PixelStan77 Loc: Vermont/Chicago

Taking photos of family, family occasions and taking a vacation memories is obvious. Sharing them with family and friends is also expected.
I enjoy traveling to do Landscapes, wild animals and nature. People ask me why do I go and do that? I answer is is passion and I enjoy it.
They follow up with a question what do you do with them? I answer I enjoy looking at them and put them on a website for friends who ask to go look at them.
That got my interest up about the UHH. Why do you take Photos and What do you do with them?

tdekany Loc: Oregon

Wow - no one has ever asked me those 2 questions. Kind of like shopping for food. Pretty obvious. :)

Ched49 Loc: Pittsburgh, Pa.

I've been fascinated with cameras ever since I can remember but didn't really get into photography until 15 years ago. I also enjoy sharing them with family and posting on UHH but mostly, I take pictures for my own enjoyment. Love looking at old photograph's and I'm still fascinated that time stands still when I take a photograph and it's recorded forever in that moment of time. I take pictures of what ever comes to mind.

Wheelman Loc: Indiana

A favorite thing for me is to put my photos and videos of mission trips on a disk and give them to the people who supported me on the trip. Along with a letter describing what happened. Like this tornado cleanup at Moore OK.

tornado cleanup

OddJobber Loc: Portland, OR

I take/make photos because if I didn't a lot of expensive equipment would be wasted.

I store them on my computer so the computer will not be wasted.

More seriously, I shoot because I want to in hopes I will get better at this.

I occasionally share what I think is an interesting shot here on UHH, give prints or ephotos to friends and family and am running out of wall space. :)

Bill_de Loc: US

I mostly take pictures of birds. I like watching them, and like photography. Aside from posting, I email pictures to some of my friends and relatives who have asked for them.

On a local basis I give away a lot of prints. I do woodworking in my garage, and with the doors open in nice weather, people stop by. I started by having pictures laying around that I was building frames for. If someone liked a picture I would give it to them, without the frame.

I was amazed when visiting some of these homes that they had the pictures professionally mounted and framed. I have one neighbor with an autistic daughter, and another with an autistic grandson. The kids really love the bird pictures. I did 17 x 22 prints of the Cooper's Hawk I posted recently. I found the the bigger the print, the bigger the smiles the kids give me in return. :)


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Tom DePuy Loc: Waxhaw, N.C.

for the enjoyment of the moment , the thrill of the chase, and the hopes of one day getting a decent shot ,store on my computer and then force my wife to view them.... :)

RichardTaylor Loc: Sydney, Australia

Why?
#1 Memories for myself and my family.
#2 Meomories for "clients"
#3 It gets me out of the house.
#4 It can be a technical challenge
#5 I enjoy doing it

What do I do with them?
#1 For the personal stuff I sometimes make prints
#2 For "clients" and family I mahe them available on line
#3 I share some of them on line with people who may have an interest in the subject, or sometimes fellow photographers.

I am just a hobbyst.

Ched49 Loc: Pittsburgh, Pa.

Kind of like shopping for food?

pixbyjnjphotos Loc: Apache Junction,AZ

I like photography. It can be a relatively inexpensive hobby. I don't have a lot of expensive equipment. I do enjoy taking and post-processing photos. I take photos of almost anything except nudes. Don't plan on getting into trouble. Antique tractors, old barns, flowers are among my favorite subjects. I do quite a few scenics and even a few weddings and portraits. I make calendars out of the tractor, old barn, and flower photos. Have done some Christmas cards for other people. Have a project going right now for updating the photos for a board to identify all the occupants of an RV park. Also have done private photos for some musicians at jam sessions in RV parks and have another project coming up to design a CD cover for a musician. I did a CD cover a couple of years ago for a musician that got some extremely good kudos. I do enter some of my best into exhibitions at a local cultural arts center during the summer months and have sold a few. Was invited to be the featured photographer at one of the exhibitions with 12 of my antique tractor photos. Also, enjoy just going through all the photos to bring back memories. Have a GREAT DAY!

Photographer Jim Loc: Rio Vista, CA

(Why). As someone who was very much involved with art in my high school and college years (I did a lot of painting and jewelry making - lost wax casting) I went on to a strongly academic career and basically lost touch with my creative side.

As I approached retirement and wondered what I would do with my time, I made a vow to myself that I would revisit and rediscover the artistic side of my soul. It turned out a friend was taking some photography classes at the local community college. I decided to give photography a try and soon discovered that it was a good creative match for me. It became the vehicle for my artistic expression, and I have been pursuing it for the past 9 years. Beside serving as a creative outlet, photography has also provided a "purposeful" structure to travel. I have gone places I might not have explored were I not in search of that "gee whiz" shot.

(What). Shortly after beginning my involvement with photography, I joined a camera club. In fairly short order, I started winning the club and regional competitions, as well as others. On a bit of a whim, I decided to see if my images might sell, so I invested in the set-up needed for art festivals and started doing shows here on the West Coast. I have been doing this for four years now.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

Actually, your first two points are no so obvious. I rarely take images of my family and family occasions. I also rarely take images for vacation memories unless the subject is visually interesting and unusual. And finally I also hardly ever share images with family and friends. There is nothing more boring to me than being subjected to someone else's countless vacation and family snapshots. I would never do that to my friends and family. I take photos for me, and me only. I usually try to take photos of places and things that stimulate me, whether its art, architecture, or nature. I also take a lot of monochrome images so I can explore line, shape and texture without the distraction of color. I have no illusions that my images are worthy of any particular praise, I just shoot what pleases me. I keep more images than I should, print 40-50 a year, a few of which are hanging in my home and the home of select friends, but discard about 95% of everything I shoot. And yes, occasionally, I even will take the odd family snapshot if requested.

LarryFB Loc: Depends where our RV is parked

First of all, I enjoy the challenge of photography, and yes, it is a challenge.

Second, I take photos because I enjoy the activity. Yes, I have actually sold some of my photos. No, I am not a professional photographer, I have probably made (gross) less than $300 since I became interested in photography (that was about 1960)!

I have two digital photo frames. One has photos of our family as it had grown. The other of our travels. The memories give me and my wife great satisfaction.

Now, why do I take photos? Because I enjoy it and it can be a challenge! I love a good challenge!

What do I do with them? It depends, I have given some to family, I have made 16X20 posters that I have given to people, and I have sold a few (very few) over the last 60 years.

Tomcat5133 Loc: Gladwyne PA

Images, visuals, photo's and video have been a part of my life for a long time. Taking pictures at an early age with a pentax
SLR. Even in advertising my career for many years, a design company and then a production company. For some reason certain images stay with me all the time. And I realized they are my symbols, my history, my family, my career, my fascination.
I think today i have stopped printing and so many pictures will be lost on hard drives with no hard copies. This might be a wakeup call.

Basil Loc: New Mexico

It's fun and keeps the old brain active learning new things constantly in an effort to improve. I share with friends and family (the good ones).