its a medium through which I can delve deeper into the complexities of human existence and invite viewers to reflect on their own experiences. — @natybtw
I live in a state of imagination to escape. Taking photos reminds me to look around me and take it all in. — @redactedpride
To preserve the ephemeral. — @itsjackcohen
De-stressing. Artistic outlet. Fun. Way to show the world in my POV. — @brianwhite__
Simply to romanticize life. — @carolinefr80
Ugh because I have to. — @captkathleen
Therapy/self-care, making memories, the whole editing process + more adventures. — @andreafarrelly
Pause and relive moments in time. — @adj.jpg
A big thank you to everyone who responded to this question it was super fascinating and I loved hearing why you pick up a camera. I wanted to put this newsletter out there mainly to share these responses from photo-friends so I’m glad to hear all these different perspectives.
But hearing those responses it was clear to me that this mysterious drive that is inside all of us that call ourselves photographers can be so different. But yet we end up doing the same thing—documenting, preserving, and showing ourselves to the world through our photographs. It can change day-to-day. Some days I don’t even want to pick up a camera. But most days I have this thing inside me that nearly forces me to pick up a camera. I feel obsessive about making pictures. It feels like the only thing I can think of or the only thing I can do when these compulsive feelings come up.
My grandfather was a collector, he had an entire room dedicated to his coin collection. He was truly obsessive about coins and learning about coins and finding certain coins. I think the collector inside of him contributed to him always having a camera nearby him most of his life. I think he wanted to preserve and log moments to look back on and keep stored away in a photo album. I get it, I’m the same way. Especially when every one of us has an amazing camera right in our pocket. If you weren’t born with an obsessive drive to document everything you might have learned it since the introduction of the iPhone. I know it’s only strengthened that feeling to document everything for me.
I’m often torn between wanting to be preset or wanting to collect these artifacts that I can look back on and remember how I felt or what I was doing at the time. And when I say I’m torn because my opinion on this can flip-flop. I could also say that when I’m on the street with my camera in my hand nothing could possibly distract me. I’m fully present and hyper-aware of my surroundings. But the grumpy old man scoffs at kids at concerts while they watch a performance through their iPhone screen instead of focusing on the performance right in front of them. But I literally do the same exact thing every day at any interesting thing happening me.
So I have to ask once again: why do we make pictures?
And then you have to ask yourself, does that answer even matter?
Often times I do pull a camera up to my eye to preserve a moment forever, or to preserve the way I felt when I made the picture. But it might not matter at the end of the day. What matters is that we use the magic of photography to fulfill whatever mysterious thing inside of us that compels us to bring a camera with us or to pull out our phone at any given moment. Photography is beautiful. It’s magical. It still boggles my mind that we have created these little boxes that preserve moments on pixels or with chemical reactions. It’s amazing. We should celebrate the magic of photography and the many many emotions it can stir up inside of us when we see or make a photograph. We should celebrate whatever inner voice is inside of us or that curiosity in us to press the shutter button. Whatever that is, should always be celebrated.
Leave a comment on this post if you want to add anything to this conversation/topic, I’d love to hear from you.
Much love,
Ryan ✌️