8 Reasons Why You Should Try Photography As A Hobby

Have you ever had a curiosity in photography, yet you weren’t sure if it’s a hobby really worthy of your limited time? Then this article was written for you, as I was also once in your shoes.

I picked up a DSLR camera for the first time back in 2013, which awoke a passion inside me that I never even knew was there. Three and half years later, I’m here to tell you just a few of the many benefits and realizations I’ve experienced by taking on this timeless hobby. Here are eight reasons photography might just be the most meaningful hobby you’ve overlooked your entire life.

1. An Opportunity to Flex Your Creative Muscle

Muscle Flex

In order to be balanced human beings, I believe people need to be physically healthy, spiritually awake, and creatively expressive. Photography, just like writing and film, is a selfless way to be creative while also giving something back to the world.

The way we interpret our world changes from individual to individual, and photography provides a medium for people to express themselves. Ask ten different photographers to photograph the same thing – a city for example – and be prepared to see ten wildly different visions of the same subject. In our sensory-overload world, it feels good to create something that’s uniquely you.

2. Appreciate and Understand Your Surroundings More

7-Eleven Sign Reflected in a Puddle

I now find myself seeing everything around me in rectangular frames–a takeaway from having to frame so many pictures over the years. “Oh, those people over there would fit perfectly into a 3:2 box,” or “that building over there would look perfect boxed in from this angle.” My eyes are now sharper than ever.

But I also find myself observing and appreciating all the little things around me. I always have to keep my camera nearby, because I often want to photograph something I’ve noticed in my daily routine. The pattern on a sewer lid, a reflection in a puddle, birds perched in a tree, and so forth.

My pre-photographer self, just like most of the rest of the world, would have walked right past these things without a care in the world. Yet now I can be entertained from the most minuscule and simple things, especially if my camera is handy. The world is full of photogenic things, if can just teach yourself to notice them.

3. Help Preserve History

Japanese Newspaper - Trump Elected President

Since its inception, photography has always been one of the most moving ways to preserve history in our rapidly changing modern times. Photos touch people in a way other media can’t. Both photography and video are both visual arts, but photographs differ in that they capture merely one frame of what is going on. Yet one frame is all one needs to feel taken back to another time.

With the advent of the smartphone, photography is as accessible as ever. While this sounds good on paper, the truth is our world’s becoming more and more flooded with garbage and narcissistic photographs. Our world needs more adventurous and well-trained photographers out there taking photos of the modern world we live in and the rapid changes it’s undergoing. These are the photos that will be cherished decades down the road, not all the shitty selfies that bog down social media.

4. Travel Experiences Will Be More Meaningful

Sunset at the Jialing River in Chongqing, China

Photography goes with traveling like bread goes with butter. It took me nearly five years of traveling internationally to finally get serious about doing photography on my trips, and after I got started, I never looked back.

Rather than traveling for escapism and hedonism, I’m traveling to learn about and document our world. As a result, my trips feel much more meaningful and fulfilling than they ever did before. The way you see and come to understand a country as a photographer is quite different than if you weren’t one.

I now divide my history of travel experiences into two separate groups–the trips I had before I owned a DSLR camera, and the trips I had after buying one. Photography is so fun and addicting, that I find myself wanting to go back to all those pre-DSLR camera destinations, even the ones I didn’t enjoy all that much, just so I can re-experience them with a camera in hand.

5. An Opportunity to Meet New People

Young Man Holding a Camera

One thing I always try to do when I travel is meet fellow photographers. Whether they be foreign or local, I appreciate talking to people with an observational eye, as they can provide me with unique insight that non-photographers rarely can.

But photography doesn’t just help you meet other photographers, it helps you meet other people from all walks of life. I’ve had regular people on the street come up and talk to me once they saw I was taking photos. I’ve also met people from online for no other reason than they liked my work.

Being a good photographer can also be a great way to meet women. They’re not gonna start blowing you as soon as they see your awesome pictures, but don’t be surprised if you discover some newfound female admiration once your excellent photography skills are out in the open. And if you can make a woman look beautiful in a photo, she’ll admire you in a way you never imagined.

6. A Blog with an Edge

Thailand Blog

In the diverse world of independently run blogs, how many bloggers do you know who can both write well and photograph well? I can literally only think of one, and the fact that this blogger is just as good at utilizing a camera as he is at wielding a pen (or rather a keyboard), puts his website in a league of its own in terms of quality content.

