The joy of taking photos that no one else will ever see: stop feeding the algorithm
The best work I’ve made lately is the work that no one’s seen
Since stepping away from the world of professional sports photography, I’ve found myself picking up the camera for a very different reason: because I want to, not because I have to.
There’s no deadline. No editor waiting for a caption. No need to catch the winning moment in perfect focus. These days, I wander my local area with a camera slung over my shoulder, taking pictures not for clients, not for clout, and certainly not for the algorithm, but for me.
And that, I’ve realised, is something we don’t talk about enough: that it’s perfectly okay to shoot for yourself. [...]
I enjoyed this article, because to me, he is describing the real essense of photography/videography that attracted me to the film arts in the firstplace; it's worth staying in touch with, always, because there is more joy in that than just only trying to please other people, potentially turning what you love to do into a competition instead.
I think it applies to videography/filmmaking as well. Because what are videos and movies? They are pictures that move. I often pull still frames from the videos I take, to capture particular moments. But sometimes it's fun to see the moments move and unfold as a sequence as well...
I enjoyed this article also:
Now I see photography as mindfulness, it's changed my whole outlook
Forget costly wellness retreats; your camera is the only mindfulness teacher you need.He goes on to describe what he saw, how he interacted with it, and for how long. And described how it... transformed him. I've experienced thas so many, many times, that I could really relate to it. Photographic/flimic awareness, can be a very powerful mindfullness tool, effortlessly grounding you in the present momemnt, and giving you a wonderful mood change and energy boost as well!
I'll be honest with you. Five years ago, whenever I took a picture, I was fundamentally chasing likes. That dopamine hit of validation that comes with a popular social media feed. Of course, as you might expect, none of this was making me particularly happy, deep down. A moment came eventually, though, when I started seeing photography in a different way.
I was standing in a grimy street after a sleepless night followed by a soul-crushing day at work. I rain-soaked, miserable and late for dinner with friends I was no longer in the mood to see.
Then I saw it. A simple puddle reflecting a neon shop sign, a pigeon pecking at its edge. Something made me stop. Made me crouch down. Really look. [...]
