What do you want to get out of photography? Are you interested in producing beautiful works of art? Is your goal to make money doing something y0u enjoy? Just what are you looking to accomplish with your photography?
Photographers are artists, it seems to me. We see what others overlook or don’t bother to notice. Our creative tendency could be a goal in and of itself. I imagine there are as many goals possible as there are photographers. We are unique and yet we share a unique commonality at the very same time.
Competition drives many in the field of photography. We view another photographer as a competitor and sometimes even as an enemy, rather than a colleague. When we hear about or meet a fellow photographer who is in our territory we look the other way and hope they will fail quickly.
What if we took the time to learn from each other? What if instead of behaving like rivaling siblings, we showed a little mutual respect and friendship toward one another. I am rather tired of this doggy dog world where everyone is out only for themselves. Some of my photography goals are to extend and experience some feelings of camaraderie and collegiality.
I readily recognize that I do not know everything about photography. My passions and interests have taught me a lot, but there is so much more for me to learn. And I know that I can learn a lot from fellow photographers. Isn’t there room in photography for genuine sharing and respect for each other? Can we not all learn a little bit from one another and have fun in the process? Isn’t it time we showed one another some mutual respect and even appreciation for each others work?