Weekly Musings: 9/12/22
Topics: Instagram, photography, writing
I haven’t been writing much this year. Looking back to 2020, when I was writing a lot, I believe that was some of the most productive photography periods for me as well. Starting now, I want to try something new - every week, I’ll share some short thoughts I’ve had during the week accompanied by some photos I took. It’s going to be pretty challenging to consistently have photos to post every week.
Weekly vlogs, but boomer style, so blogs.
So, if you want to hear me ramble and see some everyday photos every week, please subscribe :)
On Photography and Instagram
Instagram has been changing its direction to become a platform for influencers, brands, and businesses to sell to its following. The model is becoming more capitalism-driven mindless consumption rather than the original photo and life-sharing platform. As such, I feel like it’s no longer an adequate place for sharing photos.
Another challenge with posting on social media is that it often feels like the photos don’t serve many purposes. Once the photo is posted on social media, then what? Most of them will never get printed and it feels more like a blip in history that gets discarded. Especially when other people don’t even get to see them because of the new algorithm, it feels even more forgotten over time. I’d like to at least organize my photos into a format that’s more persevering. But many of these photos are completely unrelated, so it’d also be impossible to put them in a singular project at the moment. I guess what I’m really looking for is closure for my photos.
With these ideas in mind, I’m often not too sure what to do with much of my photography anymore. Do I only shoot projects? But I really enjoy experimenting with different techniques and taking photos of interesting things I see.
I’m still in the process of figuring it out, but right now I think short-form photo essays could be a good format. It gives me a sense of progress and maybe the closure I need. Also, photography (and art in general) is often better accompanied by words to communicate some of the artist’s intent.
I forgot how satisfying it is to read an intelligent "Boomer Style" (lol) blog post while enjoying a series of quality photos at a reasonable size :)
Completely agree with what you said about Instagram, and loved how you summarized it: "capitalism-driven mindless consumption". I had not posted on Instagram for a year or two prior, so when I returned I was seriously disappointed at how it was restructured. I thought it would be something I could build upon, but it seems to really be catering to already established accounts, while almost completely dismissing the smaller ones.