The question of what moves us as photographers is one that everyone eventually questions at some point. Whether this comes early in your pursuit or later…at some point everyone considers where their real passion for a particular artistic genre exists. Whether that art form is painting, sculpting, musical, or photographic in nature, the question is one that will always persist. I’ve asked this question before in an essay simply titled “Why?”, and there have looked to answer the question from an esoteric perspective. (Feel free to read the essay yourself from the PDF article here.)
However, today it’s more of a motivational question. What motivates you to shoot – and what are your real reasons for pursuing any of the arts? For my own photography, the roots lie in scuba diving. You see about 20 years ago, I became a Certified PADI diver. I took to it quite easily, and ever since have been enthralled with scuba diving. So much so that I considered taking the advanced certifications, which required two specializations. One was a no-brainer, the other was underwater navigation! You can imagine what the no-brainer was…
Having seen so many wonderful scenes from artists, showing stunning beaches, the underwater marine life, from sharks to whales, dolphins and fish all along coral reefs, the world of scuba diving and beaches have always drawn me. Part and parcel with that passion has also been one for sunsets and sunrises. And since we can all appreciate a sunrise or sunset scene from the beaches of the world, I’m sharing today some of my own personal favorites. Yes, these are retouched to a degree, but I’ve tried to stay true to the scene as I remember it.
While some day I eventually hope I am able to afford the housings to go back underwater with all this gear I’ve accumulated, but for the time being, I’ll have to survive with these above-water scenes. Enjoy, and if you’ve got your own favorites, feel free to share those here as well through your own links. Happy shooting!
