Does it really matter?

Does your photography really matter? I don’t necessarily mean to the world or even others but does it even matter to yourself? Do you create the photographs you want or do you create work that others expect?

I know if you’re a photographer who earns your living through your photography you often have to produce the photographs that pay the bills, but is it really the work you want to create? If it is, that is wonderful, if it is not maybe you can create some side projects of the work you want to create.

I don’t make my living through my photography. I’ve made money from my photographs but it isn’t what I do for a living, but I have found myself producing work that others expect to see rather than what I would want to produce. Even as amateur photographers (amateur meaning for the love of it) we can, at times, produce the work others expect. We can also get lost in the creativity arena.

I have, in the past, asked photographers why they took a particular photograph. Most of the time, they will answer with something along the lines of, “I was drawn to the scene by the light” or “I thought it looked interesting” but when questioned further about their “why” most are not able to expand upon the why. They don’t know why of the why. We don’t have to create images that have a deep meaning or hidden message, but if we, as the photographer and artist, don’t understand why we are drawn to particular subjects, light, scenes, and so on, how can we create the photography that matters to us?

Ansel Adams was an environmentalist. He was a lifelong member of the Sierra Club. He had a passion for the environment. It isn’t any wonder why his photographs of natural places like Yosemite are so wonderful. His passion was for the preservation of nature and natural places.

Maybe I should explore my passions outside of our photography and that will allow me to see my photography in a new light and I can create the photographs I want and understand the why of my why.