WHAT CAN YOU GET FROM PHOTOGRAPHY?

What can you get from your photography? A friend asked me. For him what I do was a waste of time, money, and energy. Photography is just an expensive and exhausting hobby;

 "Patience"

 First and foremost, photography will never make you rich. It is the You in you who will and can make you rich. Photography is just an instrument for your success.  I did not get rich in photography, am broke... but I gain friends and developed my 7th sense into another level. I just invented the words "7th sense" to describe the act of abstracting out the essence of goodness, which is beauty, from the unwanted, unpleasant, stressful, and suffocating reality of life. In other words, it is approaching reality with a different perspective, being positive.

Let me share some benefits I gained from photography. Photography developed my sense of awareness, sense of healthy mind, sense of responsibility, sense of optimism, and sense of fun & adventure.

1. SENSE OF AWARENESS

Photography is not just about the camera and clicking its shutter. It is not just taking pictures it is capturing memorable moments and immortalizing it and sharing its beautiful story. To do this, one must be keen, to be able to understand what is not obvious, and observant to what is Beautiful. 

While I was walking on the busy street of San Pedro, Davao City,  I saw these two kids walking towards this particular street vendor, about 12 years old selling alkansya (coin bank). Obviously, these kids belonged to a family who suffers from poverty. But poverty can't stop them from reaching their dreams. The boy was making ways to fight poverty also by making and selling alkansya while the other two were thinking of saving money by buying alkansya. Simple solution on how to fight poverty, do something about it.

"Alkansya"

"Happenings for sale"

2. SENSE OF HEALTHY MIND

One of the many causes of forgetfulness is losing the desire to think. Thinking exercises our brain cells to function well. Like a machine, when it is not tuned up every day, it gets rusty.

Photography helped me to be aware and it helped me to think and be creative. Composing a shot, coming up with new ideas, communicating with other people, and analyzing/choosing the best part of the location for a shoot are brain stimulants. 

My photos aren't that great. I know that, and they look so ordinary to many but to me, it has stories to tell. 

While on a jeepney going to my workplace, I saw this beautiful fence with wall painting and I saw this young man walking while the red traffic light was on. I waited for that man to be in the right spot in my frame before the green light turns on. Luckily I got the shot I wanted. This photo shows that our future is defined by what we do now. If we want a happy and relaxing life when we get old, invest for that future today. The fulfillment of destiny is what we do today.

"Investment"

3. SENSE OF RESPONSIBILITY

Taking images of people reminds me to be responsible for everything. Not only on what I shoot but The images I took are telling me how to be responsible as a person and as a human being who lives in the society.

Here's a photo I took to remind us that before, our parents took care of us; now, it's our time to take good care of them. 

"Then and Now"

Here's another one. This is not just another poverty-like shot, but what am trying to say here is, "Yo, man, you're big enough and able to work, how come you choose to be a peasant among the peasants?"

 "Baboy"

4. SENSE OF OPTIMISM

Photography is an art that relaxes us from our stressful day by being able to see another point of view. Photography makes one see how beautiful the world despite having her cruel atmosphere. 

I was inspired by ants how they work hard. Imagine one single tiny ant carrying something 10x more than its weight traveling for how many kilometers and yet not giving up. 

"Survivor"

There are times that life really sucks and giving up is the rush solution to escape from this reality. Before quitting or giving up, try to see life as what it is and be inspired from these tiny creatures. They never complained how heavy their load is and how long they have to travel to reach their home. They never quit and they made their queen happy! 

4. SENSE OF FUN & ADVENTURE

Photography is an experience of adventure. I've experienced the world and am having fun with it. It's to go to new places and take some memorable photographs. 

But we can still have an adventure without going anywhere by entering into a certain place where only a few have entered. This is the world of Macro Photography.  

 

"Rain drops"

 "Red"

"White"

The fantasy adventure is another bonus experience for us photographers/photo enthusiasts. It is going into another dimension by creating a scene that's surreal.  

"Jurassic World"

More photos of my Dino Adventures HERE. :)

"Dreamscape"

 There are lots of things I wanna say here but this post is a bit long already so I'll stop here and I'll post other benefits from photography soon.

If you benefited something from photography, please us know about it. :D

"Keep shooting!" and "Take and make great photographs!"

~THANK YOU~



(All photos were taken using mobile phone)