Social media is a great tool for growing your business or #fan #base, however, how much #influence does #social #media have on the #quality of your photography?
I’m constantly #frustrated by the amount of ‘tripe’ I see on the internet (particularly on Facebook), with so-called ‘experts’ having the answer to all our problems. The first issue is that they assume I have a problem in the first place! They also tell us that we ‘must’ get as many #likes as possible to expand our presence. WHY?
The #internet is a great resource for expanding our #knowledge and to gain exposure for our ‘brand’, but it can also lead us down the rabbit hole when it comes to the influence on our work. If we look at Vivian Maier’s work for instance, there was no internet to speak of and she was only influenced by her #contemporaries that were able to exhibit and publish their work in books and #galleries. Her accomplishment as a capable photographer was only acknowledged after her death, however, the quality is undeniable. Her exposure and therefore influence from ‘bad’ imagery was negligible.
If she was exposed (as much as we are) to the internet, would this have caused her to ‘trend’ with the masses, or would she have still followed her own path?
As a #photographic #artist, I need to rely more heavily on the #quality of my work rather than appealing to the masses and regurgitating the same old rubbish to generate ‘fans’. If this means I don’t get to be famous until after I die - then so be it. I feel that my work needs to be quality over quantity. As I no longer earn my living from a purely commercial enterprise, I am happy to do this, but where do you stand?
I intend to follow my own path and spend less time looking at the internet. You don’t need followers, or to follow others to be a better photographer!
Well said, agree with every word.