Why is Photography so Popular
I was just reading through an issue of Digital Photo magazine and what really struck me (apart from the really good articles) was the number of retailers and courses on offer.
Photography used to be part of that “higher” realm of art that was not attainable by many. The equipment required, studio lighting and film developing practices made it a very specialised skill that took hours and hours, and thousands of dollars to achieve.
Nowadays, photography studios are popping all over the place. Despite the fact the world economy is still in a state of upheaval, in the area that I live, 3 new photography studios have opened in the last 8 months. It’s pretty amazing really. There must be the demand for it. Maybe there’s a connection between the population increase and the number of portrait studios around 
Why do we love photography so much? At heart, humans are social beings who like to see things and experience things. We also like to be apart of something and to capture these somethings for generations to come.
Not all of us are particularly nostalgic, but if you are, imagine being handed a photograph of your great, great grandfather as he was involved in something historically monumentous. You’d feel a real pang of pride or a tingle of excitement to know that you have a connection to that.
Sure, there are written records, but nothing captures the essence of history more than images - be they still or moving.
Photography is a field that you can continuously learn new things in. There are always new ways of doing something and capturing an image. The fundamentals remain necessary, but once you know them, you can go off an manipulate them and make something completely new.
I realise I’m ranting a little, so I’ll leave it there. Photography is a great pastime