Ok, I'll admit that this headline has a bit of a "clickbait" read to it, but, apart from the fact that a strong headline SHOULD entice people to read the article, it's also raising something I've come to feel more strongly about.
I'd have to say that as a rule, Facebook is a kind of necessary evil. It can be easy to get sucked into the drama, the conflicts, the outrage, the opinions, the echo chambers, the conspiracy theories, the trolling and so on, and I have tried on several occasions to cut it out of my life. The problem is that when I do deactivate it I then realise that it is the only outlet or the most effective outlet I have to share things with certain people.
But, I would like to reduce my dependency on it, and to use it a lot less, as honest, it's mostly not that useful for me. One thing I have done a lot is share photos, which has almost become my main purpose for using it.
So why stop now ? Two main reasons really.
First of all, it does reduce the quality of photos and I can't really present them as I would like it and show them in their best light. Secondly, it can come a bit of an addiction to post up some nice photos and get likes and comments. Studies have shown that getting these "likes" gives us a shot of endorphins and makes us crave those likes and this can become a bit like a drug addiction. I feel like I have been falling into this trap and to my critical eye, has been leading to some mediocre photographs and a loss of enjoyment in the process. There are also secondary issues like people using my photos without my permission also, but these are my main motivations.
This doesn't mean that I'm going to stop posting photos altogether. On the contrary, I'm simply going to post photos on my website instead, where I can have more control over how they look, and they will also look better. I also want to start getting strategic about my photos, as quite frankly, I need to earn some money at the moment and keeping things to my website is more likely to help me professionally.
I also like the idea of storytelling with photos and being able to use a combination of text and photos to help do that. Sometimes the photos can be enhanced by giving context or explanation. Sometimes they're from a trip I took or on other occasions I had a particular purpose in mind when taking them and it can be nice to share that with people looking at them.
In fact, I have more background and experience in writing than I do in photography and with so many good photographers out there I think it helps to both create points of difference and to focus on what you're good at that helps you stand out. And finally, of course, I want to make my photography more meaningful for myself and others.
Comments