I observe that photography is not merely a hobby for a most people, it has become a platform to chase gratification. Many seek attention and validation, especially through the sharing of their images on social media. How many likes will I get? How many comments saying "wow this is an amazing photograph!"? Will the post go viral and get 1000 shares? Photography in the internet age has been reduced to popularity contest and I hope that we can turn things around before it is too late.
 |
| Image taken by Jon Low (IG @jonlow), used with permission |
I would be lying if I said I'd not care about social media or the audience. I have been fortunate to gain quite a good size of following through this blog alone. I also have a YouTube channel, not a big one, but also not too small either. Instagram, well let's just say I have given up on it and never figured out how it worked, so no point trying further. I do sometimes plan my photography outings based on the content that I am making on my YouTube channel. There could be a selected topic or idea where I need sample photographs to support the talking points. Nevertheless, when I am out there shooting, I decide what I want, how I want my images to look like, and I maintain 100% creative control.
YouTube has somehow become a source of income for me, alongside my photography jobs that I do. Because of that, I cannot just completely ignore what the audience wants to watch, or see in my images. It would a stretch to say that I chose what to shoot based on what the audience wants to see, that is entirely not true. The photography subjects still remain what I love to shoot - street photography, insect macro, stage music events, portraits, nothing has changed much since I started my photography journey, before I gained this number of following. I have always loved shooting these genres and I don't think that will change. I think it is important to love what you do, not just do something for the sake of numbers and viewership.
I never cared about photography contests, or winning any awards. When I share my images on social media, yes I do peek at the numbers, but if the images don't gain much attention, it is not the end of the world. I saw some friends get bent out of shape when they thought their winning image was supposed to go viral but nothing happened. I saw some begrudged friends going to photography exhibitions and saying how bad the photographs on display were and how their photographs were better deserving to be exhibited instead. Or openly mocking the winning photographs of some prestigious contests questioning the qualifications of the judges and loudly claiming how they should have won because their photographs were clearly better than the winners.
When has photography become about winning and being better than others? What is the point of comparing and why feel bad about others being exhibited or getting the spotlight?
When has photography become so bitter?
To me, I shoot because I can. I shoot because I want to. I shoot because it is fun. I go out with my camera and I shoot whatever that attracts my attention. There is no further agenda, there is no drama. I am not trying to save the world, I am not aiming to become the next National Geographic photographer. I simply want to enjoy clicking the shutter button. Is that not good enough?
If you are truly a good photographer, your work shows. You don't have to convince others relentlessly about how good you are. It is like in the fitness world, if you know what you are doing, your body is the proof of your fitness, people can see the hard work and experience in your appearance. Having an out of shape body and still trying to convince others about your exercise program and diet advice will be an uphill battle. The proof is in the pudding, if your photographs cannot sell themselves, no matter how charming you are as a person, your photographs don't magically become better in quality.
You don't need validation, or external recognition. Sometimes, chasing these gratification can be exhausting. We all know that the algorithm on social media platform these days are not playing nice, it perhaps has nothing to do with how good your photograph is - maybe your post is buried for all other kinds of reasons. Just because your images are not being liked and commented on, that is not a true reflection of your work quality. Too many people put too much emphasis on what they can quantify on social media, and that degraded the quality of photography in general.
Shutter therapy is sacred to me. I don't let other people tell me what to do, or how to do it. Even if no one likes my photographs, or no one cares, it does not bother me, because I am shooting this for my own soul. I think we should take a break from social media and spend more time outside shooting instead!
Please support me & keep this site going:
