Is photography a profession, hobby or obsession for you?

[ddt0725]

Hi All -


I just thought I'd throw this question out there for discussion! If photography is your profession, do you put the camera away at the end of your work day? If it is a hobby, do you just shoot occasionally? Or, do you shoot every chance you get & if you are not shooting you are editing or on sites like this one, reading and talking about photography?

For me, it is the latter and I am trying real hard to bring it down to more of a very occaisional level and wincing at the withdrawal pains!Case in point, I very, very recently became a grandmother again and for nine months could not wait to take some professional looking photographs of my new granddaughter! Especially since I was still using a point and shoot when my other grandchildren were born! Well, to put it mildly, my oldest daughter does not like my new found "obession" or anything I produce from it. She says all I do is snap photos and I don't actually just sit and visit with anyone anymore! So, to keep her happy ...to date, I have not taken one photograph of my new granddaughter! [:'(] She will give me photos she has taken w/ her p&s or that she has done "professionally" ...but it's not the same!

Maybe I DO need a 12-step program!

[Sean Setters]

For me, it

[JJphoto]

it's a hobby for me and I know someday in the future I'll loss the interest. unlike other hobby I'v had, one of the good part of this photograph thing is that it will not cost you too much( not counting the cost of travelling )when you want to out of the game, especially when the dollar keeps getting weaker and the interest rate stays low.


as long as my EF lenses can hook on the latest camera body, I'm safe[]

[Fast Glass]

It

[Orangejuice]

As of late I have been "obsessed" with photography just like you. However being new to the photo world, this is sort of a given for any new hobby/interest. I cannot seem to pull myself away from lens reviews, camera spec comparisions, and sample images. There is much to learn and many of the photos that other hobbyists manage to capture are very inspiring.


It is good to know that even after shooting for some time, many people still love to go out for more.

[Joel Eade]

I love to read just about anything about digital photography and specifically bird photography but it is definitely just a hobby.


I keep my setup ready so I can take pics of birds in the backyard frequently but often it

[clemmb]

"Is photography a profession, hobby or obsession for you?"


Yes[]


Mark

[Daniel Browning]

Obsession. My obsessions are programming, photography, video, astronomy, and history; in that order. Luckily, all of my obsessions can be combined, e.g. the history of astrophotography timelapse programming.

[Raid]

Well photography has always been a subject that captured my imagination. I can still vividly remember seeing the now famous iconic pictures of the 60’s and 70’s for the first time (some I wish I could forget). When I first started taking pictures it was with my mother’s camera (Kodak Box Brownie) and I realized two things:


1. This is very expensive and we didn’t have money to spare.


2. I have no compositional ability at all.


So my hobby/career ended before it even started (became a nerd instead, the pay is better).


When digital became widespread in 2000 I jumped back into photography (yes, this was my first camera). While I’m now retired and have the money to buy new equipment there is still no change when it comes to composition.


So for me photography is Capturing the Moment, which means taking the best pictures I can, with the least amount of PP.

[bob williams]

Wow, DD great question; but I am surprised at most of the answers. As most others have stated in on form or the other, photography can be a hobby, a profession or an obsession.....but those are all pretty narrow definitions. If someone plays a Guitar, would you ask them to limit the definition of thier art to one of those three words? How about a painter or someone who rides motorcycles or builds wood furniture by hand? It would be difficult to narrow the driving force of those talents, why would photography be any different? I did try and think of one word that describes my passion for photography, but couldn