In the last few days I have become more certain that many amateur photographers are working to the wrong model. Many of the issues I face may be caused by this. A subtle issue that effects our methods and intentions in creating images.
Photography sharing websites have had their day. I am now guilty of becoming that person who states, “the photoshoot is dead” and now “image sharing websites are dead”. Many of us mourn for the golden days of Flickr and instagram when both where integral for the amateur photographer. The harsh reality I suspect is that we have moved on, but we still try to jump onto the wrong train. Instagram has evolved into a distraction industry whilst Flickr is the same, but we’ve moved on, whilst simultaneously wishing it went back to how it was.
The term “distraction industry” highlights the issue. Why put art into a distraction industry? When reading how to become successful on instagram the problem should have become clear. I feel we have been clinging onto what had worked in the past. Throwing art into the stream is no longer working, but for most of us, it is our process, creating work for the stream. When we go out with our cameras we shoot for the stream, hurry home to upload. We have become its unpaid workers. The stream does not care about our projects, it does not care about our photography. I do not think we even want to see art on the stream, it has become out of place when we are absorbing our own distraction time.
If art is still relevant, its returning to the real world. When was the last time you were moved by photography on instagram? Be honest. Compare that to the last time you saw an unexpectedly good photography exhibition of somebody you had never heard of in a small gallery. One often moving, the other hardly even remembered. We no longer react to the online world in the same way due to decades of social engineering and information overload.
In this Dystopian scenario where online platforms are understood to be irrelevant for artists, what do we do? it is as exciting as it is daunting. Many hobbyists will drop away, photographing to share online and receive “activity” was their motivation. Those staying will align more closely with material catered for a distraction industry. With no easily accessible audience things will get a lot quieter for the photographer. Prints will become more relevant and working for longer periods without showing any work more normal.
Many of the new realities are a healthy nurturing environment for an artist. The drawback is where do we show our work? For years we have been spoilt, expecting some kind of audience, we now need to recalibrate our expectations. Our pre internet relatives managed simply fine. So will we.
I’ve decided another mindset change towards changing my own photography is to simply drop out of the shoot to upload loop. That does present the minor issue of my damn blog. A website I upload my images. But do not worry, a hybrid approach is the direction many could follow. If the intention is to make art for the physical world, whether prints, books, exhibitions etc, documenting its creation online is the most sensible way to progress.
Hence my new little plan, A5 boxes. Ironically boxing my self in, to A5 size, which seemed “cute” at the moment of checkout. Thingwall, Mill Road takes my first box. The plan is to keep working on it, always trying to add to the box. Annoyingly my Fieldscape projects already started in 8x10, why did I buy A5?
