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Why I love to take pictures

If you’ve been reading here for long, you know that picture-taking is a passion of mine, and in case you’re wondering why I’m so shutter-happy, I thought I’d list some reasons.

Why I love taking pictures

Disclaimer: I know it’s not going to be a passion for everyone else as well (I’ll be me and you can be you!) and that’s totally ok.

1) To me, it’s fun, not work.

I pretty much never pick up my camera out of a sense of duty.   I pick it up because I want to document something or capture something.   I take pictures for the sheer joy of it.

Even when I “need” to take a picture, for blog purposes, it still feels like fun work to me.

2) Photos are so much fun to look back on.

When I was writing about the things that have improved my photography over the years, I poked through my old photo files and had a delightful   little walk down memory lane.

my kids, 2009

my kids, 2009

I look through my old photos and I’m all, “Look how small Lisey was!   Ohh, Sonia’s cheeks were so squeezable!   Aww, Joshua was really sweet with baby Zoe.”   And so on.

I do remember things about my children’s younger years, of course, but memories fade with time, and I’m so happy to have the photographs to remind me of their small days.

3) My kids enjoy my pictures.

They frequently enjoy photos in the now, but they REALLY enjoy photos of the past.   It’s fun for them to see what their lives looked like in years past, and Zoe especially enjoys taking a peek at our family’s life before she joined us.

IMG_3018

4) Photos help me see the beauty in my life.

Something about practicing photography sharpens your eye and makes you more able to see the lovely things in life.   I notice beautiful clouds, rich light from the setting sun, a colorful flower, a sweet kid moment, a beautiful stream of steam from a hot tea cup, and so on.

steam from a mug of tea

I feel like blinders have been removed from my eyes and I see a richer life than I could see before.

5) I can bless other people with my camera.

While I do not at all want to become a professional photographer (I thought I’d want to and as it turns out, I don’t!), I do love to bless other people by taking photos for them.

baby session

I’ve done headshots, baby photos, maternity photos, engagement sessions, and family sessions for my cousins and siblings and friends, and it makes me glad to be able to offer something that might otherwise be out of reach financially.

6) Blogging is better with photos.

If I didn’t know much about photography, it’d be really hard to blog.   It’s so much easier to share recipes, review, tutorials, and really any kind of blog post if you have the ability to take photos.

potato cinnamon rolls

potato cinnamon rolls, in progress

And since I can DIY, I never have to deal with the headache of getting permission to use other people’s photos, and I don’t have to mess with buying stock photography.

7) Photography is a creative outlet for me.

Experimenting with different lighting, new places to shoot, varied backdrops, new colors, and sometimes, new equipment, is really enjoyable for me.

Zoe at Christmas

And while the initial equipment investment is a little bit steep, honestly, averaged out over the years, this hasn’t ended up being a crazy expensive creative outlet.

(Though this is due to the fact that I’m not a compulsive upgrader! I tend to keep my equipment for a long time.)

8) I love to share photos.

While part of the joy comes in capturing the pictures, I also really love sharing them with other people on social media, through my blog, or in person (that usually ends up taking the form of showing a photo book I’ve made).

ballerinas

A beautiful, sweet, moody, funny, or cute photo I’ve taken is just that much more enjoyable when I get to share it with someone.

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How about you? What makes you pick up your camera?

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Jacqueline

Saturday 18th of July 2015

I'm not even 100% sure what I like about photography. It's capturing a moment, a feel, memories. And also a creative outlet. Plus a challenge, b/c for me, photography is a long and continuous learning process!

Katie

Saturday 11th of July 2015

I was wondering do you make photo books with all your kids photos? I think I hesitate to take photos because then it means I'll have to do something with them. Do you have a system of keeping photos electronically? You say your kids like looking at their past, are they looking at photo books or just your stash on the computer?

Kristen

Saturday 11th of July 2015

Yep, I do photo books now, and in years past, I made scrapbooks.

Elizabeth B

Wednesday 1st of July 2015

Kristen, I love all of these photos, but the one with the dancers is absolutely beautiful. It's such a pleasure to look at your blog.

Kristen

Wednesday 1st of July 2015

Thank you for your kind words!

Amanda

Monday 29th of June 2015

You are a very talented photographer. It is one of the reasons your blog is so professional. I have always wished I was a photography person for all the reasons you mentioned, but it's just not me!

Kristen

Monday 29th of June 2015

Aww, thank you for your kind words!

Cindi

Monday 29th of June 2015

Hi Kristen. Just got my new Rebel T5 this morning. Lots of new things to learn. It's overwhelming. But so much fun to learn something newer. What kind of lens is that attached to your Rebel? Is it the only one you use? Is it attachable?

See what I mean? Lots and lots of questions.

Thanks for sharing. Cindi

Kristen

Monday 29th of June 2015

Oh, that's my 50mm lens attached to my original Rebel. It's pretty much the only lens I use. I'd say I shoot with it about 95% of the time! And yep, it's a removable lens.

Hang in there with the learning curve! It's a lot to take in at first, so holler if you have questions.

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