Though I still highly respect the good bloggers out there for their amazing writing skills and insights, I think they’re doing both their readers and websites a great disservice by merely using stock photos or shitty shot-with-a-cell-phone photos in their articles.

Readers can definitely tell the difference when a blogger takes all of their own photos with a nice DSLR camera. Start taking nice, DSLR-shot photos and see for yourself how they can enhance your articles. They’ll give you just that much more of an edge over all the other bloggers who don’t.

7. You’ll Also Have an Edge over 98% of Others on Social Media and Dating Sites

Tinder on a Smartphone

Since everyone else is posting lame, smartphone-taken shots all over their social media accounts, your DSLR-shot photos could shine like diamonds in the rough. The same way you stand above 98% of other men by lifting weights regularly, the same advantage can be expected by not taking cheap shortcuts with your social media-bound photography. Your Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts will all look better than ever before.

This is also true for dating websites and apps, where most chumps just take some lame mirror selfies with their smartphone and then upload them to their accounts. Dudes with well-taken, nontraditional photos stand out big time. Don’t just take my word for it, as there has actually been plenty of discussion about these benefits over at the Roosh V Forum.

And although they can be very helpful, you don’t actually need another photographer with you to get some good shots of yourself. Rather all you need is your camera, an autofocus lens, a tripod, a remote shutter, and a creative eye.

8. A Resume-enhancing, Marketable Skill

Fastening a Necktie

Photography isn’t just mentally rewarding, it can also be financially rewarding if you play your cards right. The field of profitable photography may be vast and highly competitive, but one thing’s for sure – the demand for new photographs is infinite. The world never stops turning after all. Stock, portrait, wedding, wildlife, travel, sports, and news photography are just a few of the most in demand and profitable niches.

But if you really wanna make money selling your photographs, you gotta make a name for yourself by sharpening your skills and networking with the right people. A great photographer who no one knows exists won’t make any money.

My father is an outdoorsman slash wildlife photographer with decades of experience, tens of thousands of photos, and a giant network of contacts from his industry. It seems like magazine and website editors are always knocking on his door, because they know he probably has a nice shot of exactly what they’re looking for. Often all he has to do is dig through his archives, and boom–he’s made 500 bucks.

Conclusion

Two Vintage Cameras

Stop dreaming about it, and just give photography a shot already. Borrow your friend or a family member’s DSLR camera for the weekend, and just get out there and take pictures of anything that strikes your fancy.

Photography takes decades to master, but it all begins with a single click of the shutter button. Yet sometimes all it takes is one little click to realize you’ve been missing out on something very big and meaningful your entire life. You’ll never know until you try.

Read More: The Visionary War Photography Of Alexander Gardner

87 thoughts on “8 Reasons Why You Should Try Photography As A Hobby”

  1. My brother is a MGTOW doing this. He is living in his pickup somewhere down in Arizona or Southern California right now. He goes to these insane locations and takes nature shots or serves as a rock climbing guide. Some weekend warriors like pictures taken of them while they are 100 feet up a rock wall or whatever. Looks like a fun job, but I don’t think he is making any money.

    1. Yeah but Jim…he is doing his own thing. And you have to respect a guy that does that. The pussy beggars are the dicks. I wish I was physically fit enough to travel more. My damaged heart will not allow it.

  2. Outdoor adventure photography is a hobby of mine. I carry a weatherproof Olympus OM-D EM-5 Mark II camera, which is smaller and lighter than the typical DSLR, while still offering excellent dynamic range.
    My pictures have been used for marketing purposes by a couple well-known manufacturers of outdoor gear, and while I am not a full-time professional, I do receive compensation for my pictures. I have no desire to go “pro” because professional photogs make less money than I do.
    The real upside to photography? If you take photography seriously, read a couple good blogs and books on the subject, and shoot 10,000+ photos while learning the craft, then you will have the ability to document your own life in a way that many will admire and few can match.

    1. Yeah, doing it as a full time job is extremely difficult. Yeah, you can find a job at it, the way there are still a few good blacksmith or vacuum cleaner salesman jobs out there, but I have a friend whose been doing it for years and he makes a fraction of what he used to. Most clients just aren’t willing to pay much for a photo, because there is so much available for cheap/free. Huge supply of photos combined with mostly stable demand. Plus a TON of free product.

