WHY
And the answer is not 42.
If you’ve listened to The Photowalk for any length of time, you may already know the question that’s coming right at the end, or indeed now.
It’s the last one I ask every guest before we finish our timing chatting.
Why?
Not, “Why did you become a photographer?” Not, “Why this project?”
Just...
Why?
Why do you do this, in essence?
After hundreds of interviews, you’d think I’d have become used to the answers. Instead, it’s the question I look forward to most because I never know where it’s going to take us.
Some people answer in seconds. I’m really not sure I could, and so I’m a mixture of enthused, awed, and truly impressed if they can.
Other guests pause, for a while as it goes, leaving me wondering whether I should edit that space down slightly before it ‘goes to press’.
Occasionally someone laughs.
“I’ve never been asked that before.”
That somewhat surprises me. We spend so much time talking about cameras, lenses, books, exhibitions, technique and careers that the reason behind all of it somehow gets left sitting in the corner, lonely.
I’ve heard answers that talk of childhood, curiosity, grief, about proving someone wrong, escaping difficult jobs, preserving family history, or slowing down.
“Oh, I don’t think I can imagine doing anything else with my life,” is often mooted.
Not one answer has been the same.
And that’s made me realise something; perhaps “why” is the most interesting question I, or by extension, we, can ask any creative person.
So I’m planning an episode built entirely around that one small word.
Why.
Why do you do this thing called photography? Or writing? Or sketching? Or making music? Or keeping a journal? Or any other creative pursuit that somehow became part of your life.
Maybe your answer is wrapped up in one moment you can remember with perfect clarity. Maybe it’s been changing for years without you even noticing.
Long replies, short replies, they’re all welcome.
If there’s a story behind your reason, I’d especially love to hear it. I’ll be recording this coming weekend.
Email stories@photowalk.show.
Excellent Bill. Thank you. I'm going to use a selection on the show. It's wonderful to have memories that stretch that far as part of your why.
Not 42: That is the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything. The reason I take photographs falls a little short of that.
For reasons I never learned, my father owned a TLR. I think it might have been a Rolleicord. This was in the early / mid 1960s when I was about to start primary schooling. The camera fascinated me. Understandably, my father wouldn't let me anywhere near it. That made me want to hold and use it even more. He bought me a Kodak Instamatic when I became old enough to use one and I started taking snaps.
Just before I was 13, I was asked what I wanted for my birthday. The answer was usually a new bike, a rugby ball or a football. This time around, I asked for a 35mm SLR camera. I received an Edixa Reflex. It had a waist-level finder rather than a prism finder, which made shooting speedway matches problematic but was great for landscapes. I had it until I could afford an Olympus OM1n and have never been without a camera since. Photography has been my lifetime's creative outlet.