Why photography is good for the spirit
posted Sunday, January 3, 2016 at 9:39 AM EDT
Wake up with IR! Here's your Sunday cup of Caffeine Priority
Anyone can write a song, even someone not knowing much about music, but writing a good one is hard. Photography is the same.... pretty much anyone can snap a photo, but to get a really good one that moves people in some way usually requires some combination of knowledge about photographic composition and principles, knowledge about camera gear, and the "eye" to make the normal look unusual or even profound.
Most people seem to benefit from rigourous study, especially when it's something they're interested in learning, and both modern gear and photographic skills require training to master their principles. People also generally seem to benefit from creative pursuits, and photography offers virtually endless possibilities for creativity and unique perspectives on all manner of subject matter. I believe all of these relate to why photography is good for the spirit.
And, of course, who doesn't enjoy producing a piece of art that truly moves someone else? When your training, practice, skills, patience and perserverance all align and you bring home a shot that moves both you and others, the world is right even if just for a brief moment.
I suppose, waxing philosophically, that photography is therefore like most any other art form, and life in general. We live for the challenges, the struggles, the sublime moments and the bliss of unveiling something we're proud to have created. And then, if we're good enough and lucky enough to move someone else with our work, then we've truly lived.
Happy New Year from your friends at IR!
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[Need a refill? ...We'll pour you one!]
Caffeine Priority is a new series of short photo-tidbits to ease you into your day, and give us a chance to share a bit more of what life’s like here at IR. We're more like a group of friends testing and talking about cameras and lenses than the buttoned-down, big-corporation world that some of our photo-friends at other companies work in; hopefully these little snippets will share some of that. So... grab another coffee and join in the conversation with us down below!
