Eric kim red fade

What is the Purpose of Photography?

Eric kim red fade

What is the purpose of photography? To me, the purpose of photography is documenting the joy in our lives, and sharing that joy with others.

Other purposes of photography:

  1. Artistic outlet: To fully experience happiness in life, we must create; make stuff. Photography is one of the best and easiest ways to make art— that is open and accessible to all of us. The more photos we make, the happier and more fulfilled we feel in life.
  2. Physical and mental therapy: The more we shoot, the more we force ourselves to look around us, and appreciate the beauty around us. This allows us to find beauty in the mundane and ordinary of our everyday lives. Even now after I have traveled the world, I find the greatest beauty in the most ordinary places — photographing at home, at the local grocery store, at the park, or just even walking around the block.
  3. Cheerfulness: I feel the most enlightened people are the ones who are cheerful; always in an uplifted mood, and can find joy in the smallest things of everyday life.

What isn’t the purpose of photography?

PHOTOGRAPHER’S HAND by ANNETTE KIM
PHOTOGRAPHER’S HAND by ANNETTE KIM
  1. Getting a bunch of likes and followers for your photography in order to crowd-source your self-esteem.
  2. Buying cameras and equipment to adorn ourselves like jewelry: I think some photographers buy cameras as a fashion accessory, instead of using it as a tool to make photos/visual art.
  3. Photographing brick walls to prove the sharpness of a lens.

How to build your strength as a photographer

A photographers hand: Intuition, confidence, vision, passion, creativity.
A photographers hand: Intuition, confidence, vision, passion, creativity.

To build your skills in photography:

  1. Follow your intuition: If your gut says that a certain scene might make a good photo, just shoot it!
  2. Have confidence in yourself: Have the confidence in yourself that you’re on the right path in photography. Also have the brazenness to shoot photographs that might upset people.
  3. Vision: Follow your own vision in photography; ignore what everyone else is shooting. Follow what you find beautiful in the world, and shoot it in a way which reflects your artistic vision.
  4. Passion: If you have a burning, ardent, passion for photography — never depress yourself. Allow yourself free reign to shoot a lot, shooting often, and indulging your passion for photography by traveling, investing in photography books, education, and anything else that stokes the fire of your passion in photography.
  5. Creativity: Shoot your photos in a novel way— experiment with different dynamic compositions, different styles of post processing, and experiment with different perspectives.

How important is photography to you?

Virtuvian camera by ANNETTE KIM
Virtuvian camera by ANNETTE KIM

Ultimately realize that others might think that photography is a waste of time or unimportant, but if you have decided that photography is important and essential in your life, ignore what others may think.

Heart Annette kim

Never stop pursuing your unique vision in photography, and never stop shooting. There are unlimited opportunities for you in photography: you have unlimited subject matter to shoot in the world, so many places for you to travel to shoot, and an infinite amount of ways you can compose your scenes.

Innovate with Photography Entrepreneurship 101

Never stop shooting,
ERIC


PHOTO THERAPY

How to find more joy in your life with photography: