“Why do I photograph?”

Each of us has our likes or hobbies, some things make us special or we make some things special because we find passion in them.

Even we do it every day, we are not fed up with it because it gives us enthusiasm or it gives us a whole new perspective. And some people might not understand but those recreations give us a distinct sense, burning desire inside we, ourselves could only acknowledge.

For me, I guess you could recognize one of my hobbies, you could see it mostly in my noise profile, and if you're thinking about taking pictures, yes you are completely correct. 😊

Taking photos is as simple as getting a soft copy of what's in front of you. And for me, taking clicks satisfies me especially when I achieved the outcome I wanted.

But where did it all start?

I was a 90’s kid, and I was there when the technology was slowly evolving, and we the kids during those years were indeed lucky to witness and enjoy the transitions. From a gadget-free world, into a modernized one, and by the time I held my first ever colored phone with a camera, specifically a Nokia brand phone, I was hooked on taking photos and it was in my 6th grade in Elementary.

Until touched screens emerged, everyone was on hype to get one, and me, I was just there looking at my classmates sharing their brand new phones, but then my father never failed to surprise me and my brother, he bought us a touchscreen phone, a Cherry Mobile brand (local phone). Those times, I was fond of taking pictures but not of my face but the things I find unique. From the insects, flowers, clouds, or anything that caught my interest.

And until I got a job, I always wanted to get myself a much better phone with a lot better camera.

That's my greatest goal before, and because I was just earning below minimum wage on my first job, I bought a local phone again from my savings but it was better than my old phone models.

It was a long story to tell and to make it short when I landed a much better job I upgraded with my gadgets too. At first, I wanted to own a DSLR camera to fulfill my desire to take shots, but I know mobile photography could also be satisfying, so I get myself a phone with decent camera specifications.

But I was just inconsistent, from Cubix Cube to Flare Series, to LG phones, I was still longing for something, I wanted more, and with the help of my partner, he assisted me in getting the right phone for me.

And currently, I am using Oppo A94 with my photographs.

To tell you honestly, some of my cousins giggled at me whenever they saw me go outside our gate and take a photo of the sky whenever there's a lovely sight for me. I just smiled back at them and told them, I'm just adding it to a collection.😅

That's why whenever there's an event or they need help that needs capturing photos, they always called me to do the work.

See this article, I made the photographs for my cousin's thesis: Sunday's Unplanned Photography Session

Some of you would assume that I am taking photos just to upload them on noise.cash, it's somewhat true but it's more than that for me.

Why do I photograph?

Am I assuming enough if I would say, photography is one of my passions? Since I don't have paraphernalia for it, only my phone camera, is it acceptable?

I love to take photos of anything I find interesting or unique. And even a small waterdrop gives me a great feeling whenever I achieved what I intentionally wanted as a result of my click.

I photograph to keep a snap of my journey in this life. We only live once right? So I don't mind taking pictures of the things that give extra hope and happiness to each day. Just like the sunset, or the places I've been. Even just a simple walk means a lot to me, even a bright sunny morning gives a different vibe in my lenses.

Photography is my greatest stress reliever and that's the main reason why I do this almost every day. At home, sometimes whenever I feel tension, uncertainty, and a heavy feeling inside me, I will immediately go out for a walk to take a quick break and snap the surroundings. Through that, I could forget even just for a moment my stressors in life. And recently we were enjoying the sunset every day whenever we have free time, my cousin and I with the kids, frequently go to the vacant lot nearby to see the setting sun. And even for just an hour sitting and taking pictures, I could feel extra lighter and more hopeful with each click.

It always reminds me, that no matter how good or bad the day started, no matter what happens, there is always a beautiful sight waiting for me to cherish right at the ending of each day.

And believe me, photography helps me widen my imagination because, with the help of this simple hobby, I learned to explore more and do the things I failed to do in my younger years. I was a shy person and even I love to take pictures before, I was impeded by it, that's why I only kept a few shots before. But now, I just learned to fight with my shyness and continue the things that made me happy. As a result, my imagination gets widened by trying and attempting different ways of capturing with my camera.

With the right angle and perfect timing, you could turn a simple view into a more enchanting one.

I photograph to appreciate the littlest things around me, especially nature. And I noticed when I start to take pictures, my liking, and longing for nature are boosted too. I see nature differently than before and my interest in it was heightened too. It's like, I am longing to see a glimpse of it each day, it makes me excited for tomorrow and what could it bring me for the new day.

And one reason why I photograph is that, with photography, I see things way more different than before. Just like with the clear sky, sunshine, or sunset isn't just simple scenery for me, I know not all people could enjoy and cherish the views I have in front of me, that's why in each photo I take, I wanted to share it to others too. I want them to have a glimpse of lovely the view I am appreciating each day.

And noise.cash and read.cash is my portals. And besides, we may never know what's waiting for us tomorrow, so I never hesitate to have a click today even of the thing I've seen every day. We can never tell, tomorrow might be sunny, or it may shower us rain, but then just take a photo of it, you'll enjoy a little journal through images.

And for me, I won't get tired and be fed up with taking snaps of whatever is presented in front of me because what happened or what was shown today won't happen again tomorrow. So I don't want to miss a fascinating moment.

Now, I am exploring more and learning how to use well the PRO mode settings of my phone. I wanted to take more photos and I guess I won't get tired of it. And I still have more to learn to improve this hobby I chose.

As of today, photography for me is more than a hobby, it's more of a therapy for me. It heals my soul and deep inside it cleanses it, and I just don't know how to explain it, but there's something special going on every time I take a photograph. It's like I wanted to tell tales through my clicks.

Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed the photographs I shared. ☺

Ps: Some photos are uploaded in my noise.cash profile.

The grid line in my photos are intentional. I made them into an Instagram mode to lessen the file size. Each photo originally could be up to 2-5MB up in size.

Clicked and Written by: @eommaZel 🥀✍🏻