My social network has replaced social media.
A picture of my friend’s camera from a photowalk we did together.
It was a stray comment from Eric Yang, founder and CEO of our parent company Gear Patrol, that made me realize that something has shifted in how I share my photography. “I bought this camera on a whim. Atrocious flash, terrible shooting speed, auto-focus is highly questionable… yet most liked photos in the WhatsApp friend group.”
It was that last part that stuck with me, because it reflects a behavior of mine that I’ve noticed recently. Whenever I take a picture that I’m really excited about, my thought isn’t “I can’t wait to share this on [insert social media platform here].” Instead, I’ll share it in a group chat, or in my local Discord server, where a handful of my real-life photographer friends hang out.
Of course, my best photos end up making it to the internet, since using cameras and talking about it is, you know, my job. But if it weren’t, I’m pretty sure it’d stop there; I’d share my photos with my literal social network, not with social media.
There are a few benefits to this approach. I won’t pretend to be some enlightened monk who isn’t swayed at all by photo trends; I’ve done a shutter drag shot or two in the past few months, after all. But since moving away from sharing to a broader audience, I’m much closer to my sources of inspiration, and there’s more of a give-and-take. If one of my friends posts a really cool photo, it’s easy to talk about how they took it. And while nothing I post on r/photography will make a dent in broader photo culture as a whole, I’ve absolutely seen some of my friends take influence from my style of photography, or that of others in the group.
I’m sure there are some of you thinking “wait, all those things you just mentioned are what we used to like about Instagram and Flickr.” And, indeed, it’s what I used to like about Instagram. But those sites have either changed dramatically or become substantially less relevant, and, while there have been a few attempts, nothing has really taken on the role they once held. With the state of the internet and culture these days, I’m not sure anything ever will.
There are benefits to not comparing yourself to every other photographer on the internet
My approach of mostly sharing my photos with friends and colleagues has some downsides. While there are benefits to not comparing yourself to every other photographer on the internet, the wider, more experienced and more diverse a community is, the easier it is to run into inspiration that you may never have otherwise. There will be useful critiques I just don’t get from the places I share my photos, and there’s obviously a much smaller potential audience.
For the most part, though, I think it’s worth it for one important reason: it makes sharing photos fun again. Instead of something that feels like an obligation, it’s something I spend the trip home from a shoot looking forward to. Until that’s no longer the case, it’s hard to imagine looking for alternatives.
I’m curious about how the members of our community feel, though. Are you in the same boat, and have found yourself moving away from sharing your work on social media? Are you the opposite, and still finding joy in Instagram? Or perhaps you mainly post to DPReview’s forums (thank you!). Let me know in the comments.
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