Sunday School: The Most Important Lessons Cannot Be Taught

I can explain to you pretty much what I did to get this image. I can talk about how I had to up the ISO to compensate for the aperture and shutter speed I wanted to use. I can discuss how I got that fabulous flare. I can mention that I shot through a mesh fence to create texture and framing. Those technical details, however, cannot convey WHY this image is meaningful to me, or the sense of pride and hope I felt as I shot it watching a community come together to protest injustice and take direct action for positive change.

Beyond technique and tips, there are some very important lessons that we each have to figure out for ourselves. One of them is discovering what it is exactly that fuels our photographic fire. What motivates you to lug that camera everywhere, or to take it out of your bag or purse at all? What puts you in "that zone,"--you know that place, right? When you become momentarily oblivious to your companion's pleas to keep up? Or when you have that gut feeling that tells you to be ready for a shot?

Maybe it's a compulsion to document your life story or to collect whimsical ephemera in the form of images. Maybe it's because you're on a journey of self-discovery through the images that speak to your heart so emphatically that they demand to be captured for posterity.  Maybe you enjoy seeing yourself and your loved ones change over the years via your photographs.

I can't teach you where to look for that fire, that passion. Sometimes it's not so easy to find. Anyone can take a generically good picture. Taking a photograph that YOU find meaningful and can get passionate about, however, is another story, and it just so happens to be the story that matters. Fortunately, there is no right or wrong; just what's authentic.

Please share with us today what lights your fire as a photographer or about your journey in discovering that spark.

Comments

[sarah]

It's very hard to describe. What I love photographing is things that are themselves. People, flowers, action, sky ... the beauty in authenticity. The soul in things, the rightness.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/shorelinesphotography/4822506329/

[cigi]

I retreated to the desert during a very dark period of my life thinking that, while it would be a good place to regroup, I wouldn't find much that was visually interesting. Instead, I've become obsessed with searching out and capturing the quirky, unique history here:
http://instamaticgratification.wordpress.com/2010/04/11/91365/
http://instamaticgratification.wordpress.com/2010/08/23/227365/
http://instamaticgratification.wordpress.com/2010/09/06/240365/

[Marcie]

Passionate and somewhat obsessed with capturing and recording something from everyday of my life. These are from my daily walks in Vermont:
http://marciescudderphotography.com/index.php?showimage=1300
http://marciescudderphotography.com/index.php?showimage=1299
http://marciescudderphotography.com/index.php?showimage=1298
http://marciescudderphotography.com/index.php?showimage=1297

[Jennifée]

Hard to describe indeed, but probably a very useful exercise, to consider it deliberately. For me, one important part of it is to help preserve memories. For instance, I recently graduated, and I've been eagerly photographing the flowers people sent me, to remember the glory of the flowers themselves as well as the sense of accomplishment and gratitude I felt at the time.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/85057042@N00/4990952526/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/85057042@N00/4982921349/

Additionally, I always look for images that tell a story, though the challenge is to create images that tell a story to other people than myself :) This is one recent example of what I see as a storytelling image:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/85057042@N00/4995848763/

[CDScott]

Sadly, I haven't had the fire lately. I've been focused on the "business" and getting it going, getting my name out, doing the work people want. While that is fruitful work, I haven't "just shot" with excitement and fire recently. Sigh. Time to refocus....

[Kat]

Wow, how to answer that question in a comment, when it seems like I've been blogging for months on that topic? But what I've learned through all of my photographing and writing and more photographing, is that I love to capture evidence of beauty, peace and joy in the world, by the simple things that I find along the way:
http://www.kateyeview.com/2010/09/real-life-still-life.html

[Victoria]

This was one of those moments that my gut told me to take a shot. We got on the ride and I could see her taking it all in. I just waited for right time to hit that button...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/6riddles/4947274692/in/set-72157623142075000/
I'm learning that I love capturing this kind of moment.

Great post Sarah. I'm still finding my stride with my camera beside me and this helped me put a little thought into it today.

[Jennifer]

My photographs are a documentation of my memories. I don't always have a camera in my hand because I want to experience life sometimes without my gadget, but it's helped me tremendously with noticing little moments of beauty that I normally would have passed over and never remembered.

To put it succinctly: My view of life and the world has changed, and photography is my way of sharing that.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cardboardsea/4974446994/

[deea]

Light. It inspires me most. I see a glint off water, or the setting sun casting it's last glowing rays, the stage lit with all else in darkness, the way the high sun plays through the leaves. ... Even seasonal differences from the blue of winter to the yellow-green of summer. The way light changes my mood, and the feel of an atmosphere... everything about it is magical.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/deepdish/854421015/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/deepdish/2881243294/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/deepdish/389596165/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/deepdish/320464656/

[Infuse: inspirit]

today's posting http://infuse.posterous.com/ says it for me ...
nt wright on art ~
thx for asking :)

[Audra Van Vliet]

Love, love, love your picture. Beautiful. My passion is portraiture. Natural light. People. Once in a while animals. But I just don't think there is anything as rewarding as showing someone a photo of themselves that they look at like it is a work of art. I like that. And there is no light that is as flattering as free light. It saves me a load of money, makes me learn angles, and keeps me very creative. I had a couple shoots yesterday, you know the kind that you can't wait to get home and work on.

http://lastpictureshowphotography.blogspot.com/

[WorthIt!]

For me, photography is an attempt to capture the essence of a place or a moment - emotion, movement, color, pace. I rarely get it right but, when I do, it brings tremendous joy.

Here's an old shot from when I lived in London that I think captures well the holiday hustle & bustle.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/52055227@N07/5004387005/

[Bettina]

My mother taught me to see the beauty in the world... its all around, even in the "ugly" things :) Having my camera helps me see... and helps me share... Shutter Sister's has opened my eyes wider, so see other things, it was because of the "shooting into the sun" post that i have stared experimenting with that. I am new to this photography world, i dont know about ISO and aperture, but i am trying to learn... But basically, i carry my camera to share :)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bettina2/4978982240/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bettina2/4978373021/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bettina2/4978372361/in/photostream/

[Kathleen]

The beauty and messiness of nature always intrigues me: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ko2008/5002943356/in/photostream/
As does the face of the one I love the best: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ko2008/5001954753/in/photostream/

[Diane]

You know, originally what got me back to photography was the light. How the sun creates magic with everything it touches.

I've recently had an insanely business July and August and I've been trying to reconnect with what pulls me, drives me, and moves me forward. The light:

http://www.dianeschuller.com/blog/2010/09/17/autumn-in-black-and-white/

[Trude]

Thanks for sharing this, so awesome to see what inspires everyone! Definitely light, and the way it plays off everything, has me getting the camera out more often the not. But my latest venture of shooting dogs up for adoption at a local shelter has really been getting me in the zone. For some reason, working with dogs is such a challenge that it keeps me going back for more! :)

[gonzomama]

some days i just pop my earphones into my ears and they stay there all day. one of my favorite ways to escape - getting lost in music and drowning out all other noise.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/59735955@N00/4581516755/in/set-72157623114170860/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/59735955@N00/4505297521/in/set-72157603870998059/

[gonzomama]

oops wrong post ; )