To shoot or not to shoot?

Huw said

Gerry99111 said

The more I hear rubbish about trying to please other people, the more I am seeing them as the problem and not the inspiration.

…How on Earth did people remained motivated to create anything before they could get it universally liked on Instagram…..

I don’t think there’s much danger of people thinking you are trying to please other people….   ;)

I think the motivation for the original prehistoric cave paintings was to get a hot chick to take off her fur clothing. The song remains the same.

:)

The one thing I learnt many years ago is that if there is anything at all you really want to do, you absolutely have to have the drive and motivation to do it yourself, no one will else will ever do it for you. The minute you start waiting for others validation, it gets watered down, when that validation is not exactly how you would like to see it and if you listen to all the negativity, then it probably sounds pointless and you eventually lose interest. Looking for excuses is another disease - someone else won't like it or assuming they won't being a classic. 

If you spend too much time listening to the forums, you are well on the way to the tunnel that awaits all of us

I’m not sure I subscribe to the ‘if it can’t go on IG what’s the point’ view. I guess it begs the question ‘what are your reasons for posting on IG?’, the answer therefore presumably being your sole reason to shoot. If it’s to promote yourself for professional reasons, and the material you shoot isn’t allowed on Meta, post elsewhere where it is?

I love music, I have a gazillion guitars (well, maybe half a gazillion) and I’m a very poor guitarist. (This isn’t modesty, I am. I have 2 years of experience 25 times over). I won’t perform in public. I know I’m not good. So why keep buying guitars and flogging this particular dead horse? In my case it’s just that I really enjoy doing so.

I guess my photography is similar. I won’t become famous, definitely not rich, and although I DO post on here, IG and elsewhere, it’s not why I do it.

There are other reasons why I may give up shooting, but Meta isn’t one of them.

Edited by ADWsPhotos

Were you trying to shoot nude while waving a gun? ;-)

It seems to me that there's too much overthinking around here ...

I guess people either shoot because they enjoy the process of trying to create a masterpiece, or they enjoy the finished product (whether or not it turns out to be a masterpiece), or they do it to get “likes” from strangers on social media. I don’t think any of those reasons are invalid. As others have said, life’s too short - so “carpe diem”.

Stu H said

I [used to] shoot because I enjoy[ed] the act of *shooting*.

I enjoy the location recce, the model selection to fit the location ... the actual shoot itself.

I'm not bothered about spending hours stuck behind the monitor editing every little minutiae.

I don't shoot for social media*.

I don't shoot for other people's opinions or critique.

I don't particularly care if anyone else likes the images.

I shoot for me.

* I'm not on IG, twitter etc, and only *just* on Facebook ... and model images don't get posted there anyway.

Almost exactly this for me, except I am on IG, but mostly inactive and do the occasional shoot, but I don't give a stuff about [anti]social media opinion, anyway.

I love the "act of photography" the challenge that it can bring, model, no model, it doesn't matter in the end, but I do enjoy the interaction occasionally, in my mostly solitude of pursuit of an interesting image.

There is an ocean of mediocrity in many areas, but it doesn't mean that it's no longer worth persuing what you enjoy.

The question one should ask is, is it worth it for me? That is a yes, for others, it may be a no, if in the end I turn out a load of shyte, no one really cares, if the model gets paid, everyone is happy, it's my money to do with as I please. 

Unfocussed Mike said

. 

Collectively, culture is on a downslope: we are well beyond the summit of Mount Social Media. We know that essentially all the good, transformative, exciting, validating bits are over. Even tiktok is a place where people get bullied. 

What we replace it with is up to us, I guess.

 

 

I don't have a problem with social media. I'm not on it. And I can't think of anything that would encourage me to go back on any social media sites. 

I'm happy in my own little world. I have no interest in what a complete stranger had for lunch, or when another stranger's cat is due for its injections, or what another stranger thinks of yet another stranger. 

Lightingman said

...

The subject had a good philosophical airing in Albert Camus’ “ Myth of Sisyphus” where Sisyphus is condemned, by the Gods to roll a big rock up a hill everyday, whereupon it would roll down again, seemingly pointless, futile labour, but in Camus’ account Sisyphus reconciled to himself that embracing the present moment and finding satisfaction in the PROCESS ( my caps) regardless of the outcome, is the essence of existence.

...

Big +1 to that.

I think that if your art requires likes/loves from others, especially the unqualified masses, then you're doing it for the wrong reasons, and if you aren't doing photography for the process of photography then you may as well use a generative machine learning algorithm.

Marcus Aurelius nailed the complete pointlessness of services like IG when he said: "The opinion of 10,000 men is of no value if none of them know anything about the subject."

Orson Carter said

Unfocussed Mike said

. 

Collectively, culture is on a downslope: we are well beyond the summit of Mount Social Media. We know that essentially all the good, transformative, exciting, validating bits are over. Even tiktok is a place where people get bullied. 

What we replace it with is up to us, I guess.

 

 

I don't have a problem with social media. I'm not on it. And I can't think of anything that would encourage me to go back on any social media sites. 

I'm happy in my own little world. I have no interest in what a complete stranger had for lunch, or when another stranger's cat is due for its injections, or what another stranger thinks of yet another stranger. 

Within some limits -- I do use Facebook with an essentially friendless account for three private groups and a page for a few fitful local gig photos when I still get out there -- I am the same. I stopped using Facebook for personal social stuff in 2014. I deleted my personal account and created a friendless account to manage a few pages I was still managing for work purposes, including my own.

"Quiet quitting" like this didn't make me happier, just a lot calmer, but it probably stopped me getting a lot more unhappy. I still have my issues but I'm resigned to the idea that it's better to feel lonely when you're actually lonely, than pretend online you are not.

