Win 2 Passes to Luminance 2012 in NYC!

Win 2 Passes to Luminance 2012 in NYC!

We’re doing something big this September, and we definitely want you there. We’re hosting a new event called Luminance 2012 on September 12 – 13 in New York City. It’s a jam-packed 2-day conference that will bring together major thought leaders to explore this new era of photography, and how the industry has been affected by business, technology, and culture. A photography event like this has never been done before.

Luminance speakers are leaders from Facebook, Google, Lytro, Behance, 20×200, Christie’s, Hipstamatic, and many more. If you’re a photographer, technologist, designer, or care about the direction of photography, this event is right up your alley.

Renowned photographers Joe McNally, Zack Arias, Brian Smith, and Robert Seale are also hosting a limited attendance photographer workshop on September 11, 2012. The conference will end on the evening of September 12th with the highly anticipated Luminance #ilovephotography party because well, we love photography. To see the full rundown for Luminance 2012, check this out.

Wanna go?

We thought you might.  Registration is filling up fast, but enter our contest and win tickets.  Just answer one question:  “Why do you love photography?” We’ll be looking for the most inspiring and creative responses.  Every week, we’ll pick 3 lucky winners to win 2 tickets each to the event, plus the #ilovephotography party.  Winners will be announced every week.

To enter:

  1. Share this link on your Facebook page, tweet @photoshelter, or hit the ‘Like’ button above to help spread the word and let people know you’re excited for the event. Then,
  2. Post your response to “Why do you love photography?” as a comment below in this blog. Be sure to enter your full name and website in the comment fields provided so we can contact you.

Contest Rules:

  1. We ask that contestants share this blog post link on their Facebook page, on Twitter by tweeting @photoshelter, or by hitting the ‘Like’ button above.
  2. Contestants must submit their response to “Why do you love photography?” as a blog comment on this post.
  3. PhotoShelter will announce the winner every Thursday on PhotoShelter’s Facebook and Twitter page. We’ll also shoot the winners an email to let them know it’s their lucky day.
  4. Contest ends on Thursday, September 6, 2012

Good luck!

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There are 198 comments for this article
  1. Rob at 12:42 pm

    I love photography because it is the ultimate expression of freedom, uninhibited by anyone else. I can do what I want, at whatever time I want, standing on my head if I want and nobody can say that I can’t. It is not governed by time, space or place. It is timeless and the entire visual world is run off of photography. That’s why I love photography!!!!

  2. Gordon at 12:45 pm

    I love photography because it gives me an opportunity to capture a moment as I’ve seen it and share it with others who can also share their point of view. It’s always interesting to see what you’ve missed that others noticed.

  3. Nicole Gardiner at 12:46 pm

    I love photography because it is an art form that everyone can share and appreciate. I photography as it can do and be so many different things; a memory, a story, a selling tool, a piece of art.
    As a photographer, I love that photography is a challenge and that every shoot is a learning experience. I learn something new from every shoot that I do and I love photography for the sense of achievment when I see my images in print.

  4. Eszter Gulacsi at 12:50 pm

    I LOVE photography. It’s a fact but it’s complex why. I love photography passionately cause I like lights and shades, I love drawing with light and with ink, As a photojournalist I love immortalize a moment or tell a story with one (or more) photos, as a glamour/boudoir photographer I love the chance to show/prove the women how wonderful they are. I really love that I can make the precious memories last forever. I just love photography!

  5. Perry Pellegrini at 12:56 pm

    I love photography because it captures and sustains memories that our mind can not hold to all the details of. It keeps people alive even when they have passed on…..and celebrates the life we all hold dear.

  6. Hervey Lamothe at 1:13 pm

    Why do I love photography? Through which other means can you combine science and arts to capture, create and manipulate to your taste, the beauty of your sourroundings, a perfect moment, and the grittiness of life. The good, bad, and ugly can be captured and frozen for changeless preservation. It’s a great tool all around.

  7. Miriam Ingram at 2:35 pm

    I am living my dream now by having come from a small town in New Zealand to now living in London and doing what I LOVE which is photographing families. I have met some amazing people and I still pinch myself with the places I’ve been. I’m not the best photographer but my clients love my work and I especially enjoy the challenges of uncontrolled lifestyle shoots. I just love it.

  8. Ethan Sigmon at 4:04 pm

    The power behind the lens is one of the most extraordinary technological advancements. I think it is that unique ability to simultaneously be 100% democratic, yet entirely autocratic that makes this medium stand out. The lens has the power to create, destroy, honor, conceal, and propagate in a single click. A medium that hangs on the fringes of the fine arts, yet has fully nurtured the growth of not only our culture, but our entire species, and that, ultimately, is why I love photography. It has seen so much more than we have and can as individuals. As our society advances, so to does photography. I believe that through this medium, we have a duty to continue photography legacy, to be revolutionary, to create a better world, and to show others how beautiful each and every person truly is.

  9. Ola at 7:31 pm

    In want of orientation; photography never shows me where I have been, and gives merely a faint clue to where I must go. In want of meaning; photography reassures me that there is slim chance for such a thing. And, in want of structure; photography tells me not to bother. How can I not love that?

  10. Karen Bobotas at 8:53 pm

    My photography is a reflection of me – what I see and how I see it. Somedays are exciting, some nerve-wracking and some relaxing. No matter which feeling it is on a given day I always feel that it is exactly what I should be doing. How can I not love that!

  11. Vincent D'Antoni at 11:10 am

    i enjoy photography because of how it relates to time, either expressing a single moment in time similar to a picture captured in the thousandths of a second in time or by increasing the amount of time witnessed in one image such as a long exposure image revealing how distorted time can become and that the way we as individuals perceive time is not relative to how other witness its passing

  12. Michelle Lawlor at 11:14 am

    Why do I love photography? I love photography because it has taken me places I never thought I’d go, introduced me to people I never thought I’d meet, and has completely opened my eyes, heart and mind to a bigger world around me.

    What started as a hobby thanks to my grandparents and their yard sale bargain hunting turned into me finding my true calling and I’ve never felt more fulfilled than I do when I am photographing.

    With a camera in hand I have the power to REALLY CONNECT with the people around me, whereas otherwise I may keep to myself and be silent. It provides me with a way to reach out and really get to know the truly wonderful beings that surround me.

    With one click, I can magically preserve emotion, action, feeling, and moments in time for all eternity. I am consistently amazed at how photography can turn sadness over the loss of a loved one into the instant remembrance of a happy memory, and can remind us that life is so incredibly precious.

    These incredible mechanical boxes on straps helped me find my true heart, and in turn let me touch the hearts of others, and there really isn’t anything better than that. <3

  13. Lauren Pavletich at 12:50 pm

    In the last 10 months, I have really started developing a passion for photography. I have started taking workshops, making contacts, learning everything I possibly can about the industry and art of photography. It has allowed me to see the world in a whole new light, to put life into perspective, and to appreciate so much about how the world operates. I love the moments, the emotions, the inspiration that can be captured and shared with people around the world. There is little that makes me happier than pressing that little button, and hearing the click of the lens, framing a moment in time.

  14. Prince Spells at 12:54 pm

    I love photography because it allows me to live vicariously through my camera. I learn and I grow through the lives of the extraordinary individuals that I photograph. My life is enriched by the accumulation of their life experiences. And Likewise, my audience can live vicariously through me. This is the power and plight of photography.

  15. Tom R. Chambers at 6:58 pm

    I have loved photography since 1972 when my Hippie girlfriend placed a Pentax in my hands, opened my mind’s eye, and showed me how to make prints in the darkroom. Her passion became my passion and today, I have close to 45 personal exhibitions involving photography to my credit. Each time I pick up the camera, I think of this encounter 40 years ago.

