What Pushes Your Photographic Buttons?

My blog subject for this week has less to do with the photo I posted and more to do with the person pushing the buttons.  In my last blog I stated that I when I reviewed photos from the past two years, I discovered that I have framed and posted fewer people photos. This caused me to wonder why this is true because I enjoy watching and working with people.  I enjoy meeting new people and hearing their ideas and life stories so I do not believe that I have many hermit tendencies.  

This week I watched a video on the website fstoppers.com. 

Your Personality Might Be Shaping Your Photography,          Here's How 

This article motivated me to further explore why I photograph and share certain subjects more than others,  and how my choice of photographic subjects may be related to my personality.  Fstoppers features video produced by Ben Harvey, where he references a website that contains a free online version of the Meyers/Briggs personality assessment.  He shared how he used his results to better understand how his photography is influenced by his personality traits.   Many years ago I had taken this assessment as part of a training session at work and here again, in retirement,  I took it once again looking for insights into my photography.  My results showed some nuances that have emerged as one proceeds from career to retirement years but basically my personality has remained unchanged --- something that I cannot claim for the size of my jeans during that period.

What this article prompted me to do was take a second look at my people photos, but not limit that look to only those photos which I have framed or posted.  I discovered that I appear to take take a fair amount of people photos, mostly family and friends who are participating in various events and casual settings.  What I discovered through this second review, by use of the results of my personality assessment, is that I do take people pictures but tend not to make many of them public.  Because I tend to be a private person I likely shield my family photos as a reaction to my impulse to protect them (yea, another older generation hang up as opposed to society's frequency in sharing of such on social media).  A second reason for not sharing family/friends photos is that doing so seems a bit boastful.  I'm proud of my family and regard them along with my friends as the greatest treasures in my life.  Many other people's life experiences have not led them to similar feelings.  Consequently, my photos may appear as jaded or even boastful like some Facebook posts and Christmas letters.

When I view photos created by others, I will frequently ask them about their motivation to capture that moment in a certain manner.  How does their photo speak to them?  I never have asked another photographer why they posted or shared a framed photograph.  If I did so, maybe I would discover a bit more about their personality just as I have discovered from my own reflections this past week.