The World through the eye's of a Photographer

Photography...

I've heard this debated and contested so much through my years practising the art.

Some say it's not art, anyone can do it.

There is no skill, it's just point, click and print.

Oh that's easy, I can do it just as good with...

For those of us who really took a deeper dive in to the art and look below the surface, we know the above statements, actually are not true.

Sure, you can pick up a phone these days, most have good enough camera's and image processing and take a good photo, heh, some of my best image's have been captured on my phone camera, it's easy, it's convenient and it's something most people tend to always have with them, so... everyone can do it right?

Well, yes and that's the beauty of this as an art form, it is truly accessible, more so than ever before, you don't need to pay out thousands of Pounds for high end gear and the day's of the dark room (oh how I miss mine!) are now digital.

So, sure, it's accessible but then comes the reality...

There actually is skill involved, put two people side by side, with the same equipment but different skill sets and experience in photography and compare...

9 times out of 10, the skilled, experienced photographer will produce a better image, one that tells a story, captures the viewer or even as art should, invoke an emotion or feeling but then there's something even more important than all of this, something that some find easier than others...

Inspiration.

Now for my introduction, I'm located here in England, photography is my passion and my escape and as a male nearing his 30's, in a world where we are so busy, constantly on the go and non-stop stress being thrown at us, I find it important to switch off and even express yourself once in a while.

Enter photography and inspiration.

I do not know a photographer who does not find inspiration in their emotions and who refuses to convey that over to their work, even wedding photographers that I have met, one even admitting to me that the quality of their work, although they try to remain impartial and emotionless on the day, depends on their emotions on the day and during post-shoot editing.

This same photographer showed me an example, he had an event where there was nothing but stress, arguments and chaos, his work ended up being moody and dark, almost rushed like they just wanted to get out of there.

Another event, same photographer, loads of laughter and fun, everyone was up-beat and happy and his work ended up lighter as a result.

With personal experience I've seen this as well, the image you see at the top is a great example, it was taken during a dark time in my life where depression struck hard, looking at the image now, I can feel that expressed through the image but also with the hope of a light at the end, just breaking through.

This is where photography really shines as an art form and why I believe it to be undervalued, sure you can get the same with painting or drawing but those forms are not, in my opinion, as accessible and if you make a mistake, you have to start over or adapt what you already have if you cannot correct.

With photography, you can make that one image in to many different images with ease, the same subject but different feelings and emotions, the same view but a different perspective and when you let your energy and emotions flow both with the camera and post-processing that is when your work truly shines and photography as an art truly comes in to it's own.