Photography As A Lifestyle

What is one of the few artistic endeavours that allows the artist to create something wherever and whenever they are at the time?

Over the last several months, I've become more and more aware of the idea that photography, at least for me, can be less of an occasional hobby with deliberate periods of camera use and more of a way of life.

In the past, I would always carry a camera as if I was going on a deliberate photo excursion. I would take my camera in a small camera bag equipped with accessories I might potentially need during the day should things drain or run out of space. Yet, despite all of the documenting I have done over the years, I never once considered simply "wearing" a camera as if it was, say, a watch.

I love the idea of picking up only the camera and perhaps a spare roll of film and embracing photography as almost an extension of my personality, something I am no matter the occasion.

Severin Koller, an Austrian street photographer often posts tens to hundreds of photographs of his life and his surroundings, giving me the impression that he always has a camera on him. Ryan Muirhead seems to as well though for different goals. Others such as John Free always has a Nikon F3 around his neck ready to make photographs. No bags, no accessories, just a camera, open to the world and ready to use if the inspiration comes, but never intrusive.

To be honest, I don't know why it didn't click earlier on. Maybe I had too much of the notion that I needed this extra "stuff" when I was out shooting.