I participate in several photography groups on Facebook. In one of them, someone has recently asked the following question: what does photography mean to you?
Photography means a lot of things to a lot of people, but when I tried to sum it up for myself, the first thing that came to mind was “photography is what I have been doing in the past seven years with my free time, while my life has happened to me”. It is true that lately photography has been less important to me than it used to be and I feel generally uninspired. But it has not always been that way.
Below is a list some roles photography has played in my life:
- A social activity. I have met many people through photography, some of whom have become my friends. I meet local photographers through meetup.com, Facebook groups, and local events, and I get to know photographers from all over the world through social media and this blog;
- Getting lost in the moment with my camera is one of my greatest pleasures in life;
- A source of income. I have earned some money licensing images through stock photography sites, and selling prints. Unfortunately, stock photography agencies have made big cuts in photographers’ royalties in the past few years, making it difficult for the photographer to profit, particularly those who, like me, have a real full time job and are unable to spend a lot of time following trends. Furthermore, most stock imagery needs will quickly be replaced in the coming years by image’s generated with AI. If you’re not familiar with artificial intelligence capabilities, the following is a good introductory video;
- An escape from reality.
Lately, I have derived some enjoyment out of executing small projects and series exploring some subjects in more depth. As I age and loose important people in my life, I become more concerned with impermanence and change. To that end, integrating the concept of impermanence in my photography work has been a helpful tool in my personal journey to become more prepared for the losses that are coming my way, including the loss of my own life, eventually.
The FEATURED PHOTOGRAPH was taken with a 50 mm mirrorless lens at f/5, shutter 1/50 s and ISO 500, on a tripod, from underneath a veranda. It is the dry leaf of the Cecropia, a tropical tree, and has been included in my project “Dry Leaf”, where I explore the beauty of leaves that are past their prime. This, and other personal projects of mine dedicated to impermanence, can be seen on this link. For a previous post about the Cecropia, click here.
And how about you? What does photography mean to you?
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Wall Art landscapes and miscellaneous
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It is all about the light 
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