  16. Kate Sturney at 12:29 pm

    I love photography because it seems like the only thing that is keeping me sane at this moment in my life. I’m pressured by my family and friends to get my university applications in, when in fact, i don’t really know myself if i want to go. It’s hard for a 17 to have to make a decision that is going to determine what they do in life. After thinking long and hard the past month or so, all i want to do is photograph. I’d happily spend the rest of my life photographing and updating the internet showing the world what I’ve been up to. That’s exactly what i love about photography, showing the world what I’ve created at that specific moment in time in that specific mood i was in. I like to believe that each story tells a picture.

  17. Ian Kose at 2:01 pm

    I love photography because it’s a way to express and convey the fact that one person’s experiences have just as much excitement and potential as the next persons. As photographers we’re able to capture the epitome of emotion, sequence of trial, and embody our surroundings and culture all within fractions of seconds. For me thats’s whats made photography worth it.

  18. Patrick Onofre at 3:45 pm

    What’s not to love about photography?

    Despite everyone talking about themselves, photography expands beyond a single person. The fact so many people get to enjoy the vision and the way others get to see the world is something easily shared by everyone on the planet. We all have a unique point of view that will never be duplicated and can never be replicated. Photography grants us the opportunity to share this individual point of view with the world, making it an art form that extends beyond language for everyone to enjoy. Anyone has the chance to pick up a camera and express themselves – young or old, rich or poor – and each expression will be unlike any other. We get to learn about people, cultures, landscapes, cityscapes, universes – all through an image. A single picture can make us laugh, cry, or become enraged by viewing the outrageous and spark up change. We all have the chance to move somebody or place our mark on the world with a single photograph. So, really, how could you not love photography?

  19. Gina Noe Todorovich at 11:12 am

    I love photography because it allows me to create art rooted in reality. It enables us to capture moments that would otherwise just blend into all the other moments that have passed. Instead, we can freeze time in a way and be able to look back at it over time, seeing something new or different in it because while the image hasn’t changed, we have.

  20. Chris Suspect at 11:23 am

    I love photography because it helps me find out more about myself and who I am as a person. It is like a window into my subconscience and has brought to light an understanding of internal interests, issues and conflicts that wouldn’t have been explored otherwise.

  21. Joe Flood at 3:16 pm

    I love photography because it allows me show the beauty of the everyday world that surrounds us. So often people are caught up in their busy lives and they never really look around. Photography is way to show people what they’re missing.

  22. Pingback: Photoshelter is Giving Away Luminance Passes « Access2Editors
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  24. Sue Rissberger at 2:30 pm

    I love photography because it is a means to educate us and others about our vast, vast world. Photography informs and moves us, by subtle gestures or grand action. It is a medium in which we can be curious, explore, learn and teach; and inevitably establish more meaningful connections within the world.

  25. Mike Dote at 4:23 pm

    I love photography because I could not see myself living and doing anything else. I get to go places and meet people that I would never have seen or met before….

  26. Terika Kons at 4:50 pm

    I love photography because it can keep you young at heart, and bring out the playful side of yourself, like back to the days of being a kid and playing dress up and pretend! You can be adventurous and imaginative and do things you might not have a chance to do otherwise… if you want to dress up like a superhero… no big deal!!

  27. Jayash Yelave at 4:52 pm

    I love photography because it lets me capture moments which brings smile on each persons face who are associate with it.

  28. Jana Jackson at 4:53 pm

    I love photography because it is one of the best ways to capture moments in time that are otherwise gone forever. It gives immortality to memories and adventures. Furthermore, I love photography because it is a way to take what you see visually and share it with others.

  29. Lincoln Phillips at 5:30 pm

    Photography, in ways different from any other visual medium,
    has an inherently unmatched ability to:
    describe eloquently,
    incite response,
    and inspire deeply humane thinking about just what it is,
    this thing we call ‘seeing’.

  30. Kevin Lane at 6:01 pm

    In my opinion we are here to create. When we are creating, we are lost in a feeling we all call a passion. My choice of passions is photography. Getting lost in that feeling of creating an image, for me, is what brings about happiness.

  31. Curt Salisbury at 6:04 pm

    I love photography because it allows me to bring the beauty of nature back home to my wife who suffers from MS and is unable to get outside for extended periods of time. I also share daily with friends on Facebook as my way of giving back for their kindness through the years. What I have been able to see in nature is a gift that I’m grateful to share.

  32. Michael Greene at 7:02 pm

    There are some things that provide continuity in life. Some are friends and family. Others are things that are intimately personal to each of us. I have been enthusiastically involved in photography since I was 14 (a long time ago to be sure) and throughout the ups and downs I could always count on the catharis that loading up some film (and now popping in a memory card) can bring. Some mediate, some are into yoga, I’m into photography.

  33. Stephanie Richardson at 7:19 pm

    I love that we, as photographers, get to tell incomplete but compelling stories… out of a chaotic situation we can stop time and create the feeling of order in which the imagination has the opportunity to make up the rest of the story! What fun!

  34. Natalie Napoleon Wi at 7:46 pm

    My camera is my ego; the tool which I use to balance the unconscious desires of my id and unrealistic expectations of my superego.

    Images are my opera; a stage upon which I can shamelessly bare my emotions and my soul in an effort to reconcile the differences between the artist and the business woman that reside within me.

    I love photography because it grounds me. Photography challenges me to perfect my technique while simultaneously welcoming and embracing my expression and my interpretation of a moment.

  35. Kerry at 7:55 pm

    I love all things photography. I love to look back through old family albums, to feel a connection with the young lady who I had only ever known as my grandmother, to imagine the event or witness the magical moments. I hope that the photographs I take, create similar feelings for others and will do so well into the future.

  36. Ayse Ebru Yardimci at 7:58 pm

    Why do I love photography? Because I can’t draw, I don’t have any talent for painting, or playing guitar, or compose beauties for humans hearts’. But I can see moments captured, I can imagine a creation, or find out reality, I can reach people all around the world, feeling the same, think the same or opposite! Because it makes me think too much, dream too much, love too much.. because it make me act, go for moments like a hunter, and while acting feel close to great eyes of our times. Also It feels like I’m the director and leading character at the same time to my movie of life.. I love photography because it gives me dream and purpose and music in my ears.. If I don’t stop writing I couldn’t stop anymore….

  37. Jeffrey Barkhurst at 8:41 pm

    I love being able to travel the world and share the beauty that I see through my lens. It’s very relaxing. I love the feeling of excitement of getting that perfect shot and getting it into photoshop to develop. There’s nothing like it in the world to me. Another thing I love is using my camera and lens only to get that perfect shot!

  38. Robert at 9:31 pm

    I’ll give the same answer I always give for these things; it’s never a winner, but it’s the truth and I’m happy to share it. I love light. That’s it. I love photography because I love light in all it’s hues and moods.

    Do you remember that time from your childhood when you watched a sunlit room and the great big world outside the window darken in shadow? It’s one my earliest memories. Back then, I wasn’t sure why it was happening, but I could feel the weight of the air shift and become heavier, then lighten again as the sun flooded back in. Sure, I know now that it was clouds passing the sun. But I still feel the shadows pass, and I love the way the mood of the whole world can shift in a second with the change in light.

    Do you remember the first time you saw the scintillating colors of a moire pattern in an old screen waving in the breeze? How about the otherworldly peach glow following a summer thunderstorm near sunset? Did you look around for someone you could ask, “Did you see that too?”

