I just like to take pictures

For years, I've spent entirely too much time thinking about what I want to photograph and how I want to photograph it before I actually get behind the lens. Part of it stems from being an art school student, where I not only had to develop good composition and technical skills for my grade, but also had to attend critique once a month. In a room full of my peers and teachers, I had to discuss what I was trying to achieve in the photograph I chose for the session.

Being under the microscope like that made me start questioning what I was shooting and why. I almost stopped taking pictures all together, because I thought I was incapable of any artistic vision. But I stuck with it, and as I matured a little those college years, I started to realize that a lot of artists need "concepts" and "statements" and "hype" to get them noticed. I'm not that kind of artist. I just like to take pictures.

When I was asked to take part of Shutter Sisters, a part of that insecure girl from art school resurfaced. I asked Tracey if I could just post once a month instead of once a week and blamed it on my workload. In hindsight? I think it was because I was afraid my photos weren't strong enough for an online critique.

Then something Maile wrote really resonated with me, and just last week Sarah-Ji said 'just shoot it'. So I listened. And I captured moments like this. Shots that just... happen. Occurrences and surroundings I see every day and have missed as great photo opportunities. I'm having more fun with my camera then I have in ages.

What about you? What got you interested in photography? And how have your images changed since you first got behind a camera?

Comments

[tracey]

girl! i can soooo relate. i had a similar experience in art shcool too. it wasn't until i started taking photos (and liked them) that i built up enough self-confidence to trust myself, NOT the class critiques. now, i'm actually glad i went through all of that because i feel like it helped me grow some thicker skin and gave me the ability to stand behind my art.

[summer]

I, like you, have always just liked to take pictures. I went through a faze when I had people asking me to photograph them (mostly weddings or kids) and I felt like I should 'know' more of the technical. It made photography so much less enjoyable for me and I began to stress over it. Now I'm just back to taking pictures cause I enjoy capturing a moment the way I see it. Sure there are days I feel like I should pursue making money or trying to be a more 'productive' photographer by turing it into a business rather than a hobby but the fact of the matter is, that isn't me. Capturing a moment in just the way I felt and saw that moment and being able to transfer that to film (or the screen in some cases) and share it...well that is satisfying art.

This is one of those moments:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sufferingsummer/2349344744/

[vivienne]

i got interested in photography as I was healing from a depression. It allowed me to regain joy in my life, to feel present, to connect with magic and to heal.

it has become far more than that. an art form, a passion, a calling, a way to give to others. one of the things i love most about taking photographs is that it is an amazing balance of being empowering and humbling. I'm amazed at what beauty I can create and also amazed at how much I have to learn.

i so relate with your struggles. and love the advice to just shoot!

[jenn]

It is amazing how many times I will take a picture that I like just off-the-cuff and then try and find the 'best' shot, playing with angles and framing and camera settings... only to have it be that first shot that I like best of the batch.

[emily]

i just like to take pictures, too! actually, i am new at photography, and sometimes i get wrapped up in how much (or how little!) praise my photos receive. but, i am loving the fact that my new hobby has completely changed my view of the world. thanks for the inspiration to keep on keepin' on!

[brittany]

i always had a natural drive towards photography, however once i graduated high school i let that go. i had taken all the photo classes offered in my high school, worked at a photo studio, and decided not to go with the photo major in fear of losing the passion to exactly what you experienced, critques, deadlines, restrictions. however, in that process,i more or less lost the passion of photography to excuses of i'm losing experience, everyone else is so much better, i don't have the right equiptment, yadda, yadda. recently i've realized how silly that is, and photography gives me something to not only do for myself, but to give back to others and join in communities such as this that are so inspiring!! i've diving back into shooting and i'm dipping my feet in looking at the technical advances, the editing software, etc that is new(er) to me since i primarily dealt with film before. it's a new and exciting time to reclaim a lost love.

ladies- rock on with your photos and words, have no fear, and post away... you never know who you are inspiring.

