I always took pictures in different aspects. First how I thought was the best for the scene and then a second or third one for social media. I left IG long, long time ago when FB bought It. I noticed the change. Still have the account but don't really do much. I posted elsewhere.
I’m starting to make that shift myself too. Since branching out to BlueSky, Reddit, and SubStack, I've really slowed down my use of the Meta platforms. It's been nice to find other platforms that I don't need to modify my work for.
I languished as a photographer subconsciously skewing my shooting approach to appeal to Instagram. Looking back I can’t count the number of times I’ve gone out to shoot in the hopes of getting likable images. It’s later than I would have liked but it’s incredibly liberating to be out of that system and shooting for myself again.
I definitely understand where you're coming from. I was conscious of not getting caught in that cycle, and yet somehow I still found myself in it. Regaining the freedom to shoot for yourself is such a great feeling. I'm really happy to hear you're back to doing that too!
I realised it was just not needed to progress my work and business. I’m new to Substack but my first post was about this very thing. It’s a funny but completely true story and well worth a browse if you dance a giggle.
Social media has an insidious way of creeping into habits 😅 I felt the same imposter syndrome for most of the last year. Like you, I wondered why my reach was nosediving when I was posting better content than ever. One day I read a report explaining that Meta was attempting drive increases in revenue by reducing the reach of posts to encourage ppl to pay for sponsored content. It just clickes then that this platform didn't care about art or its impact on creatives, it just wanted to squeeze more money out of ppl.
That makes a lot of sense, I've seen a lot more "ads" or "pushes" for me to promote/boost posts on Instagram. It’s frustrating how a platform that once helped photographers share their work now seems more focused on ad revenue.
It was a short pause (6 days w/o posting) but it felt great. And it freed me from the habit of framing everything I saw on walks as "Wonder if this would make a good picture?" I'm planning to make such breaks a regular event. Thanks for the inspiration!
I always took pictures in different aspects. First how I thought was the best for the scene and then a second or third one for social media. I left IG long, long time ago when FB bought It. I noticed the change. Still have the account but don't really do much. I posted elsewhere.
I’m starting to make that shift myself too. Since branching out to BlueSky, Reddit, and SubStack, I've really slowed down my use of the Meta platforms. It's been nice to find other platforms that I don't need to modify my work for.
I languished as a photographer subconsciously skewing my shooting approach to appeal to Instagram. Looking back I can’t count the number of times I’ve gone out to shoot in the hopes of getting likable images. It’s later than I would have liked but it’s incredibly liberating to be out of that system and shooting for myself again.
I definitely understand where you're coming from. I was conscious of not getting caught in that cycle, and yet somehow I still found myself in it. Regaining the freedom to shoot for yourself is such a great feeling. I'm really happy to hear you're back to doing that too!
Totally related to this Greg. I was
Sucked in by the whole thing until
I realised it was just not needed to progress my work and business. I’m new to Substack but my first post was about this very thing. It’s a funny but completely true story and well worth a browse if you dance a giggle.
Social media has an insidious way of creeping into habits 😅 I felt the same imposter syndrome for most of the last year. Like you, I wondered why my reach was nosediving when I was posting better content than ever. One day I read a report explaining that Meta was attempting drive increases in revenue by reducing the reach of posts to encourage ppl to pay for sponsored content. It just clickes then that this platform didn't care about art or its impact on creatives, it just wanted to squeeze more money out of ppl.
That makes a lot of sense, I've seen a lot more "ads" or "pushes" for me to promote/boost posts on Instagram. It’s frustrating how a platform that once helped photographers share their work now seems more focused on ad revenue.
These are wise words, coming at exactly the right time. Thank you! I am taking a brief pause on posting photos in Notes, and it feels quite freeing.
I’m glad my article resonated with you! Sometimes taking a break really is the best thing. Wishing you a peaceful and refreshing pause!
It was a short pause (6 days w/o posting) but it felt great. And it freed me from the habit of framing everything I saw on walks as "Wonder if this would make a good picture?" I'm planning to make such breaks a regular event. Thanks for the inspiration!