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What do you do with your images?

The Rat
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p.2 #1 · p.2 #1 · What do you do with your images?

I've gotten larger prints made of my stuff for my house. Also once a year, I'll get photo books made for people who have had a real positive impact on my life (old college profs, leaders I've had in the past, family, etc.) Normally around Christmas, when Shutterfly runs the free pages sales and I can get a 110 page book for $70ish rather than whatever the absurd normal price is for a book of that page count.

May 21, 2024 at 10:11 AM

snegron7
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p.2 #2 · p.2 #2 · What do you do with your images?

Interesting topic! I end up sharing some pics on Facebook with a select group of a few friends. If I'm at a family gathering or taking pics at an event for a friend or family member, I'll post them on Flickr and share the link with them.

Nobody else really cares about my photography. I enjoy looking at my travel pics sometimes. I have several hard drives with thousands of images. I think I might have printed 4 pics in the last 20 years.

This thread got me thinking about why I even bother to take pics at all, and why do I waste so much money on equipment.

Edited on May 22, 2024 at 08:07 AM · View previous versions

May 22, 2024 at 06:08 AM

johnvanr
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p.2 #3 · p.2 #3 · What do you do with your images?

snegron7 wrote:
Interesting topic! I end up sharing some pics on Facebook with a select group of a few friends. If I'm at a family gathering or raking pics at an event for a friend or family member, I'll post them on Flickr and share the link with them.

Nobody else really cares about my photography. I enjoy looking at my travel pics sometimes. I have several hard drives with thousands of images. I think I might have printed 4 pics in the last 20 years.

This thread got me thinking about why I even bother to take pics at all, and why...Show more →

Sorry, didn’t mean to turn you off photography…

May 22, 2024 at 07:31 AM

snegron7
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p.2 #4 · p.2 #4 · What do you do with your images?

johnvanr wrote:
Sorry, didn’t mean to turn you off photography…

No, please don't feel bad! I've actually been thinking alot about this recently. This post just made me put things into perspective. If anything, I see this as a positive! I probably won't be wasting money unnecessarily on gear from now on. I'll use that money for travel or other cool stuff!

May 22, 2024 at 08:05 AM

foto16
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p.2 #5 · p.2 #5 · What do you do with your images?

There is little interest in and ability for appreciating good artistic photographs from the population. If you share on social media, portraits of pretty and partially dressed models and beautiful landscapes tend to get more likes, but it's not clear whether people just like to see the partially dressed women and scenery or they appreciate the artistic vision of the photographer, because poorly made partially dressed selfies and travel photos by nonphotographers receive even more likes. I routinely get the comment from family members "I don't get what you want to portray in your street photos."

It seems nowadays photographers shoot only for themselves or for each other. Outside a few family members they share with fellow photographers. Their followers are also photographers. But the problem is we don't know whether someone like you for your photograph or is just expecting you to like back.

May 22, 2024 at 12:01 PM

foto16
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p.2 #6 · p.2 #6 · What do you do with your images?

cypressblend wrote:
I would like to use an example of Chinese Calligraphy. (Just providing a view from other side of the world, definitely not trying to lecture people with longer and deeper life experience than me.)

Many people in China will develop a hobby after their retirement because they may feel empty with so much free time (at least that is the reason why my father told me why he would start calligraphy after his retirement). So many people just practice calligraphy every day. And those who feel good about their writings will gift their friends their calligraphy on an important day. Many...Show more →

A difference between photography and calligraphy or painting is that the technical entry barrier is extremely low in photography. We hear so many stories that someone who has just been laid off picks up a camera and becomes a wedding photographer. Almost every hobbyist can hope to have competition winning images within a couple of years if not sooner, so the question "Why my photography is not appreciated more and widely?" enters the mind more easily than amateur calligraphers or painters.

May 22, 2024 at 12:26 PM

Jman13
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p.2 #7 · p.2 #7 · What do you do with your images?

I share a lot of them online, and the ones I really like I print. I have a photo printer at home and I print my own the vast majority of the time. Usually I make 12x18s or 11x14s depending on aspect ratio. I have 10 frames on my wall at work and 5 in my study at home that I sort of rotate images in, while there are other more 'permanent' images on display in my house as well. Every once in a while I print larger (up to 40" for my own stuff, though I've sold larger), and for those I get them printed at a lab (usually ProDPI).

May 22, 2024 at 12:40 PM

The Rat
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p.2 #8 · p.2 #8 · What do you do with your images?

foto16 wrote:
There is little interest in and ability for appreciating good artistic photographs from the population. If you share on social media, portraits of pretty and partially dressed models and beautiful landscapes tend to get more likes, but it's not clear whether people just like to see the partially dressed women and scenery or they appreciate the artistic vision of the photographer, because poorly made partially dressed selfies and travel photos by nonphotographers receive even more likes. I routinely get the comment from family members "I don't get what you want to portray in your street photos."

It seems nowadays photographers shoot...Show more →

I don't think there's anything wrong with shooting photos primarily for yourself and the byproduct of sharing with friends and family members. It can be fulfilling and fun for its own sake, rather than trying to compete for followers/customers/sales/etc. Honestly I think that it's kind of liberating and meditative to take a photo and be only thinking of the scene and the beauty of it, rather than worrying about what an audience may think, or how much this photo might boost my bottom line or follower count.

I do landscapes partially for the challenge of it, to have something to get me outside and strive for outside of work. I know I'll never take a perfect photo, there's always room for improvement, and every time I go somewhere, it's different than the last time. The photos/prints are partially a byproduct, but more importantly they help me remember what a place was like. Looking at my aging parents' memories (or increasingly lack thereof), I think that's more important than what I thought when I first picked up a camera.

May 22, 2024 at 01:39 PM

Robin Smith
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p.2 #9 · p.2 #9 · What do you do with your images?

why do you shoot?

Beats me to be honest. In the past it was to document my life for some purpose known only to me. Otherwise because it still gives me some degree of pleasure. The pleasure it gives seems a sufficient explanation. I can very easily see myself as being in the OPs situation though and quite soon. Sometimes I look forward to traveling without any camera at all. So far the pleasure it provides is enough for me not to embrace that final step. As one gets older the purpose of it all becomes more and more mysterious.

May 22, 2024 at 01:51 PM

Jman13
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p.2 #10 · p.2 #10 · What do you do with your images?

Also, to clarify 'why' I shoot - it's my creative outlet. I'm an engineer by trade and stuck inside at a computer, and I like being able to get outside and capture something aesthetically pleasing. I don't have a lot of artistic ability from a physical creation standpoint, but I do think I have a decent creative eye, and the camera allows me to express that. Not that I'm anything special with regards to my output, but I do enjoy what I've created. When I get a 'wow' shot, I also get a fairly nice rush.

This year I've been so busy at work I've had almost no time to shoot. Luckily, I'm going to have about two weeks in Italy coming up and will be able to shoot quite a bit.

May 22, 2024 at 02:02 PM

foto16
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p.2 #11 · p.2 #11 · What do you do with your images?

The Rat wrote:
I don't think there's anything wrong with shooting photos primarily for yourself and the byproduct of sharing with friends and family members. It can be fulfilling and fun for its own sake, rather than trying to compete for followers/customers/sales/etc. Honestly I think that it's kind of liberating and meditative to take a photo and be only thinking of the scene and the beauty of it, rather than worrying about what an audience may think, or how much this photo might boost my bottom line or follower count.

I do landscapes partially for the challenge of it, to have something to...Show more →

Indeed. People pursue all kinds of hobbies, gardening, running, singing, pottery making, etc. They enjoy primarily the process instead of pursuing an audience. Photography should be no different.

May 22, 2024 at 02:02 PM

chez
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p.2 #12 · p.2 #12 · What do you do with your images?

foto16 wrote:
Indeed. People pursue all kinds of hobbies, gardening, running, singing, pottery making, etc. They enjoy primarily the process instead of pursuing an audience. Photography should be no different.

I don’t feel sharing your images with others is pursuing an audience. Do you ever share your experience of traveling to say Europe with others over a beer. Talk about what you saw and what you did. Showing your images of that trip is just another way of showing others what you experienced while traveling.

May 22, 2024 at 04:59 PM

flash
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p.2 #13 · p.2 #13 · What do you do with your images?

For me.

Photography is sitting at the top of the hill, with a coffee, waiting for the light.
Photography is wandering the city, clean and empty, looking at the shadows.
Photography is memories, burned into pixels and then printed to books.
Photography is losing yourself in the dials and buttons and the place and the moment.

I don't do social media. Anything on Facebook was shot on a phone. I might have 5 photos on IG? It's a photo when it's printed. So we make books and prints on the wall. Our hallway is a 2.5 meter pinboard of prints from a Selphy (Canon) or Instax printer. When I'm gone the books go to my children and they have told me I have to make them a copy each.

I'm semi-retired. Or should I say, I transitioned to being a travel/fine art photographer... I just spent AUD20K on a new, rather large, printer. I have many cameras and lenses. I sell prints regularly through a gallery. I've shot for clients big and small for 35 years. I've been published, taught, awarded and derided. I made money. Spent it all. Made money again. None of these are why I do photography. They're the means I use to go wandering with a camera and a coffee tomorrow. Coming back with a good image doesn't matter. It's the excuse to wander with a camera that matters.

