"Taking vs. Creating Photos” – What I learned from the 30-day Ramadan Photo Challenge

Ramadan this year fell in May/April 2021 and I decided to take on a 30-day photo challenge for more detail and background check out this post first “Fasting Thoughts”. The true value of this challenge came from what I learned.

I learned is the difference between “taking a photo an creating” a photo. Yes, to a certain extent you can see something pretty and take the photo but there are so many things that go into creating a photo that if you get good enough that the line between taking and creating get blurred together. Keep in mind that the world’s best fit and famous photographers are just as human as us and they try to create rather than take their photos.

Sometimes it’s being int the right position like in sports photography, sometimes it’s waiting for the right action, moment or motion like in street photography, and sometimes it’s putting a scene together like in product photography, sometimes is posing and lighting your model like in portrait photography. Whatever your type of photography is there is a difference in taking a photo and creating it.

I used to snap away hundreds and sometimes thousands of photos with no clear idea what or why i am taking this photo. Being forced to come up with a new concept for each day in this challenge make more creative and more purposefully in my photography. With every shot we as photographers are trying to say or express something so we should ask ourselves “why am I taking this shot” and/or “what am I trying to say”.

If you think about it, it’s the reason why we all instinctively got into photography. We wanted to express ourselves through this medium, but we got lost in the gear, social media likes and follows, and trying to make a living out of something we love doing. Now it’s not easy thinking about the why and what you are trying to say is not easy it’s a muscle you have to keep working out. Eventually, the line between creating and taking a photo we'll blur together but, in my opinion, a good photographer never forgets that they are creating not just taking photos.

If you want to see the results of my 30-Day Ramadan photo challenge, click here. For more things that i learned from the challenge check out “Done Is Better Than Perfect” and “Precision Can Make You More Creative”

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