matt miller
Subscriber
Greetings from Matt in Iowa. Ive been lurking for a while, and have made a few posts, but have never officially introduced myself. This site & the people here are absolutely wonderful.
Im fairly new to photography, having only been seriously shooting for about 5 years. I work with 6x9, 8x10, and play with a Holga. I have a wife and three young daughters that consume most of my time & fill my life with pleasure. Im still trying to find my photographic voice and what exactly Im trying to say; and why Im doing it. I hope you dont mind a few questions.
Why do you photograph?
Is it to express yourself visually? To show others what you see? How you feel? Do you do it to capture the beauty you see & share it with others?
Do you do it for yourself? Or do you do it for recognition from others? Both?
Is it the process; the feeling of creation? Is it the euphoric pleasure you feel when peeling your negatives off the developing reels, or turning on the lights with a tray full of negatives, or watching the image come up on paper?
Is it for the art? Are you trying to create something that stirs emotion in another? Is it for the feeling of power that you get when that happens? Is it for the questions that will be asked?
Is it the feeling of relief? The need to get something out of you?
Most of what we photograph never makes it past the negative stage. Why then do we even click the shutter? What is it that makes us click the shutter? Is it hope? Are we simply committing to memory the beauty we see before us? Isnt that enough most of the time? Why should we add to the visual clutter of the world?
Im fairly new to photography, having only been seriously shooting for about 5 years. I work with 6x9, 8x10, and play with a Holga. I have a wife and three young daughters that consume most of my time & fill my life with pleasure. Im still trying to find my photographic voice and what exactly Im trying to say; and why Im doing it. I hope you dont mind a few questions.
Why do you photograph?
Is it to express yourself visually? To show others what you see? How you feel? Do you do it to capture the beauty you see & share it with others?
Do you do it for yourself? Or do you do it for recognition from others? Both?
Is it the process; the feeling of creation? Is it the euphoric pleasure you feel when peeling your negatives off the developing reels, or turning on the lights with a tray full of negatives, or watching the image come up on paper?
Is it for the art? Are you trying to create something that stirs emotion in another? Is it for the feeling of power that you get when that happens? Is it for the questions that will be asked?
Is it the feeling of relief? The need to get something out of you?
Most of what we photograph never makes it past the negative stage. Why then do we even click the shutter? What is it that makes us click the shutter? Is it hope? Are we simply committing to memory the beauty we see before us? Isnt that enough most of the time? Why should we add to the visual clutter of the world?