What are your goals as a photographer?

[jurgen]

What are your goals as a photographer? What do you want out of photography? What do you want to give to back? Do you have any particular aims, or benchmarks, that you hope to achieve? Any financial goals? Any artistic ones? Any particular discipline you hope to be of service to?

I idolize the great documentary photographers (Friedlander, Winogrand, Arbus, Eggleston, Christenberry, Owens, Weegee, Cartier-Bresson, etc.) and the great contemporary war photojournalists. Ultimately, I would like to cover conflict for a worthwhile photo agency and make a living from photography that could support my frugal lifestyle. If I could go anywhere right now, it would be Yemen, to cover the people most affected by the US drone program(s) (I am an American citizen).

If you've got any specific (or nebulous!) goals, post them!

 

[val]

As far as I know, I'm just photographing to document my life/photograph things that interest me, express my creativity and just to develop my skills especially with directing people.

Eventually I would love to be paid for it, I see myself working on advertising campaigns or docos so I'm photographing/filming and editing with that in mind.

 

[sfmurph]

I'm a dad trying to capture some "decisive moments" of my wife and kids, our adventures together. So getting to the right spot, interesting compositions, pretty pictures of our surroundings. Part of that is sharing these via the web, prints and books, but that can be a challenge for me. Directing (these) people too!

 

[dpaultx]

My "goal" as a "photographer" is to just get back to, approximately, the same point that I was at, forty years ago, when I fully understood the meaning of "ASA" vs "ISO" and didn't really need a camera that required a battery in order to take a picture.

 

[speedandstyle]

I don't really have a set goal other than to have fun and try new things and improve my skills. There are some types of photography I haven't done{or not much} and want to try them. For instance the only astrophotography I have done is of the moon but I want to do more.

 

[Rasmus]

So far I'm just trying to figure out what my goals are. However, I sense that i'm slowly drifting toward wildlife photography.

 

[DougVaughn]

My goal is to become half as good as some of the folks I run across here or in places like 500px. I've been involved in photography as a hobby for 35 years but only seriously for about five. More than anything, I want to have fun as it's my way to relax. I enjoy shooting far more than post processing, so I need to figure out how to spend more time on one and less on the other.

 

[Superstriker#8]

My goal as a photographer is to get to the point where, for the subjects I shoot the most, I would be satisfied if I never got any better.

 

[nardoleo]

My goal as a photographer is to capture key moments and memories. And having fun doing it.
Thats why i choose to use the olympus cameras, i have as much fun using them as with the photos taken with them.

 

[T N Args]

To enhance my ability to experience the reality around me by finding visual beauty, interest and meaning, and then by developing an ability to express it in order to share what I found.

 

[fransglans]

besides capturing memories. Im trying to get more keepers than lousy ones.

 

[darcius1]

Capture the moment, bring enjoyment to the viewer or render in a way that will be truthful, inspiring or meaningful to the viewer.

 

[alex66]

Mainly I am working towards completing a Masters in September, the work I create is predominately a form of social documentary with a side line of children's books.

 

[manju69]

Capturing these: the fleeting beauty of life, memories, fresh perspectives... and sharing them with others

and

to take better photographs than i did before..

 

[Wisertime]

I guess my goals are to continually improve and master the equipment I have. I toyed with going into business, but don't want to do weddings, otherwise I would have done so by now. I'd like to find some kind of niche. For now though, I make little goals of trying to pay for some of my lenses via getting published in local paper and entering a local contest. I won last year, so my goal is to repeat this year. I've had more than a dozen photos published and 7-8 on the front page. I've probably made enough to cover my 75mm cost during the past year. It's just a small local paper, but it's something. I feel like I'm not maximizing my potential though. I enjoy portraiture too, but haven't been able to monetize that, let alone find someone local for TFP sessions.

I've been more serious about photography in the past 8-9 years, and improved, but feel like it was a slow process for me. Then again, it's not my only hobby and I go through phases with it....sometimes I contemplate selling everything and giving up.


My dream would be a traveling landscape photographer, doing dramatic and unique locations and then selling prints (I can dream for now). Living on the East coast has it's challenges for me personally. It forces me to find beauty in other things.

 

[GBarrington]

Goals, Eh?

I hadn't thought about it in those terms.

I think my photographic "eye" is reasonably good (though there is no such thing as a perfect artist), so if I had to select something, I would say my technique and skills need to catch up to my eye. That I need better skills to help deliver to others the image trapped inside my head.

 

[usayit]

Goals?

Right now, I'm so busy that my goal is simply to shoot.

Other than that... it slows me down to appreciate things. It is very effective at pacing my life....

 

[drd1135]

I want to take images that I can then enjoy.

 

[jurgen]

Right now, I'm so busy that my goal is simply to shoot.

As far as I'm concerned, that is a perfectly valid and highly worthwhile goal, one we can all aspire to.

 

[Exposed]

After 30 some years as a full time photographer, my golds are now towards becoming a better videographer. I have, for the last year been involved in a few productions for non-profits such as the local Humane society, United Way and community collage. My time is spent on directing, production and camera work. The editing is where I need to spend more time.

Here is what I have worked on so far: http://dawsonphoto.smugmug.com/Video-work

Thank you,

Randy