aows #40

on purpose: why we photograph

Apr 10, 2022

purpose in photography

Three bricklayers are asked: “What are you doing?”
The first says, “I’m laying bricks”
The second says, “I’m building a church”
And the third says, “I am building the house of God”
The first bricklayer has a job. The second has a career. The third has a calling.
- Grit, Angela Duckworth

I believe that having a reason, a purpose, is crucial in photography. Otherwise, we’d be all over the place, with no direction, no idea of what to do next, or why.

We need a compass, something that can point us in the right direction, so we don’t get lost.

Let me tell you about me, since it’s the case I know the best.

I have a purpose for my photography now. It didn’t happen all of a sudden, it’s developed over time. It was a blurry concept a few years ago, but it’s becoming clearer and clearer every day. Even if it’s still changing and evolving.

I can see now that for years, I was blind — in a metaphorical sense, of course. I wasn’t seeing, I wasn’t paying attention.

It was nature that changed all of that: I moved to Oregon, I started to go on hikes, carrying a camera with me to capture what made me stand in awe and wonder. Thanks to that camera, I was eventually able to recreate those feelings in my daily life, discovering the beauty in mundane places and moments.

That is my purpose: to see. To explore the world around me, to see it in a different way, one that had been hidden from me. To realize that every day has magical moments that go unnoticed, and to notice them.

This changed my life — to be able to go on a walk around town and see beautiful things around me, where I couldn’t see any before. It was a feeling I needed to chase, one I wanted to explore deeper, so I became a full-time photographer.

What about you? What is your purpose? Why do you photograph?