I don't know if it's only my friends or if it's universal, but there seems to be a trend picking up that I find really interesting.
What is it that is causing everyone to pick up a camera and try their hand at photography?
Some people say it's a form of expression, others say it's an amateur artform that anyone can become good at with an expensive camera and a 'how-to' book.
I agree with the first statement completely, it's an excellent way of expressing one's self through what they see in their world around them.
The second statement is something I find incredibly annoying, and I am willing to tell anyone who thinks that should pick up a camera and then introduce them to my friends who work very hard and have a freakish natural talent for it.
I think that the reason photography is becoming so popular is because it is a way in which people can explore themselves and the world around them through perspectives. The lens allows you to focus on something, to see something you or others wouldn't normally see and then capturing the moment on film (or digital memory as the case is most of the time).
This trend is showing how society - or at least us youngsters - are stepping out into our torn world and seeing it for what it is and exploring the joy, the beauty, the light, and the shadows from different perspectives to try and understand why our world is the way it is.
I encourage you to try it, or perhaps something else that lets you see the world in different ways whether it's painting, singing, or playing a musical instrument. Maybe if we all pick up some new perspectives we'll find some questions instead of trying to make answers.
