Just a Hobby - Victoria Thomas

Photography. Life through the lens. Dorothea Lange, Jonathan Mehring,
Ben Hattenback. Some legends, some amateurs, some winners of a $200
prize in a magazine. Regardless of age, location, or career,
phenomenal pictures are (or were) being taken. Nikon, Canon, Pentax,
all great machines of vision. But no matter the machine, $50 or $1000,
a great picture comes from the photographer, not the camera.
Photography to me is not just a hobby, it’s a passion. It’s a way to
see the world in a whole new perspective. It’s a way to capture an
image, a moment, forever inside a little box. With a camera you can
bring out emotion, deep feelings from a person, a place, or even a
simple bug.
Nature photography helps you to experience new and rare things, and
feel like an important piece of the puzzle called life, that is why nature and animal photography is what I love to do. This article isn’t just about photography though, it’s about finding something you love to do, helping you find a new hobby to let stress out, and to find things that interest you that may benefit you in the future; near or far.
Everybody needs a release now and then, we all need that one thing that keeps us smiling and interested in life. Sometimes, I know from experience, our hobbies are just what we need to keep our heads above water.




In the first picture I have a photo of my eye, with some rainbow eyeliner on. A simple picture taken in a split second, and you can look at it and wonder what the girl is thinking. It almost looks like a sad girl. The simplest of pictures can bring out emotion.




Photography can be used in many ways to bring out different things from the object being photographed. The next picture is of a band member, on stage, belting his heart out, the simple muscles shown on his arm and the clenched fist show passion, and show that holding a microphone is what he loves to do. This photo was taken with a Canon, model S5 IS. I love this picture because it brings out passion, and I love how the musician falls into the ink black background. To me, it shows that he is part of the music, he is the center of attention.



The last photo is obviously, the butts of six cows. I think this picture shows that not all photography is ‘powerful,’ but sometimes humorous. Pictures like this one show up on silly cards in stores.
My hobbies are taking care of my animals, and taking pictures of them. No matter what your hobby is, always enjoy it. If you don’t feel like doing it, don’t, you shouldn’t have to force yourself to do something you love. Hobbies are something that comes natural whether it’s photography, sports, drawing, dance, music, whatever, don’t force it. Embrace your hobbies, and maybe someday they could become more than ‘just a hobby.’