For those who don't know what to photograph: 'The story of how I bought a camera and then didn't know what to shoot'
When I had just bought my camera.
I was struggling with a certain problem.
'What should I take pictures of?'
Before I bought the camera,
'Once I start photography, I'll go out and shoot every week'
'I'll take lots of wonderful photos'
That's what I thought.
But once I actually had the camera in my hands,
I didn't know what I wanted to photograph.
Before I knew it, the camera was in a dry cabinet or on a shelf.
There was a period like that.
If you are currently,
struggling with the same thing,
I hope this article will be of some help to you.
It's normal not to have 'something you want to photograph'
When you look at social media,
people who specialize in landscapes
people who specialize in flowers
people who specialize in portraits
people who specialize in birds
It seems like everyone has decided what they want to photograph.
But in reality,
I think very few people knew from the start.
After everyone took pictures of various things,
they just happened to find what they liked.
I also used to photograph everything at first.
When I was in junior high school,
I got a digital camera for my school trip.
I was so happy that I took pictures of everything.
My friends.
The sky.
Food.
Tourist spots.
Looking back at them now,
there is no sense of consistency.
But,
I think that was fine.
Because that was the time I needed to learn to love photography.
'What you like' is found while you are shooting.
Often
'What should I photograph to improve?'
I am often asked.
If it were me, I would answer like this.
'Please photograph whatever catches your interest.'
It could be flowers.
It could be cats.
It could be the sunset.
It could be coffee.
What matters is
the feeling that you want to take a picture.
What I realized after my child was born
In my case,
I started photography in earnest after my child was born.
Things they couldn't do yesterday,
they can do today.
I wanted to capture that growth.
From there, naturally,
the opportunities to take family photos and daily life photos increased.
Before I knew it,
'what I wanted to photograph' had been found.
I didn't go looking for it.
As a result of continuing to shoot,
I found it.
Photos don't have to be of special places
When you're a beginner,
you tend to think,
'I have to go to photogenic places.'
But,
the truly important photos are surprisingly close by.
The morning light.
A child's sleeping face.
Flowers on a walking path.
Your favorite coffee.
Casual everyday life.
When you look back at such photos later,
strangely, your heart feels warm.
A recommendation for those who have 'nothing they want to shoot'
If you really don't know,
first, for one week,
please try taking just one photo every day.
It can be the sky.
It can be your meal.
It can be your family.
It can be your pet.
Then, little by little,
you will start to see what kind of things you are pointing your camera at.
In that,
your 'likes' are hidden.
Finally,
you don't know what kind of photos you want to take.
That is not because you lack talent.
Rather,
it is a path that everyone who starts photography goes through.
There is no need to rush.
First, just take pictures of things in front of you that catch your eye.
That accumulation,
will eventually lead to photos that are uniquely yours.
And by the time you realize it,
'This is what I wanted to capture'
you should be able to encounter a subject that makes you feel that way.
Looking forward to that day,
Start with just one shot today.
Why not press the shutter?
📷 On my blog 'Totto's Photo Life,'
I am posting how-to guides for camera beginners and articles recording my daily life with my family.
🔗 Totto's Photo Life | https://miyabiphoto.hatenablog.com/
Meanwhile, on note, I write stories that are a bit closer to the heart—
sharing things I've felt through photography and the 'moments I want to preserve' that I've realized through raising children.
If you can relate to this even a little, I would be happy if you followed me 🌿