    2. I’d like to get into war zone photography … dodgin’ bullets while snapping photos.

  3. To the author great article!
    At 15 My dad, a journalist, gave me an old Pentax K1000 and taught me how to use it.
    Digital is better but quality these days but theres magic in learning to use these old workhorses to basically “make” pictures..
    The best was when you got your prints and some were beautiful photos others, blurred and some totally black..
    Still have some of those pictures..The camera was destroyed in a basement flood..
    Here’s a vid about the Pentax K1000.

      1. Yes it was!
        In Ginza Tokyo there is a whole district selling such pieces of art. I even saw foreigners there, looking for that special Leica etc…

        1. Pentax recently came out with a well reviewed DSLR. I like the Fujis because they are smaller and lighter. I own a big heavy full frame camera, and a small portable underwater model. I’ll probably pick up something like the Fuji X100 one day.

    1. The Pentax K1000 was my first camera. It was and still is a great workhorse film camera. I regret selling it now!

    2. Thanks, I appreciate the praise.
      Ironically enough, the day after this article was published, I bought a used Pentax K1000 camera for only $5 at a recycle shop here in Japan. I also bought an old Asahi Pentax SV camera, which has the old M42 mount.
      I miss the way they made old film cameras. The construction and style in those days was top notch, sleek, and timeless.

      1. Don’t mention it!!
        Ahn back in the day (99-05) I also lived in Japan collecting Japanese vinyl LP’s at recyling shops sometimes, and selling them on EBAY…
        Agreed older things like hand tools are timeless for their quality and craftsmanship..

  4. Modern “photography” grinds my gears. Any bozo with $1000 to blow can get a professional grade camera. That doesn’t mean you’re Ansel Adams or your pictures of some fucking park in Brooklyn are original or good.
    Lately I have become more and more anti-picture. If we are going somewhere I try to leave my phone/camera behind and enjoy the moment and the experience. At most one or two representative shots to look back on, but you don’t need a picture in front of every little thing. Be the old lady… https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/eeeaaea7547caf5f4087c585453d2ca1e93a06b30a0b728ca4736985b580f086.jpg

    1. It is all about supply and demand, Shots taken that few others can or will take is the way to do it.

    2. As a semi-serious part time photographer, I feel exactly the same. I often leave the phone at home too.

      1. I dated an actual photographer (degree in photography, took crap jobs, etc.) for a while and I loved watching her rage at all the tourists loaded down with gear with no idea how to use it.

      2. Photography was part of one of my courses many years ago; when it was an actual craft, before digital
        I wasn’t great at it, but it was something to be appreciated as a skill for those who did it professionally – these days tech has over taken craft and to me; something is lost
        I’m of the same mind as Gundog – prefer to enjoy the moment; my phone is purposely shit & I’d be more accurate sketching in charcoal than taking photos with it

        1. One year have passed since I finally left my office work and I am so happy now… I started freelancing from comfort of my house, for a company I stumbled upon online, for several hrs daily, and I make much more than i did on my old job… My last month payment was for 9k dollars… The best thing about this gig is that now i have more free time for my kids… http://chilp.it/728813e

    3. Agreed. I cringed a bit at this line in the article:
      Photography goes with traveling like bread goes with butter.
      Maybe there is some truth to it, but often it is taken to unnecessary extremes. It’s easy to observe, just do some people-watching at tourist attractions. A bus pulls up, everyone files off, spends fifteen minutes somewhat indiscriminately snapping photos, and then back on the bus. Asians traveling abroad seem especially notorious for doing this. It’s like a trip is merely an excuse to play with the camera, where the camera is an end and not a means. I call it a waste of time and money.

      1. Who looks at all those pictures anyhow?? I maybe take a glance at them as I load them onto my computer, but then they just sit on my hard drive.

        1. Once upon a time there was a thing called a “photo album”, where you displayed your pictures in a book. Usually a conversation piece when having company.

        2. Haha, what is this “paper” you speak of?? I want to go back to the days of inviting the neighbors over for slide shows.

        3. Still have them! Actually took many hours a few years back to organize and replace old ratty ones..

      2. I’m guessing that line makes you cringe because you’re envisioning some poorly-dressed fanny pack wearing nitwit, who has a $5,000 professional full-frame Nikon camera with a $3,000 telephoto lens attached, and he’s pointing the thing around taking photos in everyone’s way. He flocks to major tourist sites like the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Grand Palace in Bangkok. Well that’s not the kind of travel photography I was envisioning when I wrote that line.
        I’m talking about climbing to the top of the city via some obscure hill tourists don’t even know about to photograph the sunrise at 5 AM. I’m talking about doing photo profiles of interesting people you meet along your trip, like say of the man who cooked up your food from a street cart in Kuala Lumpur, or the hot and willing girl you met in Seoul. I’m talking about going on a photo-walk and shooting the shit with a guy who intimately knows your new locale whom you met off of Flickr or a Facebook photography group.
        Photography can make your trips infinitely more exciting and adventurous if you know how to do it right. That naive tourist guy I mentioned above clearly does not.