    I guess it’s not very inspiring because it’s so personal, but my love of light is why I love photography. That’s it. I can grab apiece of that light and ask anyone in the world, “Did you see that?” If if they say no, I can show them.

  39. Tasha Victir at 9:43 pm

    Photography is ever flowing, ever growing. It is an open door that connects the hallways of life, nature, elements, feelings, and moments all in a collective collaboration that can reach the depths of every soul. It is an advocator for those who cannot speak. It is a tool that draws emphasis to the plight of the masses. It can bring tears of joy or pain. It always has meaning and purpose. It is interpretive and adaptive. It is wild and free. I truly enjoy roaming those halls. I learn, I grow, I move with it. There is beauty in everything in this world. Photography brings all the worlds elements into new focus that can be crafted in the view of the photographer. I can convey a million words and feelings through a photo. It is amazing. That is my photo love. Hopefully it can be yours also.

  40. Theresa Ulbrich at 10:06 pm

    I have loved Photography since I was 10 years old.My sister and brother in law bought me my first camera. I love taking pictures of everything from family,nature,architexture etc.
    I am the official photographer for friends and family events.

    I feel so free and happy when I am taking pictures.I can express myself in my photos.I love to see how people react to my pictures.It’s not a hobby for me,it’s my passion and I am working on making it my profession.I have won several contests for my work.

    I am very modest when it comes to my work,everyone is always telling me how good it is,but I just say thanks. I love photography and I am always taking pictures,I call my camera my baby and its always with me.You never know what you may see while riding in your car.Like I said,summing it all up is Photography Is My Passion.not a hobby.

  41. Jesse at 10:27 pm

    I love photography because it is what I was created to do. Even when I do not have a camera with me (which is rarely), I am practicing photography.

  42. Samantha Walker at 11:37 pm

    For me photography is about seeing the smile on the clients face when they have seen their memory created. Photography for me is capturing the wonders of nature that may never pass this way again. I love creating memories it’s been my life for 9 years and I will do it until I can’t any more.

  43. Pinang J Doctor at 3:21 am

    I love photography because I love to capture Nature created by God in unique way and everytime time we click Nature’s photograph it is unique and different everytime
    I love photography to keep memories of beautiful moments of life which may never return and can be lived once again through the photographs only

  44. Michael C. Geiss at 4:51 am

    I love photography, because with a camera in my hands, I will look for or behind things, and sometimes wait for things to happen, I never will do without a camera. I can not leave my house without a camera …

  45. Victor Blanco at 4:56 am

    Photography is more than a passion or a hobby, is a lifestyle. Everywhere you go, everything you look at is something special, something you can make special with a camera and your talent. Telling a story, finding a new face of something ordinary. Showing the rest of the world how things really are or how they look like in your mind.

    Stop and take your time to look at something, enjoy a landscape, a portrait or something tiny that can become something huge. You have in your hands a big power, a magic wand with which you can make anything. You set your own limits.

  46. saffah at 5:18 am

    I love photography because it helps me to treasure and archive beautiful memories and moments my human brain may one day lose.

  47. Joan Lentini at 7:20 am

    There are so many things I love about creating images but the thing that always gets me the most is handing people a moment in time, seeing them smile, and knowing I gave them something they might not have had otherwise and is now a part of their history forever!

  48. Kavanaugh Crawford at 9:29 am

    I love photography because I believe it to be one of only a couple of disciplines that allows you to satisfy yourself and/or others due to the fact that an image can evoke emotions and prompt memories (sometimes long forgotten) of smells, sounds, touches and tastes in a way that few human endeavors can.

  49. Colleen Dubois at 10:05 am

    I love photography because it’s a part of me. I’ve never had the same feeling as when I hold a camera in my hands and hear the shutter. For me, it’s a way to put what’s in my mind in an art form. I would be lost without it.

  50. Shannon DeCelle at 10:38 am

    Photography slows me down, I take the time to observe. With Photography, I have the power to stop, and hold a piece of time. I enjoy looking back at the haphazard details or the beauty that i may have even missed.

  51. ken stec at 10:42 am

    I love photography for the microcosm of life that appears in every frame taken. Viewing an image—really seeing what’s there—is a trip to Wonderland. There is no better way to appreciate life in all its tones, shadows and light, literally and figuratively, then to study an image which has caught your eye: what looks back at you? Snapshot, tabloid blast, and/or fine art print: look closely. There is no finer medium to express the multitude of experience that is the human condition, and the environment we reflect ourselves in, than a photograph.

  52. A Howington at 12:18 pm

    Photography is a freedom of my own expressions. I learn and grow from it daily with each new and long time customer. I inspire them, they inspire me. We grow together in our own ways. Seeing the beauty and striving for the depth each of us want. When I shoot for my own pleasure, is when I feel the emotions that photography brings to me. The desire, the pleasure and the goal to reach that image the reaches out and speaks. These are just some of the reasons why I love photography.

  53. Kats Barry at 12:21 pm

    I love studying light…sometimes you and the camera “capture” a moment in time painted by a very special light. These are photo moments worth saving. Before converting to digital it amazed me when I could “feel” these moments as I pressed the shutter. You’d need to run back to the darkroom to develop and print the film to see if you truly had it…now you just look at the back of your camera. I love photography for it’s ability to capture time, place and subject for both future generations as well as the present.

  54. Sherry Galey at 1:06 pm

    I love photography because it keeps me mindful that every moment is a rare and fleeting occurrence. To me, making photographs is a sacred meditation on life and sharing photographs is a joyous celebration of life.

  55. jerry dalia at 1:53 pm

    Photography is in my blood. From the first time I saw an image appear in a developer tray I was hooked. Working then (before computers) with my hands, my head and my eyes to produce images that spoke to me was an enlightening experience.

  56. Donald Pecora at 4:47 pm

    My camera and lens allows me to create pictures that enable me to ‘see’ and share our world in much greater detail – ways that I might otherwise take for granted or merely glance over. Life in all it’s simplicity, complexity and splendor.

  57. marlo williamson at 10:59 pm

    I love photography because it requires every fiber of mine to capture the great photo. Each one of my senses needs to be attuned to the moment that shutter is clicked. I wish it was as easy as eating a box of chocolates or a pint of ice cream or breathing. But, thank God it’s not as hard as solving the most complex math problem. Even though, some days it does feel that way. Now, as a portrait photographer, I love that moment when lighting, subject, expression, and background are perfect.

  58. Tanya Jensen at 12:29 am

    I’m a single divorced mom of two active boys who have and share many adventures so far in life , I can’t imagine myself without my iPhone to capture every smile , goofy face ,
    And sport and chorus concert, to people just hanging out, but to catch kids in a moment when they are growing and to have a desire to catch it with such technology we have today even on my low income budget is remarkable. I have to decide always want to delete to make more room, because I reach the 2,900 capacity. I don’t want to win I can’t afford that kind of trip tickets and spending money ect but to have you offer people to share their opinions in photography is awesome. Thanks Tanya, Paraeducator, mom of two boys:)

  59. Diallo Sessoms at 11:28 am

    I start to think, then I sink, into the scene like I was ink, when I’m shootin I’m trapped in between the waves, I escape when the light cascades; I got love for the shutterbug.

  60. Yvonne Fromm at 3:41 pm

    I love photography because I’m able to capture things I may have missed with the blind eye. Colors, movement, shapes, and patterns captured by photography can give greater meaning to everyday things around us. Before I started studying photography, I just wanted to capture time and people in the moment. Now I add to that with being able to capture feelings, moods, and wonder. I love it when I take a photograph and people ask “how did you do that?” Then I know I was able to create something that stops and make people think and wonder. That’s why I love photography! 🙂

  61. Donald Schwartz at 7:24 pm

    Photography is an integral part of how I view the world, similar in importance to how my glasses enable me to see the world in focus. Photography, unlike my sight, enables me to select those details that I identify with my eyes and can then interpret in a fashion that creates perspective, isolates objects from foreground and or background, and either showers subjects with light and/or hides them in shadows.

