It takes a lot of imagination to be a good photographer. You need less imagination to be a painter because you can invent things. But in photography everything is so ordinary it takes a lot of looking before you learn to see the extraordinary.
When you're surrounded by all these people it can be even lonelier than when you're by yourself. You can be in a huge crowd but if you don't feel like you can trust anybody or talk to anybody you feel like you're really alone.