Photography or Life?

[Daniel_OB]

As for girl, I will choose phoptography. Beside my wife it is my the best friend that never ever did anything wrong to me, and more it always gives me only nice things in my life. I am spending around 8 hours with art photography every day, whole my life, seven days a week. It gives me sense for life, it make me to have my life goal, it gives me oportunuty to create something for me not for other as opposite when working for someone else selling myself. It only gives. Shortly, photography means source of life to me rather then source of living. And thanks to photography I have so nice life that not many on this green planet have.

www.Leica-R.com

 

[Bob F.]

How, pray tell, did you drive to Australia? Was it an amphib-car, or just an example of guys not being inclined to ask for directions. Classic Bugs Bunny, "Should've turned left at Albuquerque"?

Could have used one of these: http://www.londonducktours.co.uk/gallery.htm ...

Cheers, Bob.

 

[David Brown]

... how much do you let photography impact on your life?

Is Photography a factor in your life, or the dominating factor? ...

I just like to take pretty pictures.

But I'm not addicted.

I can quit anytime.

 

[terri]

I suppose it's a "dominating factor", in that it helps me choose vacation destinations or how to quickly blow $100 without even trying (I always NEED stuff). I think about it quite a bit, and can get easily sidetracked if I see something I want to photograph. Once I have a new pile of prints, I'll trot them out on the website or participate in an arts festival. It's an active hobby.

That said, I don't carry my camera everywhere or head into the darkroom the minute I get home from work. I keep up with the laundry and prepare meals a few times a week.

But I'm just biding my time until I can quit the rat-race thing, and then I will probably indulge myself with full time photo-craziness. I'll have earned it, though!

 

[Pastiche]

My camera is not there to record what I saw with my eyes, but to give everlasting form to the things I see with my mind.

Photography or life? It's like asking whether you can go through life without thinking.... or if thinking, then without ever sharing those thoughts...

I for one, cannot, indeed, go on living without communion w. my fellow man, and to me, that means sharing what it important about Life... and THAT, my friends, is why the camera exists in my life... because a picture is worth a thousand words... and not everyone has the attention span needed to read those words... so, to reach through the veils of intelect to the heart of the feeling self - SHOW ME.

Sense?... Anyone?... Sense? - Buhler?!

 

[Black Dog]

I don't have a photographing problem except when I'm not making photographs (thankyou Tom Waits)

 

[matti]

We agreed on that it would be a good idea to bring the camera when our second child was born about one year ago. So I had tried out some fast film with my Nikon FM2n for the event. Now, as it happened, we were a bit late going to the hospital...

My wife tends to blame me, because I wanted to have a shave before we left. (I still think it was a good idea to shave, I didn't want to scratch the poor thing with a hariy chin.)

Well, after the shave, it was obvious that we wasn't going to make it to the hospital in time for the event. So we had the little boy in the sofa. And I can tell you I didn't think about bringing out the camera as I carefully shaked the little kid a bit until he started to breath (well, shout).

Then, 30 seconds later, when my wife told me to go get the camera, I understood she was fine as well. But my hands shook a bit when I took the pictures.

It was a boy.

/matti

 

[bjorke]

I think this thread is so wrong.

You don't have to be pro-life or pro-photography

What's wrong with being pro-choice?

 

[removed account4]

photography has impacted my life enough that
i don't need to have a camera with me
looking out the window, or gazing at "whatever"
in a daydream/sleep derpived state is pretty much the
same thing as taking a camera out and using it ...

 

[Roger Hicks]

After a week at photokina and (so far) five days writing it up...

Well, I'm glad my wife Frances was doing the same thing!

Cheers,

Roger (www.rogerandfrances.com)

 

[Christopher Nisperos]

Photography. Life. What's the difference?
There are people and issues as important as photography in my life.
More important? That's another question.

 

[Christopher Nisperos]

I think this thread is so wrong.

You don't have to be pro-life or pro-photography

What's wrong with being pro-choice?

LOL! Not that the following comment has anything to do with this thread, bjoke, but your comment reminds me of my impression that being able to "delete" a photo you've just taken is a type of abortion of creativity.

 

[rjas]

I just got a fulltime job after being unemployed for almost 5 months. Being jobless is so awesome, except for the lack of money.

I was out delivering some kitchen appliances to a cabin nearby where I've taken a few photographs, and I saw the most amazing light that I had been waiting for, for months. Sucked to not be able to just setup and take photos right there. Already thinking of quitting...