        1. You’re doing it completely right. You’re using a camera as it was meant to be used.
          It’s a shame, without the lengthier explanation, there’s pretty much no way to say it such that it doesn’t evoke images of the silly tourist. I cringe at the person who misreads it, and decides the success to travel is to take an even greater quantity of low-quality photos.

      3. Familiar with the East Asian tourist stereotype. The camera is just a proxy to document their narcissism which they then get to share on social media with the under privileged plebs back home.

      4. When I expatriated, I went nuts during my first two years, with my compact camera, I’d take pics of every place I visited, every show I attended.. and guess what? I grew tired of it, people grew tired of it. Heck, I haven’t even gone back to check those shots for solid 5 years at least! Just take a few for the record and then learn to craft yourself a memory palace.

        1. It sounds like you were taking photos because your surroundings were different than what you were used to seeing back home. That’s perfectly fine, but once the novelty factor of your new environment wore off, so did the taking of the photos. I actually did the exact same thing when I first moved to Dalian, China way back in 2009, and of course it grew old to me too.
          You were also using a compact camera, which has now been almost entirely replaced with the smartphone camera. So the way in which you were taking your photos on your compact camera was really no different than how people take smartphone photos now, which is not exactly what I’d call skillful photography.
          It also sounds like you never tried to improve your photography “game” by getting a proper DSLR or learning how to take quality photos. It’s when you take those steps that photography becomes infinitely more meaningful, rewarding, and addicting. But hey, it’s not a hobby for everyone.

    4. Heh, I developed the same attitude about ten years ago, bored with constant cameras everywhere. Just enjoy the moment fellas.

    5. I cringe just as much as everyone else when I see this picture. One has to find the right balance of knowing when and when not to take photos. In these kind of situations, 95% of the time I wouldn’t even take my camera out. Well, actually I might, and that’s just to take the same kind of photo the photographer took. It’s usually better to just soak in the moment, rather than to take a photo of something thousands of others will also have.
      Often the best photos are the ones no one else is taking. That’s why I tip my hat to the lone photographer walking down a random street in gritty cities like Bangkok or Jakarta. I also know his photos will be infinitely better and more interesting than the type being taken above. He’s got the right idea, the people pictured above clearly don’t.
      And what did I say about not taking shitty cell phone photos?

    6. To be completely honest, I am tired of looking at people’s pictures. Social media has over saturated the medium, and most all of the photos on it aren’t even worth a second glance. I take plenty of my own photographs but never post them anywhere, they are just for me to enjoy and I don’t need external gratification from strangers in some sort of contest to prove how interesting my life is.

    7. Precisely — self-editing is key. When “everyone” is whipping their cams + phones out, immediately put yours away. Nothing original will come of it, so don’t bother.
      IMO, in the publicly and professionally saturated realm of 2D capture, where few discoveries remain after 200 years of furious snapping (+ now being churned out by the billions every single day), inspiration of any noteworthy quality is rarely roused if you are well-disciplined. The parts of a photographer that sense redundancy and the unavoidably derivative succumb to hesitation and self-editing. This is not a bad thing.

    8. I’ve snapped literally 1000s of pics over the years (probably 90% of them thanks to digital media and cameras … hmm, who woulda thunk?) and have habituated myself to either a) ignoring overphotographed things or b) trying like hell to find a fairly new way to look at it, even if it means getting on my belly or holding the camera at a 45 degree angle, or deliberately just getting one part of the landmark in frame while cropping off the rest.
      I visited a famous landmark a while back and noticed a crowd of tourists all clustered together like in the photo above, vying for the best shot. I got in front of them and turned to face them and get a shot of the crowd itself with all their cameras out, sort of as a joke. Unfortunately, many of them must’ve assumed I was trying to get a shot of something really interesting BEHIND them, and so turned around to look, ruining the effect.