  62. william wotring at 9:57 am

    To me photograhy is the a door that I have finally been able to open.I have faught with depression my whole life.I have been off work for 6months now beacuase of it.and I felt it to be the best time to learn it.I am just skimming th surface but it is my escape ,helps more than any words can describe what it does for me with my depression.I am the most pestomistic person in the world i think.But with photography i feel that the only keep my from being as good as the best over time is myself,And i have never had that kind of self confidence in anything.I have finally found a way to express myself ,its my zen seeing things now that i have never seen before.

  63. Kelan Putbrese at 9:27 pm

    Photography, How do I love thee? Let me count the F-stops. I love thee for the depth and breadth of light My pixels can capture, when shooting a sight For the ends of beauty and ideal print!!!

  64. Jennifer Hudson at 10:37 pm

    I love photography for the feelings and emotions that are evoked with each memory that is captured in a photo. Not only is that particular moment captured but all the moments that surrounded that photo. The laughter, the sadness, the happiness, the loss, the love, the joy, the accomplishment or even the heartache… each photo brings the moment back to life. I feel blessed when I am the person that gets to capture those emotions for anyone. I love all things photography… it is more than a love, it is a passion!

  65. Eva Notley at 9:46 am

    My reason for loving photography, I love making people think, a picture is like speaking to people’s vision. It’s understood in any language, there are no barriers to hold you back!

  66. Jean Gazis at 10:55 am

    Why do I love photography? I love photography because I can capture the unique way I view the world, because it trains my eye to see things I wouldn’t otherwise notice, because it gives me something to do while spectating at my kids’ events, and because it is so satisfying to get a good result—whether that result is something I was trying for or something completely unexpected. I love photography because it is so interesting and fun to see the work of other photographers and get their feedback on my own work, and because it preserves memories of things i have seen and done.

  67. Jason Anderson at 3:37 pm

    I love photography because the essence of seeing and expression that personal view is the richest form of memory archiving. I love it because I can see, and am fortunate to be able to have sight to do what I do.

  68. Tony Lanza at 1:11 pm

    I love photography because…Well, I would say I am passionate about photography, and have been since the early 1970s. Photography is a way to capture a moment, a feeling, an inspiration.
    People smile when you ask to take their picture, and thrill to see pictures of their progeny. Give a parent a picture of their child at play, or the child’s priceless facial expressions, or the parent and child interacting, and you’ve given them a timeless gift. Wedding pictures, when captured and printed with care, touch hearts forever, even when you are not the paid photographer, because it lets them know how important that event was to you, too. Oh, and humans love their pets, too, and feel good when theirs is worthy enough to you to photograph. Give the gift of a picture of a flower someone has nurtured and takes pride in and you’ve made their day. Youngsters that are so excited when you give them pics of zoo animals, and place them on their dressers or carry them around – priceless, yet cost so little. Oh – ask them their favorite animal first, then give them a picture or collage and see their excitement and laughter.
    Extensive nature photography has given me a window into creation that I would never have seen without camera and lens – extraordinary beauty and genius that would have otherwise gone unnoticed. How amazing to zoom in and capture a male Great Heron as it returns to the nest with its latest cache of building materials, and then capture the moment when he passes it on to Mrs Heron who will arrange it just so – like a homemaker moving a couch around to the best spot. The instinctive nature of Mrs Heron calming the unrelenting cries of her young as she feeds them, while the male opens his glorious wings to fly off and fetch more food to bring home to the nest. To capture the beauty and grace of an orchid, or the awesome artistry that lies before you in fall foliage that reflects brilliantly in the calm waters of a cool lake – breathless, an experience without end although I live in Florida – because of photography. I have experienced the many joys of photography for many, many years, with images of all the above to view and share and bask in again and again. So sorely lacking the skills required to paint on canvas, photography is also my way to express art. Ah,I do love photography.

  69. Frank Vitale at 1:41 pm

    Having returned from a 2-week stay living in a “dune shack” on Cape Cod’s National Seashore (with no electricity, running water or indoor toilet and the nearest paved road almost 1 mile away), I spent every day photographing. Each day I explored with my camera the environment of the Cape’s dunes beginning at dawn with the emergence of the sun from the ocean at 5:07AM and ending with it boiling back into the ocean at 8:17PM. I hiked the sand dunes, beach and scrub oak/pine woodlands that make up this unique landscape discovering a myriad of subjects from tracks in the sand, snakes in the sun, flowers in the dunes, rain drops on beach grass, early morning shadows, rolling sand dunes, and the ever-present seals patrolling the surf. And, in order to complete my immersion into this world to the fullest, I set up camera traps in the dunes in areas where I hoped my camera’s motion and heat sensors would catch an unsuspecting fox or coyote as it passed by during the night. Living in solitude, foregoing the daily blitz of the news of the day while increasingly becoming keenly aware of the sun, wind, clouds, rain – put me in tune with my surroundings, as I have never experienced before. I felt just like Henry David Thoreau did over 160 years ago during one of his visits to the Cape when he said, “…A man may stand here and put all America behind him….” At the end of my visit I have memory cards full of images that I can remember and share with the rest of the world. This is why I love photography!

  70. Shannon Lery at 1:59 pm

    I love photography because it allows us to give someone the greatest gift ever, a memory. Photography allows us to stop time and let us all remember the good times and sometimes the bad times. Those memories are priceless.

  71. Curt Salisbury at 5:41 pm

    I love photography because it allows me to share the beauty of the outdoors with my wife who suffers from MS and is unable to get outside much any more. She has always been a nature lover, and photography has given me a way to bring it to her. In addition I share a photo each day with friends on Facebook as my way of saying Thank You to them. Our natural world is a wonder to share, and photography has given me many moments of unabashed gladness and I find it to be spiritually uplifting.

  72. leslie sophia lindell at 5:05 pm

    There is little better than being offered the opportunity of seeing an object, a person, a place in my mind’s eye and then clicking the shutter of my camera so that I might translate what I see to others. Additionally, I am blessed to keep a roof over my head and travel the world by doing what I love!

  73. matt steffen at 10:54 pm

    why i love photography:

    I bought my first camera when i was 7 years old with money from a paper route. I would spend my week and most of the money on film and developing, taking pictures of whatever i could find. In the last 30 years, little has changed in that regard.

    While the digital revolution has changed most aspects of how I work, I’m still a wide-eyed 7 year old looking through what I’ve just shot. There’s still magic in that box. I find that I am more aware of my surroundings, more connected to people and living my life with intent. Who knows what this industry will be like in 30 years. All that is certain is I’ll be making images of what is in front of me.

  74. Jeremy Berkson at 10:57 am

    I live, breathe, eat, drink, sleep, and feel photography in my bones. I was practically born holding a camera. I got my first 110 camera from my mom when I was 4 and my great grandfather supported a family of 8 with his humble photography business. As an emerging professional and a recent graduate from AIFL (A.S. in Photography), I am constantly searching out opportunities to meet more pros and become immersed in this craft. I enjoy all types of photography from commercial to consumer. I love learning about lighting, new gear and technology, and trends which affect this industry. Please consider me for two free tickets to this event. My fiance (also a huge photography buff and my business partner) would love to attend with me. Thanks for your consideration. ~JB

  75. Travis Garcia at 2:01 pm

    In what other medium can we be shape-makers in an instant? In what other medium can we capture every human emotion in a fraction of a second? Once exposed to photography and the endless novels it lets you write with a single image is there any thing else you can do in life…any other passion? That is why I love Photography!!

