Why I Started Photography

As I’ve mentioned in earlier posts, I’ve always been deeply interested in photographs. I can look at old black and white images for a very long time — there’s something magical about them. They show us a world that’s long gone, and yet they speak to us as if the people in them were still present.

Back in high school, my friend had a camera, and we were often out and about taking photos together. It was an analog camera with film, and unfortunately, I didn’t have the means to buy one of my own at the time. But the interest was there from early on, and every time we went out shooting, the seed was planted a little deeper.

In my spare time — especially as a kid and teenager — I used to draw a lot. But university, work, and life in general made it harder to find quiet moments for drawing. That’s when I began to seriously consider buying a camera. I figured it would produce pictures without me having to do the actual drawing — I just had to press a button.

That was my very first and very naive thought.
You know that famous question: “How hard could it be?”
Well… here I am, many years later, still trying to take the kind of photos I imagine in my head when I see something beautiful.

In my last blog post, I shared the story of how I came to use the gear I have today. I also mentioned how my relationship with photography has grown slowly over the years. It’s only in the past five or six years that I’ve really started to explore it more seriously — to learn, to experiment, to grow.

Even so, I still consider myself an amateur. There’s always more to learn. But I’ve started spending time with other photographers, and I believe that learning in a community will help me progress even faster. Let’s see — maybe a year from now I’ll look back and notice a clear improvement in my photos. After all, the photos themselves are the ultimate proof of progress.

For the past three years, I’ve been taking photos regularly — almost daily. And the more I learn about the craft, the more I enjoy it. It’s become more than just “taking pictures.”

When I go out with my camera, I do so with intention. I’m looking for something. I’m trying to see something — and to figure out how to capture it in an interesting way. It’s a fun challenge that always offers new possibilities. The same object or subject can be photographed in so many different ways, depending on how you see it. And I love that creative challenge.

As a final note, I’d say this:
For me, photography is a way of showing how I see the world around me — and hopefully helping others to see how beautiful our world really is. You just have to take the time to look.
And that, I believe, is the very foundation of photography.