(My own feeling is that social media (and this site) would be better if we didn't know how many "followers" a person has, but this is an aside)

Russ Freeman said

Lightingman said

...

The subject had a good philosophical airing in Albert Camus’ “ Myth of Sisyphus” where Sisyphus is condemned, by the Gods to roll a big rock up a hill everyday, whereupon it would roll down again, seemingly pointless, futile labour, but in Camus’ account Sisyphus reconciled to himself that embracing the present moment and finding satisfaction in the PROCESS ( my caps) regardless of the outcome, is the essence of existence.

...

Big +1 to that.

I think that if your art requires likes/loves from others, especially the unqualified masses, then you're doing it for the wrong reasons, and if you aren't doing photography for the process of photography then you may as well use a generative machine learning algorithm.

Marcus Aurelius nailed the complete pointlessness of services like IG when he said: "The opinion of 10,000 men is of no value if none of them know anything about the subject."

So, don't get down when FPIs prove elusive it only represents the opinion of around a mere 100 unknown souls whose abilities are also unknown.

photofervor Absolutely!

Russ Freeman said

Lightingman said

...

The subject had a good philosophical airing in Albert Camus’ “ Myth of Sisyphus” where Sisyphus is condemned, by the Gods to roll a big rock up a hill everyday, whereupon it would roll down again, seemingly pointless, futile labour, but in Camus’ account Sisyphus reconciled to himself that embracing the present moment and finding satisfaction in the PROCESS ( my caps) regardless of the outcome, is the essence of existence.

...

Big +1 to that.

I think that if your art requires likes/loves from others, especially the unqualified masses, then you're doing it for the wrong reasons, and if you aren't doing photography for the process of photography then you may as well use a generative machine learning algorithm.

Marcus Aurelius nailed the complete pointlessness of services like IG when he said: "The opinion of 10,000 men is of no value if none of them know anything about the subject."

Exactly this - nailed it Russ.

I've not shot for a while due to personal reasons and I'm hoping to be back soon.
My exposure and reach has always been minimal, on just about every site I'm on.

I don't shoot mainstream - I don't want to! I've always created what I've wanted and been lucky enough to have models and buyers that wanted my images for whatever purpose.

I've always been fascinated by the process of photography - the hours in a darkroom, producing large prints was the attraction. Digital doesn't float my boat in the same way, but I'll keep trying.

I've also been turned down by many models who approached me first, as what I suggested wouldn't work for IG. We've seen these platforms come and go and I have no doubt that the popularity of IG is in decline, particularly among creatives who feel stifled by the ever more restrictive censorship and exposure algorithm. Threads and Clara were allegedly going to be the next wave of forward thinking SM platforms and they're both pretty rubbish and already stagnant in growth.

It's interesting, following a comment from Unfocussed Mike, that X/Twitter (whatever) has now made it so people don't see follower numbers or likes in the interest of peoples Mental Health. Is that the way forward?

I'll continue to shoot for me. I'll continue to be happy with limited exposure. Let the mediocre people pleasing masses do their thing.

photofervor said

Russ Freeman said

Lightingman said

...

The subject had a good philosophical airing in Albert Camus’ “ Myth of Sisyphus” where Sisyphus is condemned, by the Gods to roll a big rock up a hill everyday, whereupon it would roll down again, seemingly pointless, futile labour, but in Camus’ account Sisyphus reconciled to himself that embracing the present moment and finding satisfaction in the PROCESS ( my caps) regardless of the outcome, is the essence of existence.

...

Big +1 to that.

I think that if your art requires likes/loves from others, especially the unqualified masses, then you're doing it for the wrong reasons, and if you aren't doing photography for the process of photography then you may as well use a generative machine learning algorithm.

Marcus Aurelius nailed the complete pointlessness of services like IG when he said: "The opinion of 10,000 men is of no value if none of them know anything about the subject."

So, don't get down when FPIs prove elusive it only represents the opinion of around a mere 100 unknown souls whose abilities are also unknown.

Never a truer word!

Thanks everyone for a good discussion….

Huw said

My preferred “art form” is/was the large BW print. Nudes in the landscape.

Obsolete now.

As Pippa  said in the other thread, if it can’t go on IG, what’s the point.

***********

Bit of nihilism for a rainy Sunday….   ;)

Edited by Huw

I like your nudes in rugged scapes Huw. Something that speaks to "us", nature, 'humans upon Earth' vibe, that is profound at some level and quite beautiful. I like the hard/soft, warm/cold contrast too, 'the woman and the rock'. Although, I guess like everyone else in this site, I am not a customer, which is of little use to you no doubt.

The mountain of images available to see everywhere these days, leads me to wonder, can there be any point in adding to the heap?
Picture wise, I'm in the middle of another "stuck" moment myself, right now. I've had a shocking number of these 'moments' as I've grown older. I was never expecting this!
Mediocrity is a bell curve I suppose. Was it Kipling who said 4/5ths of everything produced "isn't very good"? I think we all (as image makers) try to stand out, to rise above, to make that one memorable picture with that "Wow!" factor, whilst knowing these days, that the eyes looking down upon our efforts are probably very tired indeed.
I think the Internet has changed the landscape forever, where pictures (paintings and photos) are concerned. Bit more nihilism for you .... teehee!

Edited by Greenman

We have two different groups of people in this discussion.

Those with Pippa who need exposure on Social Media and such for business reasons and then the other group in two sub groups.

Those who need Social Media to give approval and meaning to their work and those who like their work to be seen by somebody.

Perhaps a few outliers who just enjoy the making of an image.

I am in the last group and I am at the moment enjoying my photography and doing as much as my ancient aching body can cope with.