Is Photography Fun

[mikew09]

A week or so ago I was off to Syd for work. I picked up my new siggy 10-20 on the Monday morning just before leaving for the Airport excited to try it out in Sydney. My work buddy does not have the same interest for photograph but said he would wander around the harbour with me the next evening. Whilst setup with the 50D, new siggy, tripod rigged and waiting for the sun to set over the Harbour Bridge I was taking some test shots and my mate says "Why are you smiling" thinking I had seen something of humour.
Now, I know I really enjoy taking photos and it is very relaxing for me but until that moment I did not realise that for me, this is actually fun. I looked back at him and said "Mate, I am having fun I suppose". The expression on his face said it all and we did what mates do when there is an awkward moment, we laughed and made stupid jokes about it hahaha.

But truly, I do find that in a way and especially when taking landscapes, I am having some very enjoyable moments - FUN.

Annyone else have the same angle on this or should I reduce my medication :-)

[JM Tran]

I find humour and fun in a lot of photographic stuff I do, you know you enjoy working when it doesnt seem like work anymore but about having fun and meeting people and seeing really cool places.

[mikew09]

Thanks JM, good to know I am not on my own on this one. :-)

[melmo78]

nope you arn't alone, i too find it fun and i have a great time whilst doing it.

[mikew09]

Thanks Melmo78 - look like there will be quite a following - it is fun hey.

[fess67]

I have a very supportive wife who has bankrolled much of my gear with a very blank expression.

We (I) went on a paid session with 2 models and 10 photography enthusiasts. about an hour in she grabbed my second camera and started snapping away :D Love it when they understand it is an adiction. :D

[Ms Monny]

if it wasn't fun, I wouldn't be doing it and I would have a good guess that would be the same for most on here. ;)

I too have been caught out grinning or laughing, whilst either taking a photo. I have also been known to be very expressionless - when I am really getting into it and thinking about all the aspects that could make the image better.

[kiwi]

Most fun you can have with you pants on :)

[Cyza]

Time seems to fly whilst doing it, so must mean I'm enjoying it?

but I think a big part of the enjoyment comes from sharing your pictures with friends, family or even strangers on the internet like on this site.

[ricktas]

We are not trying to solve the Greek debt issue, so yep it is fun! I usually end up smiling and laughing when shooting, either alone or in a group. Looking at the LCD after taking a shot is when I usually smile, cause I known I have Aced the shot.

[Wayne]

Sometimes...
Now if I were a better photographer, more creative and more patient it could be fun more often.

[arthurking83]

Always!

But fun is only a part of it.

Challenging, even tho we can attempt the same types of shots over and over and again, there is still a challenge with capturing the shot, and capturing it to an acceptable standard.

As a job?? .... :umm: .. probably never. This would most likely be a good way to diminish the fun factor quite a bit.

[creativepro]

Photography to me is fun and a serious hobby. If you are with people taking photos with an attitude of taking the photo because you love the subject, that can be fun. However, taking photos with competive photographers who want to outdueyou in the stakes of best output, that is not fun.

At the moment I am n Africa and have just completed a tour of Namibia with like-minded photographers who love animals and our joy was just to find different animals to photograph.

[mechawombat]

I find shooting fun, I have the wife who although she has a great eye for portraits, really does not understand the fun
Same with my best friend, for him, the DSLR is just a tool to capture images. :scrtch:

Another friend however gets the same enjoyment, but due to work commitments hardly gets to shoot :(

[bluey1960]

It's great fun, I totally tune out to whatever is going on around me, I've even ended up having to defend myself because I've 'ignored' someone when I haven't heard them at all. They just don't understand fun isn't always about yelling and dancing up and down, which is a little hard to do when taking photos even with IS :) Fun is a serious matter for me, more an inner joyousness but I have found myself breathing a smile when I like what I'm seeing TTL:p. I suffer from random anxiety attacks and found photography and the need to focus and therefore slow my breathing has helped me function in environments where everyone else is relaxed but I am not. Having the camera with me, helps me to share the fun too.

[Bennymiata]

Most fun you can have with you pants on :)

I love my photography, but drifting in a car is the best fun you can have with your pants on. :)

I must say I look forward to each Saturday morning, when one of my brothers-in-law comes around and we go out taking photos of whatever we can think of.
I'm always in such a good mood after a good shoot, then we got for lunch and talk about it.
My wife isn't too keen on photography, but she puts up with me and my hobby, and even allows me to spend money, as she knows it makes me happy.

At least with photography, as against many other hobbies, once you have your set-up, it doesn't really cost anything to enjoy it, unlike horse racing, gambling, racing cars or anything else, with the exception of walking.
And what good walk is worthwhile without taking your camera along with you?

I used to be heavily involved in R/C helicopters, and this was a hobby where you were continually putting your hand in your pocket.
See how good you feel when you've just smashed a $6,000 model!

[Geoff79]

Yeah, if I wasn't having fun I wouldn't bother. I certainly don't do it for the money (of which there is none) or the fame (as I pretty much only show my photos to family and you guys). :D Yep, I just do it because I love it. I have even before I learned methods in which I might be able to actually capture a decent shot. I smile and even cheer to myself in a low key when I see a good shot I've just taken. Indeed, I do love it.

[71Bogan]

The wife and i were after a hobby that meant we could spend time together and have some fun

this was an awesome choice, we are having so much fun with it we just invested in a 2nd camera body so we can both take shots at the same time

[WhoDo]

Only when I'm out there doing it, in my study processing it, on here talking about it and maybe when I'm thinking about it which is pretty much whenever I'm not forced to think about something else! :D

I've been trying to convince the child bride and MoF to join me in what has become my other passion, but it's taking a lot longer than it did to talk her into getting hitched! :eek:

[mikew09]

Hahaha - My wife has a little interest in photography but just ad-hoc and no patience for going on a landscape shoot etc. Primary interest for my wife is the horses but they are 2nd to me from photography. In the last 6 months photography has become an obsession, I take my gear everywhere (in some cases to the wife's disapproval), it is my standard backpack and at least one day a week I burn my lunch hr out taking photos to improve my skill.

10 yrs to retirement if I work to 65 and hope to have a supplement income in place by then :-|. The more I do the more I learn, the more I challenge myself to develop wider skill and styles and the more I then enjoy it, fun fun fun, OH!, and then there is work, my day job - NOT FUN :-(

[fabian628]

I'd say I have fun most of the time. Sometimes I do not like the shooting but enjoy seeing the end products. Shooting macro with all the subjects always flying away / running away and being very unco operative is very frustrating especially in hot weather. Gotta keep going even when the conditions get tough :D

[bridiexo]

I love it! I'm sure my partner is sick of hearing me go on about it, and trying to show him the shots just taken. He gets the job of wandering around with our daughter while i'm preoccupied :P

[wanderer51]

Hahaha - My wife has a little interest in photography.......
Yep...same problem here...just doesn't understand why/how I can stand on a cliff overlooking a rough sea (or getting up early for the sunrise) for 15 minutes waiting for that 'special' shot......
However, that doesn't stop photography from being fun....when it stops being fun, then I will give my gear to the cats to play with.

[William]

:D I have fun every morning down the beach, So long as I can get out without waking the rest of the family :p