Any photographers out there?

[whvick]

I just had a good chat with a forum member who like me has spent a good bit of time on photography.
On the photography forum there was a thread asking how many of the guys were into guitar as well as photography.
So how many of you guys have more than a passing interest in photography?
Not just your iPhone but let’s say you own a digital SLR.
And why do you think the two would be somehow related?

[yukonkornelius]

I do.

www.georgeschneider.com

[Rockysdad]

I was a pro photographer for many years. ( kind of miss it)
I think the two are related as an artistic form of expression.

[RGWelch]

I'm a professional photographer (and videographer). When I was a youngster in my teens, I first got into photography. Then a few years later started playing guitar. So those were my first two big interests in life (aside from being a history buff). I was able to make photography into a living, but I didn't want to ruin my love for music by trying to make a vocation out of it. Besides, I never thought I was good enough to. Now, I'd rather just play music. If I could, I would quit everything else I do, I'd devote all my time to playing music. Of course, my wife would not go along with that, and I love her more than anything else, so I get to play music when I can squeeze in the time for it.

For anyone curious, here is our photography website:

http://WelchPhotoVideo.com

[Gordon Currie]

Yes, my wife and I (in addition to being guitarists and performers) are active photographers with ~ 68K photos catalogued and tagged since 2001 (when we purchased our first digital camera).

We plan vacations around photography and even when traveling for business or family always bring a camera or three.

For us, the digital camera enabled us to shoot, review, improve in a rapid fashion - something the film camera world did not offer.

How is it guitar/music related? Both have elements of skill/craft and technical knowledge as well as an aesthetic sense and understanding of how deeply non-verbal expressions can move us.
I have learned much from music and applied it to photography, and vice versa.

[nitram]

I made a living as a photographer for 30+ years and retired from the field when digital took over.These days I don't even have a working camera- digital or otherwise. EVERYONE is a photographer now so I won't be missed and, to tell the truth, I don't miss having to capture every image that passes in front of me. I can go for a walk in the woods or wherever and just enjoy the larger "picture."
I think the commonality between photography and playing guitar is the creativity invoved in both.Music and the visual arts seem to be cousins, at least.
The act of playing guitar for me is so relaxing and rewarding with or without other musicians to play with.

[David Eastwood]

I've been a guitar player since I was about 14 years old.

I've owned a camera, with lapses of a few years here or there, since I was 8.

I've rarely conflated the two - although I like to take pictures of my guitars.

I love both hobbies, and am happy to spend time (and money ) on either.

[Dotneck]

Me too...I made my living in media production. Almost 35 years of video and photography.....

[ricfreak]

I started out taking photos of my guitars and putting them on my photo blog to keep a record of what I have.
Photo taking eventually became a major influence on my GAS ....
I love taking photos of guitars , ukes and all related stuff. But I've never thought of myself as a photographer.

[Photojeep]

I was a commercial photographer for over 20 years in Las Vegas and now I teach photography full time. I’ve played guitar for just about 50 years but only as a hobby. I’ve often heard people say they must be connected because they’re both creative endeavors but I don’t see it that way.

Oh well, it doesn’t hurt me when people say that. I still enjoy both as much as ever.

Best,
PJ

[robj144]

There are many "Share your Photos" threads in Open Mic. So, I would say there are a lot here.

[Jeff Scott]

Originally Posted by whvick

...photography ..... guitar.....
And why do you think the two would be somehow related?

There are a whole lot of photographers who are/were musicians. To me, it starts with Ansel Adams. If it weren't for his first trip to Yosemite he would have been a concert pianist. Lucky for him that the only piano in the valley was at (Harry) Best's Studio, where he practiced, daily, and eventually married Harry's daughter, Virginia. The rest is history.

Originally Posted by nitram

I made a living as a photographer for 30+ years and retired from the field when digital took over.

The custom black & white photo lab I was a partner in closed its doors due to digital imaging. It started in 1958 and shut down at the end of 2012.

I started in music and photography around the same time, in the late '60s. Although I have been using digital cameras since 2003, my real photo heart was film, so the passion is not really there anymore, now its just a tool to use when needed. With film, I've used everything from 35mm up through 11x14, and loved the art form of using a view camera and spending quality time under Ilford 902 safelights.

[Daniel Grenier]

Does former photographer qualify?

For over 30 years, I had a deep passion for "Fine Art Photography". Did my own printing, had shows, won contests, got grants, saw countless shows and logged my heavy 8x10 and 7x17 cameras all over - the whole nine yard. I was sort of a Edward Weston-wannabe, if you will.

Then, in the early 2000s, the flame went out. Sold everything. I now have exactly nothing left of those days. I had come to the sad-but-true realisation that I was not terribly good at it and took the sale money and bought guitars.

I never was of the Edward Weston caliber but I can safely say I play guitar better than he did (I don't think he actually played but whatever...).
In the end, both forms are for the soul. One is visual, the other auditory but they aim for +- the same result.

[MikeBmusic]

Back in film days, I had a business selling auto racing photos, mostly to amateur teams, but also occasional sales to fans. I'd bring a bunch of framed photos and 8x10s to the sportscar races I'd go to. I had a full color darkroom in my basement and spent way too many winter weekends in it.
When 35mm point-and-shoot cameras became popular, business started dropping off (all of a sudden the team owner could have his wife or friend shoot a few souvenir photos). Then when digital started, business dropped off enough that I no longer could justify the working weekend to use up full batches of chemicals at a time.

I've gone through a couple of digital cameras (sold off all my darkroom and 35mm gear), now using a Panasonic Lumix with a macro-60X zoom, easy to carry, decent photos, more than good enough quality for anything I need now.
I remember the days of lugging around multiple lenses, 2 camera bodies, mono pod, rolls of film.... I'm happy now!

[rmp]

Guilty!

I used to spend a lot more time with photography than I do know. even had a dark room and used to process my own black and white film.. that was fun but got expensive..