Gordon

May 22, 2024 at 05:37 PM

stgrove
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p.2 #14 · p.2 #14 · What do you do with your images?

OP
To answer your question-- I print my favorite images.

May 22, 2024 at 06:34 PM

chez
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p.2 #15 · p.2 #15 · What do you do with your images?

Do sculptures create their innovations just to sit in their basement?
Do song writers write their songs to never be heard?
Do screenwriters never want their works to be seen by others?
Do architects want their designs to be kept in the drawers?
Do authors never want their novels to be read?

Do photographers never want their photos to be seen…

May 22, 2024 at 06:38 PM

johnvanr
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p.2 #16 · p.2 #16 · What do you do with your images?

foto16 wrote:
Indeed. People pursue all kinds of hobbies, gardening, running, singing, pottery making, etc. They enjoy primarily the process instead of pursuing an audience. Photography should be no different.

I agree, but then I also dabble with drawing and painting and there too wonder why. I need to focus more on the enjoyment of the process and not so much on what I do with the end result.

May 23, 2024 at 06:49 AM

johnvanr
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p.2 #17 · p.2 #17 · What do you do with your images?

flash wrote:
For me.

Photography is sitting at the top of the hill, with a coffee, waiting for the light.
Photography is wandering the city, clean and empty, looking at the shadows.
Photography is memories, burned into pixels and then printed to books.
Photography is losing yourself in the dials and buttons and the place and the moment.

I don't do social media. Anything on Facebook was shot on a phone. I might have 5 photos on IG? It's a photo when it's printed. So we make books and prints on the wall. Our hallway is a 2.5 meter pinboard of prints from a Selphy (Canon) or...Show more →

That's the mindset I hope to teach myself and learn to adopt.

May 23, 2024 at 06:51 AM

bjhurley
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p.2 #18 · p.2 #18 · What do you do with your images?

johnvanr wrote:
I should add that I don't believe in Instagram or other social media (with the exception probably of YouTube for video). I'm never going to shoot toward an algorithm or to be popular.

But that doesn't have to be the point of posting your images on social media.

As a musician, I've long observed a spectrum among other musicians who perform onstage or do recordings. For some it's mostly "look at me, aren't I cool/talented/great?" For others the focus is more on "listen to this amazing music" or it's about communication, about expressing and sharing their emotions or a compelling story. We all have egos, everyone who shares their music or photography is hoping to get some attention (and/or money), although for some it's not necessarily a desire for adulation. Some want that attention to be directed at them; others want it to be directed at the music or the images themselves. For most of us it's probably a mix, but people tend to lean on one side or the other of the spectrum.

When I was single, I'd often find myself in a beautiful environment or in a moment with amazing light and wish I had someone to share that with. Posting photographs can be a way of doing this; the message isn't necessarily "aren't I a great photographer," but "isn't this amazing/beautiful/touching/evocative/disturbing/whatever?"

I currently specialize in taking photos of musicians and other artists at the beginning or end of their careers, when most of them can't afford to hire a photographer. If someone comes to me with a budget or something that requires lights and a studio I refer them to some professional photographers I know. I only work for free, and when I give them their photos I tell them they can share them freely and I don't even care if they credit me by name. My "payment" is seeing them use the photos in their gig posters, as their social media profile photos, and in comments on the photos from their peers, friends, and family. I still get my dopamine fix but am not aiming to be popular; I only have something like 50 followers, I don't even pay attention to the numbers. I want the attention to be on the subjects of my photos, not on me.

All this is to say that social media doesn't have to be about algorigithms or personal glory, it can just be a platform for sharing images that speak to you and that you hope might speak to others.

May 23, 2024 at 07:37 AM

panos.v
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p.2 #19 · p.2 #19 · What do you do with your images?

Shooting for fun and to record family life. I find 4x5 particularly relaxing when using it. I have an Epson P800 and print some, I also do books of things like family holidays or big events. I put some stuff on instagram but that's purely for sharing with family and friends as that's the easiest way to do with a wider group, I couldn't care less if random people I don't know look at them.

May 23, 2024 at 08:46 AM

Norm Shapiro
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p.2 #20 · p.2 #20 · What do you do with your images?

After 60 plus years doing photography I still enjoy making photographs. But lately I have little motivation to do anything with them. Rarely I’ll post something on social media, but many of my image just stay on my card. But the process of looking and recording with a camera is still strong.

May 23, 2024 at 02:12 PM

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