  76. Denny Medley at 2:40 pm

    It is simply what I am – a photographer. It’s not simply what I do, or the way I make my living (which are both true), but I actually feel and react differently if a day or two goes by that I’m not photographing something. I truly do live it, and that’s why I love photography.

  77. Marshall Bishop at 2:45 pm

    I love Photography because it transcends function and form to be such a huge part of the world we live in, many things can’t even exist without it. It’s expressive, thought provoking, captivating, expensive and dirt cheap at the same time, digital and analog, artistic and commercial, and carries emotion from person to person. It’s an amazing oxymoron that delivers us from whatever the viewer wants it to be!

  78. Denielle Gallegos at 2:52 pm

    I love photography because it captures the essence of what the human lense visualizes and therefore its beauty has the potential to exist eternally.

  79. Gunnar Nettleship at 3:12 pm

    I love photography for its ability to allow me to share my vision with the world. I have found no other medium that allows me to show who I am better than my photographs. I would be lost without it.

  80. Susan Rae at 3:45 pm

    I love photography because of its independent nature. Several people can look at one situation ,shoot it and all have something different to show for it. As can several people look at one print and all have different views of what they saw.

  81. Johnny Hanson at 4:17 pm

    I am a visualizer who believes great photography can change the world. As an educator and mentor, I am an inspiration to many fledgling photographers. My mantra is “Ideas before egos.” Make the world a better place with photography: authentic images that provoke genuine emotion and celebrate exceptional photography.

    I eat, sleep, and breathe photography. I keep up with all the latest trends and know who’s doing what in the industry. For artful, unexpected images that complement my eclectic nature, I study up on fStop Photography: conceptual, offbeat images with a quirky edge.

    I dive deep into photographic mysteries with a mix of problem-solving and gut instinct. Both clever and resourceful, I continually amaze with keen observations and the ability to solve each puzzle with plenty of time to make it to print. I keep an eye out for my photography for conceptual images that engage and involve.

  82. Seshu at 4:18 pm

    I love photography (no obsessed by it) because it helps me remain present, centered and grounded about who I am. It also defines my relationship to the outside world in a meaningful and tangible way. Photography teaches me, rather quickly, that as people we have far more in common than we usually acknowledge. This reminder is the impetus to always create with intent.

  83. Jason Buch at 4:16 pm

    I love photography because it is the perfect blend of my technical and creative sides. I come from an engineering and green building design background, but after years in that industry I needed a change and something to get my personal creative side more active. I’ve made some big shifts over the past six years, discovering what I really want out of my life, and I felt quite led to photography. It is such a fantastic combination of personal creative vision and technical implementation! While it takes both sides, a photographer can choose to swing more one way or the other depending on any number of factors and day of the week. I can’t think of a more perfect blend of creativity and technical knowledge.

  84. Greg Maino at 5:46 pm

    Well, to tell you the truth, I’m struggling to identify exactly what it is I love about photography. Right now, I know I prefer to be outside in a kayak, on my bike, under a pack, or on my skis, and I always have my camera with. Beyond that… who knows.

    Everything about photography is just… Neat. And to be honest, I’m still learning. Every day I am learning. I am always amazed by what my camera sees, and how it sees whatever “IT” is. Photography allows me not only to document my travels and experiences, but to share the feeling associated with those experiences. You can tell someone about this amazing thing you did or saw, but there’s nothing like a great photo of someone on a great climb to make your hands sweat, or a shot of a skier blasting through some pow to make you hold your breath for just a second. A photograph captures so much more than “Proof”, and it’s that extra special something that keeps me coming back and makes me want to learn as much as possible. Once you’re hooked… it’s forever… just like love.

  85. Nancy Young at 8:42 pm

    I am someone who started in highschool in a darkroom, and then loss touch with it,
    but knows the beauty of photography with the art and composition. I have been looking
    to bring myself back. I know my ex- husband does it, and I have been begging to learn
    from him or someone he knows,but have been told he can’t and I have been out of work for over 2yrs striving to get into a creative outlet, since I graduated with honors in Art years ago. I have also modeled in the past and has seen that industry also, I really would like to do what ever photography awaits for me, with my creative eyes.

  86. CJ Crane at 12:12 am

    I have been a photography enthusiast for more than 20 years. I started with a canon AE-1 and eventually switched to a Minolta 7000i. I am now a Nikon guy and owe my love of photography to my dad. The passion for this art runs in my family…my brother is a better photographer than I am and I feel I have passed this love to my son who has recently earned the Air Force Photographer of the Year award. My father started this passion in us and to be able to continually pass this art on is amazing..thanks Dad!

  87. anna fishkin at 12:19 pm

    I love photography because by nature it’s so intuitive and visceral. It involves risk, movement and interaction. It is immediate and highly subjective, allowing me to express very personal and subtle points of view. But more important than any other aspect of it, photography gives me the license to go places, meet people and witness events I could not otherwise experience. And for me that trumps everything! I love the rush, the unpredictability, and the relationship I develop with everything I photograph. Photography keeps me connected to the kid inside. But it’s even better than being a kid because as a photographer you can continue playing in the streets without limits or curfews.

  88. Bryan Lasky at 4:28 pm

    In the last year or so I have become enthralled with photography. It used to be just to document what is going on around me, but it really changed once I started traveling. I really have been seeing the world differently through my lens and studying each shot I take, making sure the story I want to tell is there with each new one. I like looking around, where ever I am, and immediately grab for a camera and get that shot. The world is really a beautiful place, and with photography I can share and remember each moment. To look back on some of these photos, I’m immediately transported there and now more than ever, it really makes me go back to that moment, since I try to make each shot count.

  89. Heather Nilson at 9:13 pm

    I love photography because the phrase “to capture an image” means a lifeline for me. My visual memory is so weak that it has actually been something of a lifelong handicap. I can understand and retain the written word with ease. I can analyze scientific evidence and research to my heart’s content. But spatially, I’m barely functional. I can’t recall a view, a house, a car, or a face. I can’t close my eyes and picture even well-known and well-loved faces, such as my mother’s. I can’t recognize people I’ve met even more than once. This has caused inconvenience and embarrassment in many social situations. Worse, large gaps are left in my memory of my life experience. Many of the amazing things that I’ve seen and felt, during travels and during my daily life, are dulled to a vague blur because I can’t recall them.

    In spite of this, my response to visual beauty is strong enough to give me a physical feeling of heartache. Looking at a still picture seems almost miraculous to me–the ability to actually capture a vision. A photograph is a STILL IMAGE, captured so that I can stare in wonder, and I can return to see it any time I want. Images held still by technology–how incredible; I’m so grateful I live in the age of imagery.

    I have had to work very hard to understand elements of the visual world that someone with a “normal” spatial ability and memory might take for granted. The rules of composition are ways of ordering visual input; they mean much more to me than guidelines for making pictures look pretty. The camera doesn’t come between me and an authentic experience. The lens draws me INTO that experience. It makes it real for me. I have had more adventure behind (and because of) my camera in a few years than in my whole life before photography, when experiences went by in a blur that I couldn’t hold on to.

    Photography has been more than a prop to build up my weak visual memory. It has actually allowed me to develop my spatial ability until it has become a strength. Concentrating on learning photographic technique and developing my vision has actually changed the way my brain functions. I notice and retain visual input much better now. I have actually accessed memories that I thought were gone forever.

