I’ve noticed that social media rewards a particular kind of attention. It favors what announces itself quickly and resolves just as fast. The response is immediate, numerical, and public.
It is a powerful feedback loop.
I’ve felt its pull myself. The subtle shift from photographing what holds my attention to photographing what I imagine will be received well.
Nothing overt changes at first. The camera is the same. The subject may even be similar. But the orientation is different. The work begins to look outward for validation rather than inward for recognition.
Inspired creation asks something quieter. It requires time without applause and decisions made without knowing how they will land. That kind of work rarely thrives in an environment built for instant response.
When I return to making photographs for their own sake, the work regains depth and most likely no one will ever see it.
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