 

[Photo Engineer]

Groucho Marx was interviewing a couple on his show about 50 years past and he made a remark about them having 6 children. The lady said "well we love our children, Groucho..." and Groucho said "I love my cigar lady, but I take it out of my mouth once in a while!" I think photography adds a fabulous dimension to a persons life. You end up seeing so much more.

Groucho once was interviewing a woman with 12 children. He asked her what her husband did for a living.

She said he worked at Cape Canaveral, and was a guided muscle expert.

He said "I guess so".

Bloopers reign.

PE

 

[Alex Bishop-Thorpe]

Wow, so many replies, good to see such a vast range of opinions on this one.
Personally I always try to have a camera with me, and it's sort of solidified my outlook on the world as it being amazingly stupid but particularly pretty. I guess it's quite possible to have both, and photography makes an excellent accessory to life. Beats a desk job. But more than anything I'd worry about spending all my time watching life more than experienceing it - hasnt been a problem so far, so I guess all things in moderation. Just like McDonalds...
Well now I just feel dirty for comparing photography and fast food.

 

[Pastiche]

Fleath..... . I cant resolve if that is Flea, or Breath... or flea breath.... but either way... I won't hold it against you so long as you are dutiful towards to your photography ;.)

However, you are dirty for equating the magnanimousest artflorm of flothography with thuch dethpicable filth as MacFlomalds... yuckth.....


On a slightly less Daffy note... Soontag's (1 o ?) On Photography goes on and on and on and on about how to be the camera operator is in some ways, a means to avoid REALLY BEING THERE... you are not >THERE< as much as you are "with your camera". . . . or so she posits poses and proffers .. .. puddin. It's a dreadfull book filled with opinion cannonized by sadists into martirdom forevermore... but I recomend it anyway...
After you are done inflicting yourself with it, you will:
a) know what dross is has been the gossip of the medium for the last two and a half decades,
b) be permanently scarred by the deep knowlege that somewhere deep inside photography there is something morbid and dead, but that it is beautiful that way.
c) have some emergency supplies of TP on hand, for those really late nights where none can be found, and the texture just does not matter anymore...
or
D) all of the above.
e) none of the above.
So... really, pick it up at Amazon... I got mine for three dollars.. (it was cheaper than a roll of TP.... hence by using it as such, I was actually elevating it within the cosmic order... Next reincarnation, it will probably be a barf-bag, or diapers.....

DoNtTakeThIs2sErIoUs'K!? bt do read the book... it will answer all kinds of questions you've not tortured yourself with - yet.

 

[Sportera]

I would say that photography IS my life. When I am away from it I think of it, verging on obsession. I go no where with out a camera, my family have come to accept it. My wife says Im not dressed with out a camera.

I would surround myself with more photography if I could, if I could pay my bills with it I would. If I could send my little girl to school with it I would. If I were alone and had no one dependent on me I would live penniless to photograph.

I think in photographs, for as long as I can remember. I see life happening and even if I don't capture something in front of me, Ive photographed it in my head, imagined a print.

Maybe I should just increase my Paxil prescription!

 

[Christopher Nisperos]

Being jobless is so awesome, except for the lack of money....

I dunno ... I just liked this quote, not that I completely agree with it.


.

 

[Dave Parker]

IS there really a difference between photography and LIFE?

Dave

 

[Black Dog]

No way!

 

[Jim Chinn]

Photography is a big part of my life in that it has taught me how to look at the world and its various details, beauties and ugliness. For the longest time I felt I could only appreciate such things with a camera in hand. Now I find more and more that its ok to just enjoy a scene or moment and let it eventually melt out of view without having to worry about exposure and lens, film and paper, composition or point of view. Sometimes things are just better rendered on the memory then on a piece of film or hard drive. But when the decision is made to make an image, the experience from contemplation to exposure to printing becomes all the more rewarding.

Photography's influence on me has been huge. In so far that it has also opened up my appreciation of other forms of art and critical thinking. I guess the lessons I have learned from photography predominate my life. Almost to the point that if I would be perfectly comfortable moving on to other creative outlets if I had to stop photographing for whatever reason.

 

[JustK]

I'd like to share this quote by Minor White in Mirrors, Messages, Manifestations that seems to sum it up for me:

"Camera as a way of life... is still the least impossible way for me to develop and maintain a state that I can call mine."

Blessings to All,
Krystyna