Shooting for/with a purpose, what does this mean to the photographer? I have been thinking about this question for a couple weeks now. Wrestling with it, and trying to understand what it means. I believe I have touched on it a bit when I was thinking about the photographer and their abilities to “create”, but I feel there is more to this.

I find myself very often getting caught up in the issue of shooting without a purpose in hand. Shooting without a purpose, is there really a reason to do it? Will anything of purpose come out of it? What about when shooting with a purpose, what do we classify as being a good purpose and/or reason?

These are some questions that I have been working on before writing this post. And to be honest, I haven’t really come to any conclusion. I feel like these questions are subject to such different opinions that the answer will change every time you ask the question. So is there a way to ask this question that brings up a more concrete answer?

No.

At this point and time I feel that there is no question that would bring up a more concrete answer. The only way that it will bring up a more concrete answer is by taking each personal opinion as their own concrete answer. Now by saying that, some will get up in arms over this. Because there has to be an ultimate statement to which we all agree on through which a real answer will be laid. And for those people I say this, are you living in a world of modernity or post-modernity? Because for myself, I cannot just lay to rest this question and sleep easy (Ok maybe I can sleep fine without knowing).

So I throw this out to you, the reader. Shooting without a purpose:

• Is it possible
• Will anything purposeful come out of it?
• What classifies something as being purposeful?
• Does it really matter?