    Photography can do what many art forms do–capture emotions and communicate them to others. On this level alone, photography is important to me. But on a deeply personal level, it means that I can go out into the world and experience the adventures that I’ve always wanted to relish, but which would not have stayed with me if I were not experiencing them through the lens.

  90. virginie drujon-kippelen at 8:11 am

    I would have loved to say that I picked up my first camera when I was a child and got “hooked” on photography from that time on. But far is the truth. I started taking pictures as a complement to my journalistic work, a few years ago. Shooting a portrait was another way to talk about a person. Sometimes images were more eloquent than words. As I got more involved with photography, I discovered a visual language that I had never used before and never been exposed to, intimately. As a journalist, I was used to write about other people and other lives. With photography, I realized that I had something personal to share, a way of seeing the world and expressing myself. It took me some time to call myself a photographer, but now I do, without hesitation. This is one of the best journeys I have taken so far in my life.
    This is why I love photography.

  91. Mateo Munoz at 7:53 pm

    Becuase it brings me joy to my soul, to my eyes and to my clients. I can make things happen in a fraction of a second. It is like magic to see and image on paper or on screen. it is about communicating the right message.

    Did I tell you I will be in NYC in September?

    See you folks

    Mateo

  92. leslie sophia lindell at 5:57 pm

    Photography, and the opportunity to join you all at Luminance2012, is too important for me not to try once again to win passes 🙂 …
    There are many ways in which photography has changed everything about my life. I have loved it always but when I was younger I did not have the courage or the confidence to pursue it as my career. I spent a good lot of years doing what I was “supposed to do” rather than what lit me up from from the inside… what I was meant to do. I tossed behind my corporate career six years ago and have worked incredibly hard to carve out my niche in the world of imagery. I strive every day to become a stronger image maker and to please and illuminate my diverse array of clientele and their causes. I very firmly believe that there is beauty in even the most challenging of subjects and I strive to always draw it forth. I am lucky enough to have worked on projects ranging from a local community promoting independent life for developmentally challenged individuals to the current cook book project I am doing for a sustainable vineyard in the northern California wine country. To have the opportunity to be part of Luminance2012’s vital conversation on the future of photography would be my greatest honor. It would also be the very best gift to receive after depositing my talented son several days prior to start his first (well-scholarshipped) year at RISD in Providence. Time to spread my wings and delve even deeper into my work 🙂
    I sincerely hope to see you all in a few short weeks!

  93. James Youells at 2:14 pm

    The love of photography is the extended love of that which our mind sees around us. The camera is the tool that helps capture what our mind sees, the photograph is the tactile memory for all to enjoy.

  94. RyanStruck at 2:15 pm

    What makes me passionate about photography is that I can create and express an idea, moment or happening and present it visually. The joy of creating greatly contributes to my interest in photography and I believe that as a form of expression it cannot be matched. Photography transcends gender, race, age and even language. That is just incredible to me, to break the language barrier and relate to another person without words is an opportunity that we as photographers are privileged to. It is the images we create that can help to drive human understanding and compassion for others. The opportunity to produce a photograph that anyone around the world can relate to is what keeps me driven and in love with photography.

  95. Rose Q at 2:20 pm

    I am a marketing major, never expected myself to work in this industry at all! However, it’s simply worth it! It’s fascinating to see and learn how light can change they dynamics of each photo. To see a photographer engage with each subject and capture every moment of it, it’s quite intriguing. Once you see the photos, you get to see the photographers visions. The best part of photography is that there are no similar photographs but in the end it all comes in to create a story and in general it’s the photographer’s story.

  96. Joseph Bruno at 2:21 pm

    I love photography because it not only allows me to create but to interact with others.
    I can work alone (landscapes, product shots, etc.) or interact with others (portraits, weddings, events, etc.)
    It can be as simple (point & shot) or as complicated (Canon 50D on manual with a 6 light setup) as you want to make it.
    It was my first love and over 30 years later I still love it.

  97. Karen P at 2:42 pm

    I love photography because it allows me to connect with people whom I may not have met otherwise. I love creating photographs that will be passed down to future generations.

  98. Amelia Eliza at 2:45 pm

    I l.o.v.e. photography because:
    1. It gives me a warm fuzzy feeling
    2. It speaks in ways words can only shout
    3. It’s about the nearest thing to time travel this side of heaven
    4. It means seeing with new eyes
    5. It challenges the idea of reality
    6. It means I can list my occupation as a “professional light chaser”, “memory keeper”, “artist”, “way better than a real job”
    7. It is personal, and above all else, art should be personal

  99. Margaux at 2:48 pm

    I love photography because photographs are a two-way mirror, showing a world the photographer wants us to see the way she sees it on the one side, but also reflecting the nature and passions of the photographer herself on the other.

  100. Margaret Waage at 2:54 pm

    I love photography because it allows me to give my attention to one thing at a time. In a time when the world seems to be rushing at us from every which way, photography slows time down to manageable terms. I love it for providing me with the opportunity to think about what I’m doing, to regard who it is in front of the lens. to really see people places and things in detail.

  101. Howard Hoffman at 3:19 pm

    Photography, when done right, can capture a moment in time, invoke emotion, and/or tell a whole story in a single frame.

  102. Margaux Yiu at 3:26 pm

    I love photography because photographs are a two-way mirror, showing a world the photographer wants us to see the way she sees it on the one side, but also reflecting the nature and passions of the photographer herself on the other.
    [Sorry for duplication, but this one includes web address and full name. Feel free to delete previous post.]

  103. Randi Millman-Brown at 3:44 pm

    My life has been shaped by photography. All aspects of my life are affected by photography. My teenage years spent learning photography; met my boyfriend/husband in photography class; teach photography and art history; manage a visual image collection for art historians; write a blog on color; husband a photographer and new media artist; daughter is an aspiring photographer; son a musician. All artistic, all encompassing.

  104. Jesse Ciazza at 4:23 pm

    It would be easy to answer with praise of the technology , or the artistic freedoms and tools at my disposal . They are truly awesome .
    But the reason I do this is more basic , less ethereal than that .I do it because little matters more to people than photographs of people , places , even things they love .I get more satisfaction from walking into someone’s house and seeing a photo of mine on the wall , from them saying ”That’s the best picture we have of so-and -so ” ~”You captured Him in that photograph ” , than in any award or paycheck I ever got .When people’s houses burn down , they don’t rescue the TV , or the expensive belongings .They rescue the photographs , the memories that link them to their pasts .That’s how important photography is , and why I take pride in being a photographer .

  105. Christoph Schiffer at 4:40 pm

    When I capture e.g. my daughter in a beautiful light or in a rare moment and I feel the connectivity and my love growing at warpspeed to this cute little human being, then I love being able to preserve this millisecond in a picture that is like a jewel for me.
    Photography for the most precious moments in (my) life. Just love it!

  106. Bill Brokaw at 4:56 pm

    When disasters strike, there are three things people rescue (in this order): kids, pets and pictures. Photos matter.

    Creating original quality images that people love and cherish, fills me with that indescribable glow of energy and leaves a legacy of happiness for others. Maybe even generations of others.

    A harder question and one that would probably receive few responses would be “Why don’t you love photography?” (Robots and zombies need not reply.)

  107. Liz Byrne at 5:13 pm

    I love photography because it gives me the power to freeze time, an emotion, a view or just about anything and then share or keep it forever.

  108. Linda Johnson at 5:21 pm

    Photography allows me to capture my thoughts, feelings, the world around me visually in a manner that is far better than I can present them verbally or with the written word. I see “photos” everywhere – whether captured on film, digitally or in my brain. Photography is my life.