      1. I applaud this comment! Thanks for chiming in.
        Everything you said also rings true for me, particularly the part about trying to photograph things from a unique viewpoint. Even the part about aiming your camera at the tourists rather than the tourist site is one of my travel photography staples. I captured some of my favorite photos by doing that!
        https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/c1f0d08d4ddaac3d9e46cb587acb16b7d466f940eab40e1c1c64101777a748fb.jpg

    9. Yes… that old woman is fully, completely, alive and in the moment. I have dabbled in photography and a great book I read spoke about MISSING a shot. Yes, not getting it. Why? If you don’t put the camera down and get INTO the moment, you won’t truly capture the best ones. It’s a focus and vision thing.
      The real photographers go to an event with a single roll of film and a 35mm camera and come back with less shots, but the majority of them are amazing. When I did this and showed it to another “photographer” who came to the same show with about three cameras (a medium format too) and access to the front of the stage, he came away with shit. I showed him my work hoping for advice and encouragement from him… and all I got was a dismissive attitude and no eye contact when he handed back my single roll of proofs from that night.
      It took me awhile to figure it out but, I think he was jealous. I showed him the same show and he just could not bear to admit I got better shots from the back than he got standing in front of the stage with all the best gear. It’s not the camera, it’s the eye. Are you paying attention? That old girl is. I bet she would get some great shots.

      1. Still means something. Some of them are hotter than those VS models designed to please fags.

  5. Anyone remember those little brownies from years back. I remember getting one on my 14th birthday! The joy of trying to make the film reel through all the intricate slots inside the camera. You felt as though you’d come of age “snapping” all and sundry around the local roads.

  6. After an NFL Sunday that saw me go 9-4 ($100 units), +$1360, I think I’ll burn a unit on tonight’s Monday Night Football game. I feel guilty absconding with so much loot, and would like to give some back (heh, as if). Take Houston +7 points on the spread side, at the Oakland Raiders, for $110 (for a chance to win $100). Happy landings. And many happy returns.

    1. A push is like kissing your sister. Final score, Oakland 27, Houston 20. A push. I got my money back ($110). Whoopee. (Better than losing…)

  7. That seems to be the trendy thing to do these days. Anyone with a camera nowadays is some special photographer.

    1. Totally agree.
      DSLRs are the new guitars – just purchased as a bitch magnet in most cases.
      Nice emblem of bavaria, btw.

  8. One thing though… it’s important to have an artistic eye. It’s the photographer that does the work, not the camera. If someone has an instinct for composition, proportion, and color — accompanied by a driving interest — they can make themselves into a skilled photographer.
    No one else should even try, because it’s a waste of their time. There is no substitute for aptitude. They should find another way to exercise their minds and make a contribution.

    1. Yep, have too many friends with DSLRs that think they’re taking great pics because they are shooting a DSLR. Shooting with a DSLR, without artistic chops and an understanding of light and compositional rules, is just creating high-resolution shit pictures.

    2. I totally agree that a creative eye triumphs over the technical aspects of photography. There’s nothing worse than someone who thinks all their pictures are good just because they were taken with a DSLR.
      But I also think embracing photography can help one develop said creative eye. I don’t believe people are born with or without a creative side. Rather I think it’s something that can be built up like a muscle with continual practice over time.

  9. I learned 35mm film photography in the late 70’s and I still love it. I’ve only ever done it as a hobby and have also done medium format and large format film photography.
    To me film photography is an organic process. Loading the film into the camera and then the tank and then developing it using the chemicals. Then inserting the negative into the enlarger, doing test strips and then doing your final prints often having to do dodging or burning to compensate for darker or lighter areas of the print. Seeing the print come to life after a few seconds in the developer tray is always worth the effort.
    My long term goal is to turn an external room of my house into a dedicated wet darkroom. I’ve collected some medium format enlargers for nothing from Gumtree. There’s a basin and toilet on the other side of one the walls so it would be easy to add running water to it.
    I find digital photography a bit ‘sterile’ and I feel it has dumbed down photography somewhat especially when it comes to trying to make a living from it.
    Speaking of meeting people (women) and photography:
    http://goldmundunleashed.com/my-books/an-introduction-to-camera-game/

