Photography Quad
When starting photography, or even if you have been doing it for a while, it can be good to take some time and reflect on what you enjoy about photography and what you hope to get from photography. Are you doing photography strictly for fun or hoping to make a little cash from photography? Do you enjoy photographing People, or everything not People; like objects, landscapes, animals. As you ask yourself these questions, I would like to introduce the Photography Quad Chart. I made this up so that it might help others visualize their photography goals. Not to say ideas from one quad cannot cross into another, they can, but are maybe not as common. You can be a wildlife professional who has made a business of it, but I think most are in wildlife for the hobby of it. You also do not see a ton of people shooting weddings just for fun, although that could happen, I suppose.
Take five or ten minutes and just think about the four quad areas and think about the questions above. Doing this should really help you understand why you enjoy photography and help you set goals for what you want to achieve with photography. Are you starting a business, or are you content to maybe give back to the photography community. There are many great ways to give back by sharing photos for no charge on various platforms for others to use and enjoy, or by getting involved in local photography clubs or mentoring. Pixabay is a great platform for sharing photos and video online for others to use.
Whatever drives your passion, take time to figure that out. When I got into photography, I just started shooting and never took time to reflect or figure out why I was shooting photos. It was not until much later that I realized I enjoy shooting wildlife and landscapes because it gets me outdoors and helps me take life at a slower pace. Perhaps the photography quad chart will help you figure out sooner what you enjoy and what gear you might need to achieve your goals.
Happy Shooting.