[alli]

While photography has been something I did since I was ten, it amped up when my son was born and I started posting his picture everyday http://picturebook.chattablogs.com

As I got more interested in my equipment (I had a loathing of shutter lag) and then discovered postprocessing, I have been turning away from my original subject and finding other things to photograph as well. Moments in time, using my zoom, are my favorite.

[Jen]

I started an everyday piece on my blog and got involved with shutter sisters and now it's just exploded. I try not to think to hard with taking pictures. I am not a pro. I just see things so differently now. And I try to capture those things when I get inspired. The photos that come out the best are the ones I just shot and didn't think too hard about.

[Julie]

I think you take great pictures. I've gotten to where I just snap and hope something comes out cool. My favorite one lately is of my daughter's ballerina outfit. It just really turned out great! I guess that is the beauty of digital.
julie

[W. Lotus]

I've been interested in photography since...well, for as long as I can remember. I probably got curious about it from watching my father tote around his SLR on vacations.

People tell me I have 'the eye'. Sometimes I agree. Sometimes I wonder about that. When I wonder, I stop looking at others' work for a little while, so I can better appreciate my own artistic vision. Once I can appreciate my own vision, I go back to admiring others' work.

Last summer I took an introductory photography course online. Learning the basics of composition and exposure has freed me to experiment more. Now my camera stays in manual mode and my shots are more fulfilling to me.

I would like to be a professional and make money doing what I love. I don't know if that will happen, but I know I will keep trying.

[Angela Giles Klocke]

I used to stumble because I was trying too hard to follow the rules. And too busy trying to be like the other photographers. It wasn't until I began to just shoot and experiment with what *I* like that I felt I found my photography footing.

Just keep shooting, girl!

[Raven]

I take photos because I love them; I have always loved them since I was a little girl. I took classes in high school but never have had the opportunity since and so I stayed with what I was comfortable with, film. I just got a Digital SLR a year ago and I am still learning what it can do. I get told I have "the eye" as W. mentioned but then other times I get no feedback on my photos at all. I think I am at the stage where I get overly wrapped up in the response like Emily mentioned, because I am so green. I use the feedback as a gauge of whether or not I'm learning what I need to be learning. *shrug* I'm winging things so it's hard to tell.

This site and the pictures/blogs on it are very inspiring to me, I come here every day and it's helped me to not be afraid to pick up my camera whenever I want to. I don't feel like I have to be an expert to take a picture anymore. I am happy to document the things that are important to people around me in what is hopefully a pleasing way, like yesterday my nephew flew a kite for the first time and his mother couldn't be there. I took this for her

http://www.flickr.com/photos/justexpressive/2346881489/

[Dotty]

Art school critiques scarred me for a long time. It's hard to get past that mindset of having to do everything perfectly and have an explanation to back it up. Sometimes I just wanted to scream "I took it because it was pretty!"

[camerashymomma]

i can really relate to this. i just like to take photos too. i like how it feels to give myself space from the outside world when i look through the camera. when hiking or walking with the family, i'm always a few steps behind. my brother calls it the "photographers curse" which really pertains to those around us, for it's not a curse for me! to step slower to kneel down in the mud and look at something more for just one more minute. i used to take pictures to document life for in case it slipped away. now i photograph to capture feelings and light. for there are stories in those as well, sometimes more can be seen from something like this dog basking in the sun than a simple snapshot. thanks for this post today!

