Photography, though silently conveyed, speaks multitudes.

Art can be expressed in numerous platforms and probably one of the fastest growing forms of art is photography. It’s quite overwhelming yet not surprising that today’s generation is geared up with their cameras and smartphones and is actively indulging in photography.

For whatever reason they have, society hasgained traction and entrusted their lives dramatically through the lenses of digital photography. More and more are joining the hype and for what it’s worth, it made other people aware of how the world works in different angles.

Asking the obvious question, why are people investing so much of their time in photography. The answers are quite straightforward and sensible.

Many talk about photography, but few talk about photography as a means of discovering oneself. — Leon Pomeroy Ph.D.

Photography brings perspective

People’s lives are embedded with mundane obligations of daily living and the monotony of a situation can distort a person’s perspective with reality, posing negative outcomes. Photography allows people to see the world differently, wonderfully, extraordinarily.

Photography is not just snapping a photo or two. It’s about experiencing something, capturing that scene and sharing its message with the society.The once futile things that you don’t notice and appreciate become more significant like the blossoming of flowers, or the rising and setting of the sun, or the leaves rustling, falling from the trees in autumn. Photography intensely serves life to people who need it most.

Photography documents memories

When the image is clear in my head, I search the best way to achieve it. If I have to make a photomontage, I do. But if I can avoid it, I prefer not to. — Susan K Perry Ph.D.

Probably one of the main reasons why people engage in photography, recording important moments in your lives and making it last forever is something that you would definitely cherish as part of your journey through the world. Photographs can bring back reminiscence of your childhood that looking at it can make you remember how far you’ve gone, imposing a positive, rejuvenating vibe that you thought you’ve lost. It makes you remember the places you’ve been, the smiles you’ve seen, the things you’ve collected and regretted, and the people you’ve met, loved and lost.

Photography optimizes mental health

Any form of art is good for mental health, relieving stress and anxiety. Photography is a form of distraction therapy that by takes your senses away from a stressful event in your work or life and makes your mind focus on your creative side. By directing your focus to the things that interest you and make you happy, you are giving yourself the much-needed stress relief which benefits your mental health. While others would go on rooftops and take pictures of the city, others prefer to capture sunsets along the bay. A photographer’s focus on stress relief is subjective and can be categorized to relate to various emotions.

In my mind, art is inherently about expressing that which is unique, not reinventing images from the same mold. — Cathy Malchiodi PhD, LPCC, LPAT, ATR-BC, REAT

Photography as a career

Photography as a hobby can be turned into something profitable. Making a living doing something you love is everyone’s dream job. Those who are aspiring to be photographers can either be hired as fulltime, part time or freelance. One of the things that you have to take note of if ever you decided to become a professionally hired photographer is that your life will revolve outside the office.

Photography tackles spirituality

Photography taps a place within oneself which can be converted into something deeper and more meaningful. How does photography delve into our spiritual being? By letting people see things in its rawest nature. Photography makes you realize that ordinary things can be extraordinary if you allow yourself to go beyond the superficial. And that’s where photography is best at – it makes people see the positive angles of a particular story or subject that we have never seen or appreciated before.

In conclusion

Expression through photography draws out reactions that even the whiff of air touching a leaf becomes a masterpiece and a mystery. Photography asserts our attention to what matters. Though it might be subjective, the photographer allows its audience to draw conclusions from a particular image he or she finds significant.