  10. You forgot #9: Pointing a camera at a woman causes her clothes to come off. It’s a law of physics.

    1. Game and cold/warm approaching are common themes in the Manosphere, and photography can give a man plenty of conversation starters.
      I can’t count how many times decent-looking women here in Asia have given me the “inviting” eye once they saw me taking photos in the street. This is infinitely more true when I’m doing a photo-shoot with a good-looking girl out in public. Random women in the street will be eyeing the hell out of me, as what I’m doing has clearly piqued their interest.
      I’ve also been flat out approached on multiple occasions. A girl or a group of girls will be taking their typical selfies, and I often notice that they’ll kinda hover around me longer than usual. Sometimes they’ll just come up to me and ask if I can take a photo for them, which of course is their way of trying to strike up a conversation with me. When they don’t directly approach me for help, I’ll simply offer it to them, which makes their eyes light up like a Christmas tree. That’s what they were wanting after all.
      If you take care of your body, dress decently, walk around confidently (and respectably) with your camera, and know how to hold a conversation with a woman, I swear that photography can bring a decent man some newfound female attraction. You won’t be a rockstar, but it’s definitely something.
      Photography can easily put the fish on your hook. Just reel it in and don’t screw up.

  11. Photography = Meh. Sorry but I worked around the “creative” types for near 20 years. Photographers were the worst. Frankly most “photographers” are female high school seniors who think its a great career choice.
    Photography is an EXTREMELY saturated field of discipline. Unless you’re a trust fund baby that can buy the best gear and get the best contracts handed to you by your hedge-fund father then don’t bother.
    Most photographers that graduated from art school end up working weddings for shit money. Its demeaning and soul-sucking. I met more Photographers that went back to school for real careers than I have full time successful photographers that will retire with cameras in their hands.
    Quite honestly you’ll be more satisfied learning blacksmithing or landscaping if you want to be creative and make actual money doing it.

    1. You make some good points, but I’d like to chime in with my own two cents.
      You’re mostly describing people who’re trying to make a living off photography, particularly the types who want to make a career out of it without putting in the sweat first. To me this is like a young man who quits his jobs to play the guitar because he’s confident he will be a rich rockstar soon.
      All the successful photographers I know, including my own father, weren’t photographers from the get go. They initially had real day jobs.
      Do photography out of interest and passion first, and the benefits I mentioned above (such as women and job offers) will naturally come later, particularly when you’ve developed some true skill and confidence.
      And while classes and seminars can certainly help, no one needs to go to school full-time or pay lots of money to learn how to shoot. All one really needs to do is just get out there, practice, and experiment.

  12. Here’s a quick pick of 4 greats on my fairly long list of top photogs:
    1. Edward Burtynsky (ruined environments, man-made industrial landscapes, etc.)
    2. Richard Misrach (more of the same, different style)
    3. Gregory Crewdson (cinematic contemplation of metaphor + the human condition)
    4. Julius Shulman (architecture)
    The first 3 create profound images that are rarely uplifting. If you’re into that sort of thing check ’em out.

  13. As an owner of a Pentax K30 I disagree in 2016.
    Phones like the Galaxy S7 and (((Google))) Pixel outperform most DSLRs on video. The S7 and the Pixel both do fantastic in video mode shooting supersharp 4K videos with optical image stabilization (S7) or advanced electronic image stabilization (Pixel).
    When it comes to photos both phones take supercrisp pictures even in lowlight.
    If you are into Bokeh or Wide Angle Photos you can use a) Photoshop or b) Photosphere-mode as a cheap alternative to buying an expensive camera with even more expensive lenses.
    Just if you want to shoot Portraits all day long or you want to use a zoom I’d recommend a DSLR.

    1. I personally like working with RAW images because it’s best for digital darkroom work, but I can’t ignore the fact that the 2016 iPad Pro is packing a massive 12.1 Megapixel lens, and does a lot more than it used to in general. Lock it onto a Joby Griptight mount (for tripod or monopod use) and you might start fooling people into thinking you snapped a high-end Nikon shot. You’ll never be able to touch a Hasselblad medium format, but still…it’s amazing the substance you can get out of an iPad.
      About 7 or 8 years ago my first DSLR was a Nikon D80 with 8 Megapixel sensor. It’s unreal to think that my iPad can put it to shame now.
      It’s still nice to mess around with telephoto or a solid prime lens, and I still love what the Nikon lenses do with macro shots. I just can’t get that nuanced lens work going strong with phones or tablets. But they do get close!
      Ultimately, it always comes down to the photog’s eye and his ability to frame the shot, crop and adjust in post.

      1. It’s not only the MP count, it’s the size of the sensor too. Many cameras have considerably larger sensors than cell phones. (Consider how large a 35mm frame of film was, and imagine how big an optical sensor would need to be to get the same field of view, etc.)

