Light thoughts from the darkroom
This is about photography as a hobby - the "why" of it..
Over the last few weeks I've realised that social media has corrupted the concept of photography as a hobby.
In the absence of social media, people would've learnt any hobby as an art form or cultivated a deep expertise in it, something for personal pride.
For example, if a person were a stamp collector they wouldn't post every stamp they collected on FB or twitter.
But with photography there's the expectation of instant gratification through social media, and once we get 100 or 500 likes, it brings up the inevitable question of "What next"?
In the old world setup, there was never a "next" - you simply followed your hobby from one strength to another because you liked it and people who understood the hobby appreciated you for it. You could gather around a fireplace and share collections and chat about your prized collectibles, and maybe exchange valuable nuggets of information. You swapped stories.
That should be the unwavering focus of a hobbyist - doing it for personal pride, not for random appreciation through likes and retweets. One should develop their own treasure trove, regardless of whether others think of it as a treasure, or not.
Over the last few weeks I've realised that social media has corrupted the concept of photography as a hobby.
In the absence of social media, people would've learnt any hobby as an art form or cultivated a deep expertise in it, something for personal pride.
For example, if a person were a stamp collector they wouldn't post every stamp they collected on FB or twitter.
But with photography there's the expectation of instant gratification through social media, and once we get 100 or 500 likes, it brings up the inevitable question of "What next"?
In the old world setup, there was never a "next" - you simply followed your hobby from one strength to another because you liked it and people who understood the hobby appreciated you for it. You could gather around a fireplace and share collections and chat about your prized collectibles, and maybe exchange valuable nuggets of information. You swapped stories.
That should be the unwavering focus of a hobbyist - doing it for personal pride, not for random appreciation through likes and retweets. One should develop their own treasure trove, regardless of whether others think of it as a treasure, or not.
posted by Dream Runner | 9:17 PM
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