This week when sharing my work in the Quadio Visual Arts Club, one of my fellow club members put me on the spot with a very important question:

Where do you see your art going?

When she first posed this question, I was a little confused. My first thought went to considering my photography career-wise. I’ve never really thought about photography as anything more than just a hobby I’m passionate about. For me, photography is something I spend my free time on developing and practicing, not something I plan on doing to earn a living.

But when she elaborate upon her question, I realized what she was really asking:

What is the purpose of your art?

This question had more to do with my style and ambition when it comes to photography. What am I trying to show, what am I trying to achieve? When I have an idea, I can execute on it: the composition is there. I have the styling and angles and everything an individual, stand alone photo needs. But what’s the direction? What’s the inspiration and end goal of my photography when looking at the the big picture?

I think this is something every photographer, from professional to hobbyist, needs to confront and answer at some point in their photography journey.

I’ve given it a lot of thought since our meeting, and in all honesty answering the question kind of scares me. If I give a definitive answer, I’m sticking myself in a box, aren’t I?

The thing is, I’m not. Answering the question doesn’t mean I’m trapped in a single style or motive for the rest of my life. I’ve decided that I’ll look at my answer as more of something that draws me towards a certain composition.

So what is my answer? What is the purpose of my photography? How did I come to that conclusion?

I decided to take a look at the different subjects of my photography and see if there were any common links or anything that stood out to me. In general I have two categories of photos: candid action shots, and planned portraits. In the first category falls some of the things I enjoy shooting the most: sports, concerts, etc. In the second category lays the bulk of my photography. I use models, whether myself or others, and shoot with a planned concept in mind– even if that concept is “something that will look good in an Instagram feed”.

Trying to define and label these isn’t exactly an easy thing to do. And I’ll warn you: my answer seems like a bit of a cop-out, at least to me. If you go back and read any of my photoshoot blogs, I’ll often use the word “editorial” to describe the concept I was going for. In all honesty, I was using that word without really realizing what editorial photography is. So for those of you who are in the same boat I was in, here’s the definition:

Editorial photography often refers to the images that run alongside text, such as in a magazine, in order to help illustrate the story that’s being told. Editorial photography can then also stand alone, as long as it’s still telling a story. It’s the idea behind “a picture is worth a thousand words”. Editorial photography is not just about selling a story, but giving a story.

Now the harder follow-up question is naturally, “What’s the story?”

This follow-up question is actually a little comforting to me, because depending on the circumstances, the story of what I’m shooting changes. I’m not stuck in a box, because there are endless stories to tell. Even when looking at the candid photos I enjoy shooting, at games or concerts, I’m telling a story of the event through those photos. When I’m setting up a photoshoot based off a theme, I’m telling the story of what the word of phrase means to me, and trying to invoke a similar feeling in those who see the picture.

So I guess the purpose of my photography is to tell stories. The next step is to figure out what the stories I want to tell are. I may not know the answer now, but rest assured as I figure it out, I’ll be letting you know and bringing you all along on that journey.

Until next time.