Why do you take pictures? I was recently in discussions on a photographic forum about the reasons. We were reviewing images sent in by the members. There was a lot of constructive criticism which was very useful. But the discussions revolved around producing the best images and how to improve failing ones.
Quite frankly, some images were being castigated as not only not good enough, but also not right for uploading to the online gallery.
How silly.
I am a strong believer that the worth of any image is totally depended on the perception of the person who takes it. It doesnt matter about the quality so much, although, clearly, this is an important factor.
Some people take photographs for the emotional context. Images can remind you of times gone by, of childhood memories. They can remind you of a special occasion, an unforgettable trip and, particularly, a special person.
Searching through past images can bring a certain time and / or place to life. It can be a chance to relive memories that would otherwise be lost in time. Images can evoke laughter, tears and feelings of love. They can transport you to another world and era. Not many things can do that.
A friend I was taking to had some images online. There were nice but not outstanding. But for him, they evoked feelings and memories of a time and a place that was special and had a certain import for him. He was able to recount the story of why he took them. There was no talk of f-stops, apertures and ISO settings. No lens judgements or white balance discussion. They were his memories but the sharing of the story behind the images could be shared and felt by all. Just like the story behind an old antique.
Make your photography your own. By personalising it you will still be able to improve but you will retain those special connections with each image. The power of those connections can be as valuable as the images themselves.
Eric Hartwell runs the photography resource site http://www.theshutter.co.uk and the associated discussion forums as well as the regular weblog at http://thephotographysite.blogspot.com
