When you find your passion in photography, you become much more excited about photography than you already are!
How do you find your passion in photography? You ask many photographers and they say their passion is photography. However, if you ask those photographers what their passion beyond that is, many do no know or they can’t really put their finger on it. All that they know is that they want to be photographers. However, I would like to argue the fact that while it may be true that you could still have a passion for photography while not knowing what you want to photograph, you will be much more passionate about what you want to photograph once you figure out what it is you want to be passionate about in the area of photography. I used to think that I wanted to photograph everything from weddings to children, families to landscapes, seniors to commercial, greeting cards to labor and delivery, and everything else you could come up with. However, the problem with this is that when you don’t focus your efforts in one area or at least begin to narrow down your real interests, you never really become focused and an expert in your field.
I want to make one quick point however, I do suggest when you begin photographing people, trying all ages and groups and types to figure out what makes you happy and who you enjoy photographing the most. Try photographing kids and families and teenagers and pets… You get the point. Try it all until you begin to see what it is that you enjoy the most.
I worked for a portrait company for many years where my daily task was to photograph families of every age and size. A large portion of my subjects were the elderly. And while I felt that I was very good at photographing elderly people, I never felt passionate about it. However, when children would come into our studio, I felt happy and excited to take their portraits. I loved interacting with babies, children and teenagers. If they were under 18, I had a good time, for the most part. However, while I liked photographing teenagers, I realized that photographing children was my real passion. I love being silly and when dealing with children, you can be as silly as you want and they will appreciate it and laugh at you often. They, for me, are the greatest source of joy for me as a portrait photographer. And while I enjoyed my job as a portrait photographer, I realized that it was not the fact that I was a photographer that I loved so much, it was the interaction between myself and children. Photography is only the outlet that I use to interact between the child and myself.
If you are not passionate about the subjects you photograph, you may actually grow to become uninterested in photography.
I feel that if you want to find your passion in photography, it won’t come if your passion is cameras. If it is, consider working in a camera store. I feel that your passion will come, in portrait photography specifically, if you love people, genuinely love working with people. The real question is what people? Do you love brides on their wedding day? Do you love weddings and the fanfare? Then weddings may be your outlet. Do you love the attitude and mood of teenagers. Can you relate to them and enjoy being around them? Then senior portraiture may be just your thing. Do you love being around older people? Then perhaps specializing in senior citizens may be just the right type of photography for you. Do you love acting silly and playing with kids? If so, you might want to consider being a children’s photographer. When you figure out what you want you want to photograph, rather than just saying, “I want to be a photographer”, then you will find out what your passion is.
I spent many years just going through the motions, photographing families, older people and couples and the entire time I never realized that my passion was photographing children. I was good at all these groups but had not real passion for photographing them. However, now I spend my days photographing just the subjects that make me the happiest and that is children. I love it. There is no other group I want to photograph. Give me children everyday and I’ll be content. I would never want to go back to the old way of doing things. This is my passion. I wish I would have figured this out much sooner, but it’s okay, because I know it now. So, my suggestion to anyone trying to figure out what they want to do in photography is not attempt to be a generalist. Rather, try to figure out what it is that would make you excited to photograph every day. Is it animals, then photograph pets. Is is it kids? Then be a children’s photographer. You get the idea. Do what makes you happy. Do what makes you excited to get up everyday and photograph. It will make you a much happier and more fulfilled photographer.
When you are passionate about the subjects that you photograph, it will show!
