What Gives Purpose to Your Photography?

One of my on-going issues is how to give my photography a purpose.

I love to go out often with my camera, and I believe this is what has helped me improve at photography. I will often have a definite plan for what I want to shoot but I do sometimes go out without a plan, or I have exhausted all the plans I had made, and I end up just taking random photos. This is okay occasionally but if I do this on a regular basis I soon get bored and frustrated with my photography shoots.

I need to have a purpose for my photography, something that gives meaning to the process of taking my camera with me.

I regularly consider what it is that gives meaning and purpose to my photography.

If you are having difficulty in finding a purpose for your photography, here are some ideas that have worked for me. You might like to give them a try.

CREATING A WEBSITE

Starting my own website has been one of the most effective ways to give purpose to my photography.

By using themes for my photography such as devoting time to a particular genre, illustrating a discussion topic through images, or outlining my experience of photographing in a certain location or style, I can organise my images or plan a photography shoot to suit my requirements.

Sometimes, shooting in a location can be followed by a blog post and images based on the experience, at other times I have a topic in mind, and I go out to make some images that fit the topic. Either way, it means that my photography shoot has a purpose, and I am not just taking random photos.

HAVING ON-GOING PROJECTS

Having a project, or several projects, on the go means that I will have distinct categories into which I can fit my photographs.

Projects can vary from wide-ranging, such as a macro photography project, to a simple project like photographing a certain colour in nature.

Projects can have a short life-span – you might plan three visits to a town centre to do black and white photography – or they may be longer term, ongoing projects, such as photographing old buildings in many different locations.

The latter has been an ongoing project of mine for some time, and I have photographed castles, abbeys, old churches and cemeteries, numerous old cottages, and an infinite number of ancient trees.

I have photographed abandoned buildings in rural Ireland as well as run-down urban dwellings in Portugal, Spain and Italy.

I have sought out historically significant sites or planned a photography shoot to explore an area for historical interest.

As I have always had a love for local history, I began this project before I knew it would become a project, but I enjoy adding to it at every opportunity. This project is two-fold in that it gives me the incentive to visit certain locations and to connect with the history of the place that I am photographing, as well as giving a purpose to my photography.  

TELLING STORIES

I love to tell stories of the places I visit through my photography. For example, photographs of a walk through a rural village tell the story of the place and of the people who live, work and visit there.

Photographs can capture items of geological, historical or cultural interest and give a flavour of what daily life might be like for the inhabitants of the place.

When we use our photography to document a place it gives real sense of purpose to our images and provides interest beyond the photography through the connections we make to the people and the place.

FINDING SIGNIFICANCE

We can find significance by making a connection to a place or subject, by documenting change over time, by photographing a community or place as it is in the present or by tracing a connection to the past.

Even if we are not interested in a historical project, history can still provide a purpose for our photography as many of the locations we visit and the landmarks we photograph are of historical significance, whether this significance is on a grand scale or simply confined to a local community. We provide our photography with purpose by connecting with the significance which these subjects hold to the past and preserving their memory for the future.

With the prevalence of mobile phones, telephone kiosks are no longer relevant yet they are a link to the recent past. It was good to be able to photograph this one before it is completely vandalised and taken away.

WORKING ON A TECHNIQUE

Although this may be less creative in nature, going out with our camera to work on a specific technique is always of value and gives purpose to our photography shoot. Whether the technique is related to our camera settings or to our creative process, and even if we don’t come home with any worthwhile images, there is still purpose in developing our skills and improving our overall skillset.

The purpose of these outings may not be as tangible as in the other examples, but our future photographer self will thank us for spending this time focusing on our photography process.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Most of us have times when we feel that there is no purpose to our photography. We take random photographs and don’t know what to do with them or how to give meaning to them.

I hope these suggestions have helped to give you some ideas as to how to add meaning and purpose to your photography.

Enjoy shooting!