Being a photographer is seriously awesome. There are about a bazillion reasons why, but I’ve compiled 54 really fantastic ones for your reading pleasure.

Now, why would I bother taking the time to write this massive list?

Well, maybe you’re just curious about photography, but aren’t sure if you should really dive into it. Fair warning, these reasons will totally convince you that photography is an amazing skill to develop. I’m sure of it.

Or perhaps you’re into photography already. This list is still for you! After you read all these reasons you’ll probably be even more inspired by this medium, and be itching to get out and shoot more! Who knows, maybe you’ll get an idea or two for a new photo project! I sure did!

Here’s the deal. I think everyone should get into photography. (Yes, everyone). You don’t ever have to do it professionally. That’s not what being a photographer means (you can read more about our thoughts on that here). Being a photographer just means you really love photography. And hopefully after reading all of this, you’ll see that it can give you more than you ever imagined.

One last note before we jump in. These reasons aren’t all just made up off the top of my head. We actually just wrapped up a giveaway, and asked the question “What first got you interested in photography?”. With 250 responses we were able to get an amazing peek at what makes photography so special for lots of folks. So we read all the responses, took notes, and pulled out the common themes. That’s what makes up this list! So credit for all these awesome reasons goes to our fantastic readers. Thanks for sharing so openly everyone. You rock.

1. CAPTURE A MEMORY THAT YOU CAN HAVE FOREVER

With a photo you can capture a moment, and have it forever. I think we take that idea for granted, with photography being so ubiquitous these days. But seriously just take a second to appreciate that. If you did that in Ancient Greece they’d call you a sorcerer. Or a god.

2. NOTICE THE DETAILS

Photography changes the way you see things. It’s actually quite an incredible transformation to experience. Suddenly you notice light, shapes, colours, textures, people, bulidings, trees, flowers…Everything around you looks different when you start to see the world as a photographer.

3. SEE THE BEAUTY IN THE EVERY DAY

Once you start noticing details, you inevitably start to see how much beauty is all around you. Every day is filled with it—in the most ordinary or unexpected places. When you start to derive happiness from seeing some particuarly awesome light, you’ll realize that photography has changed your everyday experience.
4. LIVE IN THE PRESENT

And to round out this theme, photography, through it’s ability to help you see details and notice the beauty around you, helps you to truly live in the present. When you shoot you have to be aware of everything if you want to capture it. You can’t be thinking about the movie you watched last night, or what you’re going to have for dinner. Photography focuses you on the now, which is incredibly valuable!

5. FORGET YOUR WORRIES

Photography is something you get immersed in (see above!). You lose yourself in shooting, and all your worries and daily stresses just melt away.

6. SHARE IT WITH THE IMPORTANT PEOPLE IN YOUR LIFE

One of the top ways people got into photography (according to our results) was through someone important to them. People credited their mother, father, aunt, uncle, grandmother, grandfather, sibling, friend and even great-grandparents. Photography is a passion that you can share with the important people in your life. You can pass it down to the next generation, and spur their love of this amazing art.

7. DOCUMENT YOUR FAMILY

And the MOST common reason folks got interested in photography was because of family—particularly having their own children. Photography is a way to document the lives of your kids, and that alone is worth learning all you can about it. One day you may also be documenting the lives of your grandkids!!

8. CAPTURE THE AMAZING RANGE OF LOVE AND EMOTION IN KIDS

Whether they are your own, a friend’s, or a client’s, kids are an amazing photographic subject. They see the world differently, and often express a lot more love and emotion than adults. Being able to capture that is both a fantastic photographic challenge, and a profound learning experience.

9. IT’S A CREATIVE OUTLET

Everyone should have a creative outlet. There’s no use pulling the excuse that you’re “not creative”. Anyone can push the button on a camera, and point it at something they think looks cool. It’s honestly that simple to be creative.

10. MAKE ART

And the result of that creative act? You can create art. That just flat out rocks.