On Social Media and Photography

This is not meant to cover this entire subject, but simply to record a thought I had a few moments ago. Maybe if I did this more often, the blog would have a decent record of my progress in photography.

Most of us know of Instagram and Facebook. Many of us have shared photos on these platforms, and as an amateur photographer, I’ve used both to view the works of others, and also to publish my own for feedback. I think it’s important that we share our work, but to share with the best intentions for ourselves, and for others. It’s great to be inspired by likes and encouraging comments, but to truly improve, we need to be highly critical of our own work - in a way that isn’t disparaging, but incites more learning.

There is a trap at many fall easily into, and before you know it, your work isn’t yours anymore, but your followers’. Before you know it, your photography may begin to look like thousands of others that have been seeking the same thing that you are. What’s popular isn’t always what’s good. In a world where millions of images are taken every day, it’s not about standing out, or being popular, or even being loved, but being true to yourself.

Anything worthwhile doesn’t come easy, and photography, like any skill, takes a great deal of hard work, patience, perseverance, and sacrifice to develop. The work we put in, is what we’ll get out