What is wrong with living a life of mundanity? Why always strive to make a difference, to create, to have a legacy? Why do we believe that we must be more than what we are? Why do we subconsciously strive to live past our own lifespan? Is it possible to accept our average life like an ant in a colony, a bee in a hive? We are just a tiny aspect. So why do we feel shame and guilt when we just live; and experience, void of productivity?
It’s not the person behind the camera that is important, but the person in front of the lens that is.
A lot of photographers are forgetting this one important aspect of a photographer. That photography, the person or subject should be more important than the photographer. We are not celebrities, we are not talent, we are not history. We are storytellers, archivers, and documenters.
Photography is selling us a lie
When it comes to what photography is predominantly used for in our society, documentation; or to put it simply to sell us a feeling or product. An extraordinary amount of advertisements focus on three emotional components to manipulate us. This idea is that whatever they are selling will bring us happiness, love, status or luxury. But advertisements wouldn’t work well if they focused on what we really need. Is advertisement or our focus photography selling us a lie?
Your thoughts and beliefs aren’t real
Purpose, meaning, spirituality, religion, motivation, goals, dreams, aspirations. If you really think about it are all fabrications. Man-made, and predominantly in your head, things not of the physical world. I would say that anything your mind can think up isn’t real. Go with me on this.
Why take photos
It’s a hard and easy question, depending on how deep you want to go.
Many people want to capture a moment, archive a memory. Some people want to express themselves or other peoples stories. Some want to show you something, be it a travesty or crime to a shiny object to entice you to buy it. For others capturing a photo is meditative or therapy. We all have our own reasons to capture a photo.