  109. Ty Cobb at 5:25 pm

    At the age of 15, I purchased my first camera (a Pentax ME). Then as a hobby for the next 35 years I’ve enjoyed many aspects of the art of photography. Growing up, my pictures turned more to vacation and family pics. The hobby aspect was pushed to the back burner. I have both an engineering background and a culinary arts background, and that mimics my photography style. I love the technical side of getting the exposure right, getting the lighting right, and going digital a few years ago (went Nikon) I love being able to go back and tweek the final image. The culinary arts side of my brain pushes me to be creatively better. I aspire to really be a better artist. Recently due to a near-death illness (flesh eating bacterial infection of my foot), I have had to essentially end my career as a chef and have turned to photography as not only a mental savior, but potentially as a way of working again. Going back to my old hobby and possibly new career feels like going back home and visiting a good old friend. Although my enjoyment of photography is different than when I was 15, it is more intense than ever.

  110. Linda McMahon at 6:01 pm

    I love photography because…

    I learn so much about the people I photograph by watching them through the lens and waiting for those special moments when they drop their defenses and their soul shines through. The majic of the photograph is that that soulful moment is captured forever to look back upon and remember.

  111. William Mazdra at 6:05 pm

    I have always believed, that there are certain photographs that reveal themselves to us when we allow us ourselves to be fully present, in that place, and in that moment. I love photography deeply, because in those moments, the art allows us to connect to others, and in turn for them to connect to a memory, or an emotion or a place. I love it because it can connect us to a place where things are what they can be, and should be.

  112. David Halperin at 6:13 pm

    Why do I love photography? I could quote Man Ray, who said, “If I’d had the nerve I’d have become a thief or a gangster; but I didn’t, so I became a photographer.” But you want my own reason: when I’m at my best photographically, it’s as if my eyeballs are ‘freshly peeled.’ That sounds creepy but what I mean is that I’m looking at the world as if for the first time, without assumptions, not taking things for granted, without the accumulation of lazy habit that makes things look bland and boring.

  113. Vivian Barnes at 6:38 pm

    Photography is a passion! You shoot what you like and allow others to share your vision of what is right or wrong with the world. You have to have a passion and love of what you shoot. Whether it be nature, or studio work, you have to have a passion that drive the creative juices. Photography is much more than a person with a camera. it reflects life as we know it. It doesn’t lie to you unless the photographer wants it too. I lost my ability to even pick up a camera and just the last few weeks I found the passion and love flowing back after a very bad spell in my life. Now it is what drives me to do anything each day. My life is far from perfect and tranquil but photography is a passion that’s hard to kill, even when life gets to be to much.

  114. Linda Tucker at 7:50 pm

    I love photography because it enables me to share with others the beauty of the natural world through my minds eye. Whether it is nature, landscapes, skyscapes or macros, I am able to give to others a gift of an image that they may not have even given a second thought to. I can share what I see and foster an appreciation for our natural world in all its glory through my images. That’s why I love photography.

  115. Francisco Estrada at 7:57 pm

    Since I Was a kid, I was involved with an emotional attachment created by images. Since I was a kid, I had a camera in my hand. I love history  too, and what makes my passion on it, Is when I found an image and I watch it over and over on detail and understand and recreate the entire historic moment. I had been working on family portraits from the early 1900′ from this we had found part of our legacy.
    I love photography because is my way to stop the time.

  116. Patricia Lam at 8:24 pm

    Photography has released by stifled creativity, filled me with joy and a purpose. The subject’s personality, soul, being, inner child all project into my camera and the resulting images. Photographs record time, emotion, places and our experiences. Photography allows us to relive special moments and feelings for the rest of our lives. Photographs and photography luminates my soul. Aloha, Patricia

  117. Paul Ray Crowson at 9:48 pm

    Photography has changed the way I see the world. Every moment of every day of my life, and yes, even my dreams when I sleep at night, are richer because of it. The skills I’ve developed in looking, really looking, at the world around me and the people and things that comprise it make my life fuller. To make a great photograph, you first have to see the greatness in your subject matter, whether it be the soulfulness in the eyes of a person or creature, or the intricate details of a texture or color variation in a landscape. Once you’ve started looking for these things, you can’t ever stop seeing them. Even when there is no camera around my neck or in my pocket, I see the world around me through the special lens in my mind that focuses on the details and the beauty of every person and thing I see.
    I’ll forever be grateful to my father, who bought me my first Nikon EL2 thirty-five years ago, for rocking my world in a way that has brought deeper meaning to every experience I’ve had since then. And it keeps getting better – the more you look and the harder you try to truly see the world around you, the richer all of your experiences become. I love photography because it taught me to see, not just look.

  118. Robert H. Briggs at 10:41 pm

    15Aug.2012
    I love photography because when I take that picture I have captured that moment in time
    that otherwise would be lost forever.
    Robert H. Briggs
    Harriman, TN

  119. Anastasia at 11:11 pm

    Capturing people in moments of candid character. That’s why I love photography. I get to tell the life story of a person by pressing the shutter in the single moment that they let their guard down and show me who they are in their environment.

  120. Anastasia Tantaros at 11:16 pm

    Capturing people in moments of candid character. That’s why I love photography. I get to tell the life story of a person by pressing the shutter in the single moment that they let their guard down and show me who they are in their environment.

  121. Linda at 11:57 pm

    I love photography because it captures a moment in time that happens once in a lifetime. It allows me to express myself creatively.

  122. Guy Jordan at 12:12 am

    Humans have many different intelligences that allow them to understand people and learn new ideas. I love literature, film, and art, but only through photography can I look into a person’s mind and soul and show the world what I have learned. Only by taking images can I reveal to others what I feel is worth seeing.

    I aspire to take unglamorous photos of beautiful souls and make provocative images of everyday scenes.

  123. Dee Maglio at 8:10 am

    I LOVE PHOTOGRAPHY! I love photography because it fills me with joy. I photograph people, weddings, children, executives and every session makes me happy. Every shoot I have makes me laugh in some way. As corny as it sounds, it is so true, Photography and becoming a photographer has made a happier person. Photography completes me. – – hahahaha! Quick! what movie did I steal that line from?!

  124. Sandra at 1:59 pm

    Photography is art. it can be beautiful, brutal, honest, or liberating! Photography has the capabilities of transfering you to a place long forgotten or a new frontier. It can suck you in or spit you out. Photography is not for the now, it is for our tomorrows. THAT is why I love photography!

  125. Mike Suvada at 2:49 pm

    I love the ability to capture people and make them look good in a way they don’t see themselves. Also, every day and new location gives me the opportunity to take photos in a different way. I just returned from four days of walking in Manhattan and being able to take photos that capture the scenes of the city while incorporating the complete wonder and amazement that I felt by being there is a joy that is unequaled with most anything else that you can do!

  126. Glenn Hieber at 10:45 am

    Shortly after my traumatic brain injury [TBI] from a ’03 pickup vs bike accident a doctor counseled:

    “TBI survivors frequently struggle appreciating literature and film. Deficits in memory, attention and information processing can stunt even the most beautiful story’s flow and harmony. Still photography savors it within the four sides of the frame. No need to rewind DVDs or flip to prior chapters to verify plot and character development.”

    Photography love for me remains reaching survivors who, to date, decline medical help per fear of social stigma trending today. It is indeed an exciting time to survive, and even thrive, with traumatic brain injury. For me it is with a lens. Life changes with TBI, it doesn’t end.

