Part of the reason I got into photography, back in grad school, was so that I could have prints of my own photos to put on the wall, which I've actually done a pretty poor job of. Turns out, deciding which of the dozens, then hundreds, then thousands of photos I've taken are worth enlarging and getting framed is its own stumbling block.
I do often ask myself, at a particularly scenic spot, why is it that I need my own photo of it, when there are better ones done by better photographers with better equipment. I just do. I also occasionally attempt ambitious cooking projects, even though I'm not as good as a professional chef. And I DIY all sorts of stuff around the house, even though I'm not by any means a professional tradesman.
There's a certain curiosity: what makes a photo work, what makes a dish work, what makes a house work, that can only get satisfied by doing. And in all cases, even an amateur's intermediate skill certainly helpful when no professional is available, and in knowing when you really do need to turn to a professional, and in evaluating a professional who might do work for you.
Part of the reason I got into photography, back in grad school, was so that I could have prints of my own photos to put on the wall, which I've actually done a pretty poor job of. Turns out, deciding which of the dozens, then hundreds, then thousands of photos I've taken are worth enlarging and getting framed is its own stumbling block.
I do often ask myself, at a particularly scenic spot, why is it that I need my own photo of it, when there are better ones done by better photographers with better equipment. I just do. I also occasionally attempt ambitious cooking projects, even though I'm not as good as a professional chef. And I DIY all sorts of stuff around the house, even though I'm not by any means a professional tradesman.
There's a certain curiosity: what makes a photo work, what makes a dish work, what makes a house work, that can only get satisfied by doing. And in all cases, even an amateur's intermediate skill certainly helpful when no professional is available, and in knowing when you really do need to turn to a professional, and in evaluating a professional who might do work for you.
Obligatory xkcd: https://xkcd.com/1314/