TopTenTuesday - Unreasonable Reasons

I'm always curious about how photographers chose to become photographers or how they got interested in photography, because truth be told, I've yet to remember that defining moment where I said, "Aha! I want to be a photographer!"

Maybe it was when I was eight years old and I begged my mom to give me her camera and then Annie & I started to take pictures around the block in Maadi and for the next following months I started taking pictures of everything until my Dad begged me to stop because I was wasting film. Maybe it was when I begged for a Polaroid when I was eleven years old. Maybe it was when I decided to study photography when I was thirteen years old and got my first SLR at the same time. Maybe it was because I've lost so many photographs from moving from place to place. I really can't find that defining moment. I guess I kind of just fell into it, like it was meant to happen.

And although after more than a decade I still don't know why I've decided to fall in love with photography, I've learned and found out the reasons why NOT to be a photographer and here they are -

The TopTenUnreasonable Reasons
to
Practice Photography

1. You want to be famous or fah-mous (fabulously famous)!
If it was hard back when we are all using expensive film, it's harder now that it's all digital cheap. Anyone and everyone can just pick up a camera, shoot, delete, shoot, delete... If you think you're camera is going to be your ticket to the magic red-carpet ride of rubbing elbows with the elite, you've got another one comin'.

2. You want to take photos of HOT CHICKS!
...or if you're married, you want to photos of hot chicks and have your wife's consent, all in the name of art. If this is your reason... Put the friggin' camera down and jack off.

3. You want to be rich... FAST!
Just like any other job, you're going to have to work hard, to earn the big bucks. Maybe even harder with all that great competition out there.

4. You think it's cool!
Sorry to burst your bubble, buster. Kahit D3 or MarkChuvaChuva or kahit pa Leica Kemerloo ang hawak mo, kung hindi ka cool, hindi ka cool. Kahit pa may karag karag kang large-format na di gulong, hindi parin. Hindi, hindi, hindeeeeeeeeeee.

5. You want R-E-S-P-E-C-T.
...find out what it means to me. I'm sorry to disappoint you, but you'll never know how it feels like to be direspected, until you've become a photographer... So if you think that people will respect you more because you're holding a camera. Not gonna happen.

6. Your friends or family are into it.
Do it, because you like it... Not because everyone else does.

7. You think it'll give you happiness.
...and that's true, but it will also give you a ton of disappointment and you have to be ready to deal with that.

8. You want to know everything so you can be above it all because of your newfound knowledge.
Photography is a learning process. You will never fully know everything, something new will always, ALWAYS come up.

9. You want to be that big shot who takes radtacular photos.
This is where #7 will kick in.

10. You think it'll help you take better self-portraits.
Photography can't fix what nature intended. Kung panget ka, panget ka. PANGET.