  127. Marlin Woodruff at 4:21 pm

    Photography, well the love for it started at an early age when I gazed upon my uncles camera with these huge lenses, I was hooked and he taught me how each one worked… I love photography because as the saying goes a picture speaks a 1000 words, but for me its the moment my eye focuses on the one great composition and inside my head I am screaming YESSS! then I press down on the shutter and the moment is forever frozen in time… history

  128. Kelley Bruso at 6:02 pm

    I love photography because it has opened my eyes to the moments before me and has given me the gift of remembering them. Since I work primarily as a portraitist, I love being able to capture the beauty I see inside of people, each unique and powerful, and being it able to share it back. I love the joy of the moments, the intimacy, and the humor I find behind the lens. Life is so short and now I can remember not only where I have been but can also see glimpses of where I want to go in the images I have created. I love photography because it has given me the ability to cherish life fully.

  129. Glenn Hieber at 8:27 pm

    Richard Deutsh writes, “I like photography because it makes me stop.”

    The wildlife in my North Campus neighborhood understand I stop when the tripod does. Whether trust or respect, all one needs is to stop. Great comment.

  130. Bill Brokaw at 10:22 am

    What’s not to love? From my trusty Kodak Instamatic (with the pop-on flash cube) to my mega-mega-pixal DSL and multi-wireless lighting it has always been that surge of dopamine or seratonin or chocolate syrup or whatever that brain juice is called, that has kept me an avid shooter for over 45 years.

    When I create image or capture a fleeting moment at just the right time I feel it in my heart. There is a certain amount of tension and anxiety leading up to a great photo. You have to dig down deep and let it emerge. When it does, it just feels so right.

  131. Rana at 10:34 am

    Photography is my love. As a journalism major in college, my life was to tell a story. I graduated college at the same time as my father, who majored in photography. I saw his love and passion for something that has now only become a side hobby. Because he works two jobs, he never has time for his love – photography. So each time I pick up my camera to tell a story, I’m also telling the story of my father. His love, his passion and his dream that was lost. I tell both of our stories with each click of the shutter.

  132. Daniella at 5:39 pm

    Photography has been in my blood since before I can remember. My father placed a camera in my hands and let me into his darkroom before I could reach the developing trays. He taught me sun printing with leaves and to photograph snowflakes on a cold winter day in front of our house. I have been hooked ever since. I pick up a camera ever chance I get, but spend most of my time collaborating with others as a visual media specialist. I am passionate about all things visual from the moment an image is envisioned until the final piece is experienced by another human being.

  133. Susan at 8:37 pm

    Ilove photography because it allows one to be part of a situation but not be there. Theres a wall between you and whatever is on the other side of the lens while you are creating your reality of a moment.

  134. Moya McAllister at 11:49 am

    It is the rim of golden sunshine outlining a child’s head while she is splashing in the sea.  It is the late afternoon glow on a plate on just-sliced tomatoes, handpicked from the garden. It is the refreshing, cool light on a lover’s face under the trees.
    It is the shining points of delight in the eyes of a handsome man. It is the streams of illumination bursting through the clouds at dawn. It is the deep blue reflection of a lake on a perfect spring day. It is the sculpted shadows on the facade of a two-hundred year old house. What I love about photography is the ability to share the different personalities of light & my experience of what it reveals.

  135. Julie Fischer McCarter at 8:59 am

    Why I love photography! While I am quite aware that I DO love photography, I don’t believe I have ever really reflected on the WHY piece of that puzzle. In order to answer that question, I have to give a little background. Quite uniquely, my “other” profession that I still dabble in is as a therapist (yes, the mental health kind). So with all of that analytical “knowledge” you would think that I had fully analyzed why I chose to dedicate my life to photography. Nope. Now that I reflect, I realize that when I experienced profound loss & grief at the age of 18 there wasn’t much that I felt like doing. Drinking, yes. Talking, no. Taking pictures, YES!?! While shooting it was almost like having a conversation (mini-therapy session) with myself about where I fit into the world, what was important and how I could possibly move forward & connect with others despite my bleak feelings. I distinctly remember looking thru the viewfinder and seeing a good ole’ crumbling Southern Railroad car in New Orleans and immediately feeling connected to generations of my ancestors from the South. That brought me tremendous strength and comfort. Photography connected me to something mystical that I would NEVER have connected to if it hadn’t been for the camera. Pretty cool. Thanks for motivating me to reflect.

  136. Donald Schwartz at 2:43 pm

    Photography is all engaging, I forget everything else when I take a picture. But the craft and creation has risks and that’s why I love it.

    A director of photography told me that he once nearly walked off an elevated crane because he forgot he was there. His whole world was inside the camera’s frame and he wanted to make the adjustment that would enable him to tell the story he wanted. So what was lacking? A suggestion of another world existing outside of the frame and he needed to reposition his camera to get to it.

    I too forget where I am when I compose an image: maybe if I pan the camera this way or that, or maybe if I get closer or drop to my knees the image will work. Moving images have the benefit of time; stills must capture a whole world in an instant.

    My instructor, the DP was saved by his seat belt. What will save me from falling off a ladder, backing into traffic, or tripping over a light when getting the shot is all consuming? For me it doesn’t matter. If I get the shot I’ll be happy.

  137. John Guillemin at 11:53 am

    When photography is at its best it lets you decide and explain. Often to others but mostly to yourself. It helps you complete that curious dance between skepticism and trust, especially when you emerge into the sprawling world and do your work. And sometimes in the midst of this process the lens inexplicably inverts and you end up having your own little epiphanies as well. That is why I love photography.

  138. Terry Wild at 10:00 am

    ‘The power of an inward feeling with outward expression’. Be it a landscape, natural study, portrait, montage, conceptual, environmental, social, time lapse- a day without creating and responding is a day lost. Unlike the spoken word, photographic expression is universal and helps bring our knowledge of the world and ourselves closer together. Photography is as democratic as you can get. Much like music, photography is a consummate means of global communication, and has been my source of joy, passion, and expression. This is what I truly love about photography.

  139. Michael Newman at 2:44 am

    Photography trancends time. It takes you to places you have never been. It makes the world a smaller place. When I am photographing a landscape, a person, a family or the stars in the sky my worries in life just fade away and I become one with my subject and my surroundings. It is a very real experience for me. I just love the photographic medium for expressing what I love about life nad the people and creatures on Earth. A planet we take too much for granted.

  140. Karen Kring at 4:53 pm

    For storytelling that is about showing, not telling,
    photography it is.
    For transcending language,
    photography it is.
    For expressing what couldn’t be put into words in the first place,
    photography it is.
    For exploring the worlds seldom seen or shared,
    photography it is.
    For documenting our times…
    For documenting the beautiful and the ugly…
    For documenting a fleeting moment…
    Photography it is.

  141. leslie sophia lindell at 10:16 pm

    Photography, to put it simply, is responsible for everything I have become. I let go of a corporate career six years ago and fully committed myself to not only creating images, but to finding a form of beauty in every subject that I am lucky enough to be chosen to shoot.

    I am blessed to have built a healthy business in my local/extended community and now I am ready to be part of something bigger… to immerse myself in a wider community of like-minded creative professionals. Luminance is the perfect opportunity to do just that.

    Thank you so very much for your consideration as well as the spectacular online community/web service that you’ve built with Photo Shelter! I sincerely hope to see you all there 🙂

  142. Laurie Fink-Green at 8:00 pm

    I love photography because how can I not? A grandfather who sold his chemical corporation to Kodak, a photojournalist for a mother who gave me a 110 camera and kept me in flash cubes throughout elementary school (and who taught me what a Leica was before teaching me to do laundry), my first international show seen by the city of London as they commuted to Diana’s funeral. Captured images have defined my history, my life, and my relationships, and will continue to as long as there is something to snap. And there’s always something to catching that weird expression on some person in the back of the frame , merging randomness with the expectation of our past, present and future.

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