5th August 2011 - 1 Why I Like Photographs

What I've learnt today has been about myself and how I react to things. On Google+ today, Jessamy Goddard asked what everyone loves about looking at photographs. It made me think and this is what I wrote in response.

For me, it depends on the type of photo and who has taken it. Photos fall into different categories. Some are about what the picture is of, and some are the whole picture, and some are both.

Some photos allow me to see what friends have been doing, how they've been enjoying themselves and to get to know them a little better even though I'm far away. To see a friend who has been through a bad patch with a natural smile on his face in a photo has brought tears to my eyes (and even thinking about it now, I can see the picture in my mind and it brings a smile to my face and another tear to my eye). Then it's the content of the picture that matters and if it's blurry or badly composed, it doesn't distract from what I see.

Other pictures bring the reality of a terrible situation home to me. I don't like looking at them, but I need to to understand. The photos connect me to the event in a way words can not.

I'm not good at remembering names but I pictures give me a sort of anchor to link information to. I will probably forget the name of the little creature which +Kjetil Greger Pedersen took a picture of, a nudibranch, but I will remember the picture and the information he so kindly provided to go with it.
Some pictures fill me with awe at the beauty around us whether it's a landscape, flower or tiny creature. I've always thought of cities as horrible, dirty places and but then I see the photos by +Trey Ratcliff and realise I've not been looking at them in the right way.

Other pictures teach me to look for beauty in the mundane such as the light on a curtain, the pattern on a floor or just a ball of wool such as those +Jordana Wright takes. They teach me how to look at details instead of the overall scene.

I love to see pictures of people who are real so I can wonder about who they are and what their story is. Faces with characters like in the street photography of +Thomas Leuthard.

I love the underwater shots that +Elena Kalis takes which transport me into a dream world. I've never seen anything like her pictures before.

From a creative point of view, they teach me about composition and colour which I can use to improve my own photos and craftwork. The pictures +Robin Mead has posted of her craft work have given me some ideas of things I'd like to try.

In summary, for me pictures inspire, allow me to escape, relate, connect. They teach me, aid my memory, change my perspective and share moments.

I could have gone on a lot longer mentioning many more talented photographers but it was long enough already. I feel so lucky to be able to immerse myself in the beauty that so many people are so freely sharing on Google+.