Why I Photograph

by Donald Lyon

Using cameras and creating pictures have been an important part of my life for over forty years. I’ve amassed thousands and thousands of slides - many of which rarely see the light of day - so, why do I do it?
 
I rationalize my B&H film bills with the reasoning that, as chief guide and outfitter for Close-Up Expeditions, I need to be "seeing" pictures for you, my clients. If I can’t bring home fantastic images from Albania, Argentina or Arizona, then, maybe we have to rethink our itinerary or reason for going there. Many destinations popular with the ordinary traveler simply don’t offer the three roll a day criteria by which we judge Close-Up Expeditions.
 
There is another, personally more important reason that I photograph - it is "seeking beauty" - the pleasure of seeing beauty - the thrill of capturing that beauty which exists for only a moment and the satisfaction of sharing it with others. It’s not for me to tell you what beauty is. I agree with Santayana, that "beauty is indescribably". Each of us can have our own version.
 
The pleasure of seeing beauty is certainly enjoyed by non-photographers, but as a photographer, I see and enjoy beauty much more intensely - with or without a camera in hand.
 
The daily routine on a Close-Up Expedition is to see beauty. We are out early and late, in rain or shine, looking for pictures. I feel that the greatest pleasure comes from seeing the beauty that might be missed if we were not photographers. One October, at dusk in Monument Valley provided such a moment. The non-photographers had left for their motels. A dozen photographers remained, cameras trained on the Mittens as the last rays burned holes through the clouds. The scene changed rapidly as we clicked, were lost in thought or made small noises of appreciation for the beauty around us.
 
The thrill of capturing the beauty that exists only for a moment is know only to the photographer - but might be explained to the non-photographer as an instant replay. It is an opportunity to stop this spinning world for a moment and examine what is happening in it. Many of my favorite images existed only for a moment, would be next to impossible to recreate, and relied on unusual lighting or other serendipitous events that photographers sum up as "f8 and be there".
 
Once in Bali, at a temple cleansing ceremony, I was photo-flirting with a group of traditionally dressed young ladies waiting to enter the procession. The side lighting played across their heirloom batiks as they laughed and eyed each other to see how to respond to this funny photographer. It was but a moment - except I clicked the shutter, and have now shared that moment with many hundreds of viewers. You can share the beauty that I saw when you visit the CUE web site when you visit the Close-Up Expeditions office. Those graceful creatures still giggle every time I pass by.
 
Sharing beauty with others brings a satisfaction that could easily be addictive. Presenting a slide program to a group of my photographic peers, as I do most every year at the PSA International Conferences, is my opportunity to learn if I am really communicating. Typically, the message that I want to communicate is tied up in the basic beliefs that we are all part of the family of man, and that our survival and prosperity depend upon practicing respect for the earth and all its creatures. The appreciative comments, the questions about a particular image - these are the rewards.
 
Each time I present a program, I relive it, I’m there - the excitement returns. And maybe, just maybe, others are moved to act positively.
 
This is why I photograph.