When Photography is Not About the Photos
After spending 5 months in Asia, since I’ve moved to New Zealand a few months ago I’ve barely taken any photos with the Camera, and instead I’ve just been enjoying life. Partly due to photography burnout, I’ve kept my time shooting limited.
However, it has allowed me to take a step back and reflect. As a result of this I’ve came to realise and appreciate a few things regarding photography, and therefore in this blog I will discuss When Photography is Not About the Photos.
One thing I’ve learnt over the years is not every photo is going to be a masterpiece, and you’re definitely putting yourself in a negative mindset and thought process regarding your photography to think that way. Especially since coming over and settling down in New Zealand, I’ve came to terms with the facts that some photos will just be taken for personal and memory purposes instead. Photography is the art of noticing, focusing on the details around you and telling a story from them instead, but that doesn’t always have to be the case.
This leads to the question I and anyone who does photography gets asked often when you get spotted with a camera in hand, “Did you get any good photos?”. This is always a hard question to answer, simply because what makes a good photo? Everyone will have their own opinion and different answers, photography is subjective, and that’s what makes the subject so great.
The question always leads me to reflect, and it’s true to truly enjoy something you’ve also got to enjoy the process and not just the end results. Sometimes, for better or worse depending which way you look at it, you’ll be so fixated and focused on the destination that the photography will be an after-thought and be put aside for later. Ultimately, it’s about finding that balance of enjoying exploration first and then letting the photography coming to you as second nature.
I’ve realised more in recent times than most, you won’t always come away with what you personally consider a ‘good’ photo, however as mentioned it’s the process and level of personal enjoyment you come away with from an experience is what matters most. For example, all the images shown in this blog are from a simple morning walk round the city of Napier on the east coast of New Zealand, they are nothing special, however they are results of basic imagery and little thought process, simply because I was more interested in enjoying the destination instead.
Finally, I do certainly believe there is a correlation between photography and mental health, something I’ve discussed before in a previous blog which you can read here. Although photography may not be a kind of therapy for everyone, it has worked for me, and can of course help others. This all stems from the benefits it can produce. By even thinking about going out to take photos means you are pushing yourself to go outside in the fresh air, and therefore doing some kind of exercise. From experience, just by taking a stroll and being outside works wonders. For me, at the moment living it New Zealand means I am lucky enough to live within open landscapes and an excess amount of fresh air, so I regularly go for a country or seaside walk, but it can be a park or even a walk round the local block.
Once you start to do such activities regularly, it kind of becomes second nature, and in my case even though I’ll normally take my camera anyway, just being outside is the main motivation in the end. This is because it allows you to clear your head and think things through, switching off from negative thoughts.
Photography is a wonderful subject to pick up and enjoy, it gives you something to focus on, but more importantly it opens your eyes and teaches you how to appreciate and acknowledge all the little things and details around you. Once you start and have learnt to enjoy the process, you’ll soon realise that actually, photography is not always about the photos.