When I think of an art related hobby the first thing that comes to mind is photography. It can be used for capturing beautiful moments, improving mental health and motivating you to experience more. For people who find interest in the hobby you can start with something little like a phone like I did. If you feel comfortable enough you can post your art on social media so others can see.
The best part of photography is the moment it captures whether it’s positive or negative. When a positive moment is captured, it can project joy onto the eyes viewing it. When a negative moment is captured, it can generate unique feelings for each person. Photographer Anthony Morganti said, “I still remember one of my first photographs that genuinely moved me. It was a simple shot of a tree on a hill during a golden sunset. Something about the warm light, the bent branches, and the long shadows made me feel calm and nostalgic all at once. As a budding photographer, I wondered: what was it about that image that tugged at my heart?”
I got into photography during my sophomore year of high school. There was a bridge I would walk down when leaving school and snap pictures of the sky on a sunny day. For me the pictures were a way of finding peace and holding memories. After that I would post them on my social media. Soon, I started to develop a strong lens into my photos resulting in me finding where my interest really lies in the hobby. I even enrolled in a photography club at my high school hosted by my art teacher Ms. Cap. During my senior year of high school, I was a part of designing and helping with photography for my class’s yearbook. Seeing the faces of the people viewing the art that me and other classmates created was such a wholesome moment for me. It brought joy, nostalgia, and excitement to the whole senior class.
Over time, I discovered that photography motivates me to travel. Looking at pictures of different parts of the world gives people a sense of curiosity. Coming to Eastern University I instantly found interest in the sights around campus. The university even has beautiful sights that surround the campus. In Wayne, Pa. there are so many sights just waiting to be photographed and on campus students here are surrounded by nature that can be captured with just one click. Being a student who has a collage of pictures of nature and sunsets, these are things I can come back to that gives me a sense of relaxation and where I was in that moment.
There is a research article that discusses how photography can improve mental health and quality of life in different people. One of the main research projects in the article was where college students were told to take pictures every week over the course of four weeks capturing something that makes them happy. They showed tremendous improvement in their anxiety and depression (Dillion, 2025). Another research project was where children with diplegic cerebral palsy with basic photography training positively improved their health-related quality of life, life satisfaction, and self-esteem. Even fourteen outpatients with chronic schizophrenia or psychotic disorder found a spike rate of improvement in their cognitive abilities and functionality when photographic training was assigned (Dillion, 2025). The goal of this article was to give an inside perspective on how photography can be looked at as more than just a fun hobby and instead a way to improve mental health and quality of life.
Photography is something that has been used for decades to bring happiness to families across the world. It gives the brain a sense of color and the drive to explore. That is why photography is what comes to mind when I think of an art-related hobby.