[melissa]

I have to agree, in fact I would say that the better I have become at photography, the worse I have become about shooting on a regular basis, just for the love of it. I overthink it all to the point of procrastination. I remember the days when i knew nothing of the rules and just took pictures, LOTS of them! Trouble is, I know the rules, but still have yet to master any of them, so I'm thinking, "You know what? Screw the rules, I'm just gonna have fun!" That is when I discovered this little gem. http://thegossardgirls.blogspot.com/2008/02/photos.html

Taking the time to forget the rules or reasons has renewed my passion. Thankfully, my camera and I are hot and heavy again :)

[Allison Massie]

I never meant to fall in love with photos. I have no training, no art background, I have no idea what I'm doing really but for me it started when a girlfriend needed a photo for her blog, and then another had special needs kids that couldn't handle a studio. It continued as their children aged and more friends came along. Somehow now it's years later and I acquired a Canon EOS-20D after my little Olympus frustrated me one too many times. Amoungst it all, I sometimes manage to get something I love. Like this. A simple moment between mother and daughter as they talk about "quakies". I see the photo and it brings back the sweet memory of the day it was taken. I love any photo that does that for my heart.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/akadragonflyphotography/2309762305/

[Rebecca]

I have recently starting 'paying attention' when I take a picture (Sept 2007). I have an average priced digital no photoshop programs and have never thought that I would ever get into photography or that I ever would have the ability to. I have always loved simple beauty. I am a dangerous driver because I can't keep my eyes off the nature that is around me. I am a believer that there is beauty in everything and I have finally realized that there may be a way to capture that beauty, and a way of bottling up an experience, to be enjoyed later--full of a story of its own. That is why I LOVE taking pictures. My goal is to get a taste of that simple beauty of 'a moment' to hold onto forever in my pictures, with no pressure to please others.

[Rebecca]

Meant to leave a picture with the above comment. Here it is...

http://rebeccasmith78.blogspot.com/2008/03/time-at-home.html

[Betz]

This post hit home for me. The love affair with my cameras started in Feb 2006 when my husband gave me a Canon PowerShot for my birthday. By Oct of that year I had upgraded to my first DSLR, my Canon Rebel XT because I was hopelessly addicted to taking photos.

Then suddenly I started to over analyze everything as I watched my online photographer friends take off in different directions. One started working as a 2nd shooter doing weddings and even landed a few commercial shoots. Another friend is preparing for a prestigious exhibition in London. Suddenly I couldn't take a photo if my life depended on it.

I stumbled upon Shutter Sisters when I decided to check out SquareSpace. This site is an inspiration for me and I hope to once again "just shoot it."

Thanks for this post. It made my day.

[krystyn]

Wow. I really appreciate everything said here.It's nice to know I'm not alone. :)

-Krystyn

[Lawyer Mama]

I love, love, love that picture of your doggie up there. The composition is wonderful and I love all that white space (black space?)

My photos have definitely changed, although not in the same way as yours. Having no art or photography background, I went for smiley posed shots. Now, I catch people in candid moments and sometimes I even think about composition in a way I never did before. But it's amazing. Now (although this sounds awfully pretentious coming from me, an amateur photographer who knows so little), I sometimes make art. And I do it for me, not for the empty pages of a scrapbook or photo book.

A photo I took of my son last weekend:
http://flickr.com/photos/lawyermama/2348333831/

[mary]

that's an amazing photo -- I love the cropping, and the light.

Years ago, I passed on art school because I wanted to be free to follow MY vision, and not someone elses. Could I possibly have been that wise at age 18? Probably not. But I have come to love photography now mainly through blogging. I find that I see the world in minutest detail, and in terms of light and dark, composition, color, etc. Photography has taught me that. I love the feeling of being able to find a picture almost everywhere I look. And I love learning from all of you -- thank you!

Something from a walk in the park:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9068078@N05/2337489076/

thanks again,
Mary

[christie]

I am enjoying being prompted to think about these things. I have always liked to take pictures and when I went digital, I could really take pictures, because it is freeeeee! Last year I did the a picture a day thing, and it taught me a ton, but also exhausted me. Sorting through digital is such a long, tedious, cumbersome process for me. For some others I'll bet it is a favorite part. My husband keep urging me to take some Photoshop classes, but I don't want to spend more time on the computer. I just want to click the shutter. I just want to say, "hey, look at what little bit of the world I saw, and enjoyed recently."

