Capturing moments

In recent months I've been reflecting on my photography as a whole and I feel that I've reached a point where I'm beginning to understand what photography means to me. I think I've been struggling to figure it out ever since I bought my first DSLR and it's only really started to hit home when I took a step back and really thought about what I like and dislike about shooting.

I've read blogs posts here and there over the last few months where some people condemn others for using an iPhone and daring to call that photography or you're not doing it right if you shoot in anything but Manual. That's their own opinion and perspective and at one point, I might have agreed on some level but I don't have that view anymore.

"No man has the right to dictate what other men should perceive, create or produce, but all should be encouraged to reveal themselves, their perceptions and emotions, and to build confidence in the creative spirit." - Ansel Adams

To me photography is more than the equipment you use or the amount of time you spend editing photos. It's about simply taking photos.

Photography at its most base level is about recording moments. Whether these moments have had a level of pre-planning like in fashion photography or whether they're serendipitous and rely somewhat on being in the right place at the right time like in street photography. It's creating a document showing how a particular spot on the globe looked at a particular moment in time.

I like to use my camera to record these moments. A moment for me isn't necessarily something within the frame, a moment can be defined as the split-second when the sensor captured the light and the image produced allows me to recall that moment and what was going on around me.

"A good photograph is knowing where to stand." - Ansel Adams

Notice that I've not mentioned equipment in any detail so far. This is where my opinion of photography changes from others because I no longer link the definition of photography to the kind of equipment used. Sure a 5DmkII will produce a higher quality image with greater detail than a 1000D, but that doesn't necessarily make the image better. To me what makes a great image is one that encourages a story to be created by the viewer and for me this story generally formulates around imagining what it was like to be in that very spot when the shot was taken.

This is why I had no issues selling my DSLR a month ago because it doesn't matter what you're using to shoot, just as long as you're hitting a shutter button and recording moments in the world.

This is photography for me, capturing the moments.