OK, first off, its time for a confession.
I like it when people look at my images. I get a tiny 5 second giddy thrill when someone likes them. Heck, some times I even look up the person to work out whether they are a bot, or a real person who I might also like their work. Its been the same since I went through the "post to forums" => "Post to Flickr" => "Post to Instagram".
When I started using Instagram, it was easy to get lost in the shear amount of fantastic imagery. For me, it was purely about photography. I search out and followed many great photographers of many genres, both digital and analogue. While I had my gripes with the app and the platform (Mobile only sucks, as does search functions), it generally gave me the inspiration that I needed. And as people organically and slowly followed me, I could share and converse with others that liked my photography. It was, for me at that time, a tailored photo enthusiasts experience of sorts (apart from family and close friends, who I also followed).
But not anymore. Yes, I know it had its roots as a Social Platform, but now it has gone full mental social. It is hard to actually sift the wheat from the chaff - every second post is a suggestion, or a promoted account..... or a fucking reel (sorry for the bad language).
The other thing is.... tits and arses (or ass if you must). Seriously, in just about every suggestion, it is some wannabe showing their tits or their arse (tastefully done of course, because we all know that nudity in the form of fine art is the devils work, which will get you banned /sarcasm). Yeah, I know, the algorithm has picked up that I am a middle aged male who probably doesn't mind the occasional T&A, but this is ridiculous.
Why don't I ditch the 'gram? Well, I have of sorts. I don't want to delete it in full, as my kids share to it and they do send me funny and sometimes thought provoking stuff. But I have now deleted it off the main screens from my phone. The only time I do look at it is when my kids message me through it.
So, where does that leave me as someone who wants to actually enjoy photography of others? I'll make it no secret that I still enjoy Flickr and I do find it a vastly superior platform (I have been a long term Pro subscriber). But Flickr users are on the outer. The majority of people who I see post on that platform are not local to me. I tend to find a lot of European photographers tend to use Flickr, as opposed to Australian and certainly hardly any local to me. And at times, that is hard to take. I like at least seeing what other local photographers do. It gives inspiration. It gives me ideas and gives me potential subjects and locations. Also, occasionally, I have locals I can reach out to.
OK, after that rant, where to for actual photography sharing platforms? Yeah, I know, I could enjoy Photrio a bit more, but it does have its limitations. I could search out more content on Flickr, but the community aspect is still struggling to pick itself back up. I could find that dumb app that everyone picked up 5 years ago (& I have seen some people go back), but will that become "the next best thing" until its not. I could also ignore socials all together, but I feel that the worse photo funk I've had in 10 years will end up getting to the point I give it away all together.
I'm curious to hear others thoughts.
I like it when people look at my images. I get a tiny 5 second giddy thrill when someone likes them. Heck, some times I even look up the person to work out whether they are a bot, or a real person who I might also like their work. Its been the same since I went through the "post to forums" => "Post to Flickr" => "Post to Instagram".
When I started using Instagram, it was easy to get lost in the shear amount of fantastic imagery. For me, it was purely about photography. I search out and followed many great photographers of many genres, both digital and analogue. While I had my gripes with the app and the platform (Mobile only sucks, as does search functions), it generally gave me the inspiration that I needed. And as people organically and slowly followed me, I could share and converse with others that liked my photography. It was, for me at that time, a tailored photo enthusiasts experience of sorts (apart from family and close friends, who I also followed).
But not anymore. Yes, I know it had its roots as a Social Platform, but now it has gone full mental social. It is hard to actually sift the wheat from the chaff - every second post is a suggestion, or a promoted account..... or a fucking reel (sorry for the bad language).
The other thing is.... tits and arses (or ass if you must). Seriously, in just about every suggestion, it is some wannabe showing their tits or their arse (tastefully done of course, because we all know that nudity in the form of fine art is the devils work, which will get you banned /sarcasm). Yeah, I know, the algorithm has picked up that I am a middle aged male who probably doesn't mind the occasional T&A, but this is ridiculous.
Why don't I ditch the 'gram? Well, I have of sorts. I don't want to delete it in full, as my kids share to it and they do send me funny and sometimes thought provoking stuff. But I have now deleted it off the main screens from my phone. The only time I do look at it is when my kids message me through it.
So, where does that leave me as someone who wants to actually enjoy photography of others? I'll make it no secret that I still enjoy Flickr and I do find it a vastly superior platform (I have been a long term Pro subscriber). But Flickr users are on the outer. The majority of people who I see post on that platform are not local to me. I tend to find a lot of European photographers tend to use Flickr, as opposed to Australian and certainly hardly any local to me. And at times, that is hard to take. I like at least seeing what other local photographers do. It gives inspiration. It gives me ideas and gives me potential subjects and locations. Also, occasionally, I have locals I can reach out to.
OK, after that rant, where to for actual photography sharing platforms? Yeah, I know, I could enjoy Photrio a bit more, but it does have its limitations. I could search out more content on Flickr, but the community aspect is still struggling to pick itself back up. I could find that dumb app that everyone picked up 5 years ago (& I have seen some people go back), but will that become "the next best thing" until its not. I could also ignore socials all together, but I feel that the worse photo funk I've had in 10 years will end up getting to the point I give it away all together.
I'm curious to hear others thoughts.