Reasons Why Photography Is Not A Great Hobby

Gallery: Please visit the gallery to view images in full size. From the gallery, you will be able to add the images to the shopping cart and checkout. YouTube: I have a YouTube Channel (Hari PHL) where I post videos once a week. Please subscribe to my channel and share my videos. I appreciate your support. Thank you for visiting my site.

Photography is an increasingly popular pastime for people of all ages and backgrounds, particularly with the easy access to relatively high tech equipment at falling prices; but it’s not all upside!

Having a hobby that you are passionate about is a great way to keep yourself focused and driven in life. It also gives you depth of character and makes you a more interesting and well rounded person. However, is photography the right hobby for you and is it a good hobby to take up?

To be a good photographer requires hard work, patience and a creative flair; a combination that not everybody possesses! You have to study and understand technical and artistic concepts which can be quite complex and subtle at times as well as practicing regularly to achieve good results in your photography.

There are several major reasons why photography is not a great hobby; reasons which you may not have considered and should be taken into account before you take up the hobby without giving it proper forethought.

You Need The Right Equipment.

Needless to say, photography absolutely requires you to have a camera! To purchase a camera that is up to scratch you’ll have to be willing to spend several thousand dollars, which, for some people, is an extremely restrictive factor.

You can of course, buy a cheap camera but in the long run the savings won’t pan out, leaving you with poor quality images and limited capabilities for future growth and development. Therefore, it’s always worth making the investment in good quality equipment, your camera being the most important of all!

There are several main types of camera, including a Full-Frame DSLR, mirrorless cameras and even traditional film SLRs; but whichever you choose it’s always going to cost you a fair bit of money.

If you’re wondering, right now, whether photography is something that you want to get into; then you can practise your skills, test out your creative eye and start experimenting with photography by using your smart phone! You will be limited if you choose to use your Smartphone but it’s a great way to get started in photography if you’re unsure about making a big investment up front.

Once you do have a good quality camera there are still other items which you will require in order to start taking photos that look professional! As well as your camera, which is the essential starting point, you also need a tripod, the right kind of lenses and a tough camera bag to keep your kit safe. All these add up and cost money and, for some people, this is just too much to pay for.

You will have to put your hands in your pocket and spend the necessary cash to get started in photography however, the reality is that you will find that every penny you spent is worth it once you start to get results that turn heads and grow your personal audience.

The Learning Curve Is Steep.

There’s a lot of things to learn when you start out as a photographer and although it’s hugely satisfying, the steep learning curve can actually be a factor which puts some people off!

Mastering photography will take you time, energy and effort and there is, unfortunately, no way around this! You need to learn how to operate your camera as well as understanding concepts relating to creativity, composition and style.

It might sound daunting, and it probably should do, however, with practise, determination and a ‘can do’ attitude you can master the necessary skills to release your creativity in the field of photography!

There are plenty of ways that you can approach learning about photography. You can read articles, blogs and other free information online or you can take classes, pay for courses or hire a personal tutor.

Regardless of how you decide to learn about photography, the sheer difficulty and scale of the task is quite off putting for many people, leaving the photographers who do scale the heights of the classic artform in a league of their own.

It’s not only the complexity of the topic that can be a limiting factor for newbies because it’s also the amount of time that it takes to truly get comfortable with your camera and start to intuitively take those shots which will impress your audience.

You will have to practise for months, and even years, before you begin to have the skills to produce stunning photos which will impress your audience. The learning curve, when it comes to photography, is fairly steep and requires a strong character, a creative instinct and a well rounded technical perspective. Some of these elements are impossible to obtain without the personal talents and skill, however, don’t forget that everybody has to start somewhere; so why not start today?

Photography Can Be A Lonely Pursuit.

There are many hobbies which bring people together and require teamwork, such as sailing, sports such as soccer or cricket and music, but photography can be a lonely pursuit.

To become a good photographer you will have to spend hours studying, practicing your new found skills and working on every aspect of the artform. It’s very difficult to master the various elements of photography and so you’ll have to put the time in to get up to speed.