  14. Be careful of cultural expectations and customs when taking photographs in foreign countries. They often do not appreciate (or allow) photography of sacred sites, and often people don’t like being in your photograph either. (You also don’t want guys with machine guns yelling at you. You don’t need to understand what they’re saying!)

  15. Seriously no.
    The world has enough of pretentious, dull obnoxious little shits calling themselves “artists” just because you own a medum ranged DSLR camera and a MacBook.
    Seriously, all you do is apply factory loaded filters and settings! Then sitting on your fat ass for hours editing on the computer, and then spamming all of us relentlessly on any known social media platform known to man with your retouched snapshots and likes requests.
    You studied photography for how many SEMESTERS? (Yes, Semesters not weekend seminars and online tutorials). Did you get a degree on that? Have you ever done analogue photography before?
    I do enjoy old school photography, those people who sweated carrying heavy gear and spent long hours studying the target and the lights for a perfect shot. And you had as many as the film roll would allow.
    A couple of acquaintances had their souls sucked by modern photography and it’s really a sad show seeing how fussy they’ve become. Nothing impresses them.

  16. Being good with a camera also opens up the chance to mention to a young lady that your skills could improve her photo collection. Once she is down to just her panties for that butt over back shot… Put down the camera!

  17. Besides DSLRs there’s an interesting class of interchangeable lens cameras such as the Micro 4/3. These have a much smaller flange to film plane distance than a DSLR (no mirror box) so you can get adapters to fit just about any lens that’s out there, from 16 mm & 110 to medium format. You view the image on a screen on the back, or you can get an electronic viewfinder. They are especially appealing if you still have a set of old film camera lenses. I have a variety of lenses so I just bought a body and a bunch of cheap Chinese adapters from eBay.
    You have to focus and set the aperture manually with this kind of setup, so it hearkens back to a slower and more thoughtful process. A 50mm normal lens for a 35mm camera becomes a mild telephoto.
    You can often adapt old camera lenses to a DSLR also, but lens mount to film distance is critical.
    Because of this technology there is a bigger market for old lenses. It’s great that that gorgeous old glass can be used again.

  18. Hiya. Well I have been a photographer since around 1982 0r 1983. I really cannot remember. My photography gives my life meaning, and helps me to cope with the fact that women are a waste of fucking time, modern culture is a waste of time, and people, in general, simply suck.

  19. Go spend your time working out, studying. Learn a new language, do some lumberjacking, go out to fix some chicks. But for the love of god, don’t start with the “photography hobby”. Taking some pictures of your family: cool. Taking pictures because you want to take pictures of … anything: hipster beta-hobby.

    1. I do most of those things you mentioned above, yet I also do photography, and I don’t even remotely consider myself a hipster.
      If you’re just doing photography to hop on board of yet another trendy fad, then yeah, I guess that’s pretty hipsterish and lame. But photography has been around for decades, and it’s only been a hipster thing to do in the last few years.
      Embrace photography because it’s something you’re actually interested in, not because you’re trying to impress other people or fit into some silly subculture.

  20. I really disagree with 4, if you are traveling and taking photos the whole time, you’re missing much of the best part of the experience. My business is photography and video, and when I travel I rarely take even a photo a day (unless it’s a business trip)

  21. In LA you can also use a giant phallic camera to pose as a VIP showbiz dude who might just “discover” one of the hundreds of thousands of gorgeous Angelina Jolie wanna-be’s working as waitresses around town. Let her think it’s her idea that sleeping with her photographer would be a really great way to ensure that he remembers her when it matters…

  22. I advise against. All the ones I’ve encountered have been pretension flakes at best, making DJ#530648317 seem inspired. Golden ratio WOW. Spend the money on a bespoke suit or a gold coin. Keep the ” art ” private.

  23. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/80afd8eb00ec54cc82d3e404cd898a657361e74aab946f99c2242935a5cc290c.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/12820bdef40b0feb2bd6981d33f08fe7e53796a869d72daee93ce7592bccbca2.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/2edba26e9e87f2ef2178ddb74d183c60dd3e843142ea0317091d4adc157153bb.jpg
    For me Photography is the one aspect of my life over which I have total control. It is my psychological anchor. The one piece of advice I could give to any aspiring photographers is this; It simply is NOT about the equipment. It never was. It is ONLY about VISION.

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