What’s In It For Me?

There are so many reasons one could want to become a photographer. Here are a few reasons that come to mind, arranged by (today’s) importance to me: 

1. To immerse in the joy of a life-long passion
2. To experience the rewards of committing to a complex process with a steep learning curve
3. To explore a different form of creativity than what I have been focusing on (music for the past 12 years, and rock climbing for 15 before that)
4. To be an expert and/or authority at something I find interesting
5. To be part of a community
6. To learn more about the subject of my photographs
7. To convey a conviction or a message to others
8. To marvel at the beauty of the world
9. To have something to do with my hands
10. To document what I’ve experienced so that I can remember it later.