This means that you will have to spend long periods of time on your own; and so, if you don’t have a genuine passion for photography, the studying, training and learning that is required can be soul destroying!

Not everybody is suited to putting in the hours that are necessary to get to grips with photography and so if you’d prefer to watch Netflix or hang out with your friends then photography might not be the best choice of hobby for you!

Of course, if you can deal with the long, lonely hours that it takes to master photography then you’ll find the learning exciting and productive. That said, you will need to keep your focus trained on the objective and build on what you’ve already learned.

It’s a tough road to follow, as you slowly learn about photography, but, at the end of the day it might well be worth it! Nonetheless, photography can be a lonely pursuit and so if you don’t have a genuine passion for the art then it might be the wrong hobby for you!

It’s Not Easy To Turn Pro.

There are tens of thousands of photographers who practise the art as an amateur who dream of turning pro; but it’s not that easy to do! To make the transition from amateur to professional you really do need to have something special and unfortunately, a lot of people fall into deep depression once they realize they don’t have what it takes to make it.

This is a tough lesson to learn for a lot of passionate photography hobbyists but there is no way around the fact that if you don’t have what it takes then you’re doomed to spend your life as an amateur.

To make it as a photographer you need to have a hard to define skill, a creative vision that stands out from the millions of Instagram camera people and a determination to succeed. Nonetheless, if you are determined and prepared to work hard, then you can turn pro and turn your hobby into a job.

Is It All Downsides And Why Is Photography A Good Hobby?

Nothing worth doing is easy, and photography is no exception! There’s a lot for you to learn when you first pick up a camera, especially if it’s a good quality DSLR. Discovering the magic of using the manual settings is a steep learning curve and will require you to get your head down and do some serious studying!

There are many ways that you can learn the basics of photography, including reading blogs and other informative sources on the subject, attending workshops or taking some classes, either on or off line.

Photography is a popular hobby which captivates the creative instincts of people all over the world; but why is photography a good hobby after all?

• Photography allows you to record key moments in your journey through life and capture those magic moments for posterity. There’s nothing better than looking back through a photo album and remembering the special times with family and friends. As a hobbyist you don’t have to be a master of the more complex techniques of photography to take great photos that document memorable moments in your life.

• Photos, and other products such as prints, calendars, photo books, T-shirts, mugs and other print on demand items make great gifts for friends and family. Creating and giving people personalized gifts that you have made yourself, or had printed from your own original photos, is a highly memorable way of celebrating a special occasion.

• If you’ve got a creative urge then you can release it though photography. There’s so many ways that you can capture the beauty of life and the world around you, without needing the training to be a painter or sculptor!

• It’s easy to share your photography with friends, family and followers on social media. It’s exhilarating and fun to share your passion with a wider audience and if you start to get a small following you might even be able to monetise your hobby by selling prints, calendars or photo books.

• There’s a great deal of variety in the types of photography, subjects and techniques that you can explore so there’s certainly something for everyone! No matter what your interests are in life you can use photography to express your passions using the versatile artform.

Photography Is Not For Everyone, But Once You Catch The Bug You’ll Never Look Back!

There are definitely reasons why photography might not be the right hobby for you to take up however millions of people think otherwise! When you first take up photography as a hobby you’ll have to allow yourself the time to learn about the various techniques, camera settings and methods of capturing your subjects.

This can be a little daunting at first, and in fact, it puts many people off from ever trying their hand at photography; but once you start to improve and feel more comfortable with the camera you’ll soon be hooked!

When you start out in photography you should keep your expectations realistic; for instance, don’t expect to turn pro overnight, be ready to do some studying and allow yourself the time and space to practise as often as you can.

NOTE: Shoot Philadelphia is supported by readers. Some of the links above are affiliate links.  At no cost to you, I may earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.  It helps me to continue to offer free content on this site. Subscribe below and receive notifications of new posts by email. Your privacy is important to me and I will not market your email ID. Visit the Affiliate Disclosure page and the Privacy Policy page in the About section for additional information.