As promised, this is a follow-up to my post – What Does Photography Mean To You? – which was a request for reader-input.  Before I get into reviewing what you shared, I also promised that I would share my own thoughts about what Photography Means to Me.

On the surface, photography isn’t just a hobby for me – it’s a an incredible creative release.  I have always needed some sort of creative outlet, and photography does just that.  But it’s more than an outlet – it’s a means to express myself.  My creative life has always suffered from an inner struggle.  I feel that I am a fairly creative person, but I have a little too many left-brained tendancies that I find it difficult to break out of the box and think creatively.  Photography has enabled me to look at the world differently.  It has enabled me to understand why objects and spaces are appealing.  If something catches my eye, I can apply what I’ve learned through photography to better understand why.  As a whole, I think my photography has helped me to do better at everything that I do.

Did I mention that I’m a landscape architect?  My entire career is about understanding and creating spaces.  Lately, I think that I’m a better landscape architect because of my photography.  I recently learned that the details are just as important as the overall picture.  This is something I already knew, but I’ll admit that I never understood it in practice.  But this is a realization that will inevitably help my career.  And for that reason, it is my primary focus in photography right now:  Exploring the details.

Now, lets rehash some of the things you’ve said:

Lisa Newton of the Travelin’ Local Blog appears to use photography as a way of documenting her life.  If you read her blog, you’ll see that it’s a pleasent mix of life and local culture (thus the name of her blog).  While Lisa didn’t mention it specifically, her work is photojournalism.  In a recent post, Lisa gives us a preview to a photo scavenger hunt she is participating in.  It’s interesting to see what she has come up with for each of the list items.  She has really documented a lot of cultural aspects of the Los Angeles area, and I really enjoyed the post.  Lisa:  I hope you continue to use photography as a documentation and social commentary tool.  This is a great use of the medium, and I think that many will benefit from your work.  (Read Lisa’s complete response.)

So that’s it? Unfortunately, yes.  I have spoken to several photographers directly on this topic, but Lisa was the only person to respond directly to my post.  I of course greatly appreciate any response.  So if care to add your own thoughts, feel free to respond to this post.

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