In terms of what has changed about my photography, I used to be all about candid shots of faces. Over the past year,I've started taking pictures of things and body parts. Small slices of what I see. I want to start being able to take the wider shots, but so far, I think the outcome has been pretty bland. I haven't yet figured out what makes for good composition in landscapes. I feel insecure about that, but it is also exciting.

[krystyn]

Christie,

Re: "My husband keep urging me to take some Photoshop classes, but I don't want to spend more time on the computer. I just want to click the shutter. I just want to say, "hey, look at what little bit of the world I saw, and enjoyed recently."

I hear you on this! I'm a designer by trade and spend all day on the computer. Yet I still find myself taking images into Photoshop to retouch them after I take them. I think that's another reason I've enjoyed this new direction so much. It makes me look through the lens and not through my monitor. Does that make sense?

Krystyn

[Charmarie]

I still am afraid to show my photos...however I love my Nikon and something about looking at life through the lens is so invigorating and exciting to me.

[michelle]

Thanks for a wonderful post. You guys always know just what I need to hear. I have no art background, I just wanted to take more pictures and take better pictures, so I started reading books and blogs and learning about how to take "good" pictures, and learning about post-processing. But the more I try to learn, the more often I leave the camera turned off... because I just haven't learned it all yet and I'm no artist. I recently let myself off the hook and just set the dial to auto and started shooting. It was a weight off my shoulders! Afterall, it is about capturing moments and having fun. Thanks for the reminder.

[Sarah - Ji]

That's a pretty awesome image!

I think what attracted me to photography was that I've always been afraid of letting go of memorable events, and so I tried to capture them in photos. I've never been an arty girl, but there's something about photography that I just get on a gut level. I think joining Flickr and becoming exposed to all the great photography out there by people who love to shoot pushed me to try new things beyond landscapes and flowers.

I'm so glad you're having fun with your camera again!

[Pam]

This is a magnificient photograph.

[Jen]

I have always loved taking pictures. My dad taught me how to use an SLR when I was about 19 years old. Over the years I haven't had much of an opportunity pursue it, but earlier this year, I lost my job and realized that the shutterbug inside me has been itching to come out.

I know have a DSLR and am trying to improve my portrait photography skills to hopefully make some money in my new venture!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlynn28/

[Kim]

How good to read all these comments after an inspiring post. I grew up with a father who was a salesman by day and played in his darkroom on the weekends. I got his father's old Canon as a teen and took some courses in high school and college. After school I was a metalsmith/ jeweler who always kept photography as a hobby. Then I became a midwife instead of getting an MFA in sculpture. ANYway... I never became truly "free" until I gave up the SLR for a point and shoot. It's been 10 years since I've "thought" much about pictures. Finding the best light, angle, way to swing my butt to get the electrical outlet out of the frame, yes... but the rest of the technical stuff? Gone. And it's been a joy. Having kids has helped, of course ;)

I'm happy to have found shutter sisters. Now I'm having fun combing my picassa for flickr posts.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9032846@N03/

[maile]

wow krystyn, this is such a powerful post. I love your honesty. And was totally shocked to see your link to my post. Because (in all honesty) I totally questioned putting that out there, and felt a bit misunderstood about it. I can so relate to what it feels like when the voices of otheres are much louder than your own. Thank you for sharing this. I think it means an extra amount because you're so talented. It lets people see that if YOU feel that way, then it's so normal!
And I love this image. The light, and angles, and texture. It's really unique. Just like your amazing self!! happy Easter! :)

[elizabeth laufer]

here's my just shoot it a few days later.http://www.flickr.com/photos/23478522@N05/2356179986/

[Sheri]

sometimes i think i'm getting better. and sometimes, like this weekend, i feel like i'll never happen upon another good shot. mostly, i just like to take pictures too and right now, that's more than enough! thanks for the post.

[Sheri]

p.s. gorgeous photo!