Photography is more then a Photograph

How Photography Can be like Therapy

There are so many times with photography that I head out with my camera and a crystal clear vision in my mind of what I am trying to accomplish. I know what my subject will be, and I know what I want the final photograph to look like. All of the steps that I take along my photography journey are about reaching that final destination. What equipment I choose, how I frame the shot, what camera settings I select, and even how the photograph will be processed on the computer are all carefully chosen to help me create the vision that I have in my mind.

It may sound a bit overwhelming when you think about it this way, but really its not. It is no different then setting out to accomplish any goal, whether it is mowing the lawn or writing or piece of intricate software. You start out with an end result in mind, and then you simply go about selecting tools and executing the steps based on your past experiences. In a way it can actually be quite relaxing and soothing. Slipping into a comfortable routine of man and machine working together to turn my vision into a photograph. In the end sometimes I am successful, and sometimes I’m not, but each time I try I have learned something new.

Last night I rediscovered how relaxing and soothing the process can be. I had been in a bit of a funk for a few days, and just could not seem to shake it. It had been pouring all day, and I had wandered around the house all day tinkering, but not really popping out of it. As the evening wore on my wife asked me to give her a ride and to bring my camera along. As I got in the car I asked her where we were going, and she simply stated “I have no idea, but you need to make photographs!”. So we took a ride to a local park, and walked along the beach, talking and taking photographs. I had no idea where we were going, or what I would find to shoot, but just the act of going through the motions of finding a subject and photographing it seemed to put me back on track.

I didn’t make any photos that I liked on that little trip, but I felt a little better afterwards. Sometimes photography is more then taking a picture.