How to be Authentic on Social Media, photographers edition
Hello photography lovers. I want to talk about authenticity, how it pertains to our community, plus how we behave online. For me, this is an important topic. I want to share my thoughts on some the behaviors I’m uncomfortable with and why I think it’s better for the photography community if we all practice authenticity within the online space.
Inauthenticity in the Photography Community
With all this news of Instagram not respecting photographers, it got me thinking about how many photographers don’t respect themselves. There’s a lot of desperation online and as someone who has been around the industry for almost a decade, it becomes easier for me to spot those who care about the photo community and those whose only interest is to make the world know their name.
In regards to social media, I spend my time on Twitter. In fairness, while Twitter gets a bad rep for being the hub of toxicity, for the most part, I really enjoy my time on the app. I found most of the photographers I’ve interviewed on Them Frames via Twitter, and it’s been a wonderful space for me to learn more about photographers and in what direction the industry is moving.
That said, there are some habits that I see which make me cringe, and I don’t believe they're good for longevity. The main trend that I take issue with is as follows.
[Insert Twitter user]: “Hey all, show me your mountain shots. Retweeting all!”
On the surface, this seems like a nice action that benefits the photography community. You share a photograph, and the OP retweets it to their followers--maybe you’ll pick up some new followers because of their generosity, right?
Firstly, the likelihood of it benefiting those that share their images is slim. The thread is full of photographs, so it’s somewhat of a lottery that enough people will see your photo for it to offer the type of value I imagine you were looking for.
Secondly, and most importantly, the person making the original tweet isn’t doing it to help you get noticed. It’s a marketing tactic; one that helps them succeed with Twitter’s algorithm and helps them build their number of followers. A key lesson here is those doing marketing don’t do it to benefit you, they do it to benefit themselves.
There’s nothing wrong with marketing your photography. In an interview with Alex Massek, we spoke about how the business and promotional side is as equally important as the creative element.
My problem is these photographers are implying their main objective is to uplift the photo community, and it’s evident that’s not the case. In all parts of our life, not just in our world of photography, I believe we should be transparent and genuine with our thoughts and actions.
Thirsty NFT Photography
Another area I take issue with is NFT photography. Let me first say I love the NFT community, I’ve said before that NFT photography is exciting. However, like any community, it’s not perfect and there are certain areas that need improving.
My gripe is how often photographers mint their work. I’ve sold prints during my career, and I know it takes a special type of image for it to be worthy of being hung on another person's wall.
Those types of images don't come every week, they come maybe once or twice a year. Keeping that in mind, there’s no way a photographer can have fresh work that’s at the best of their standards each and every week.
The reason I find this unauthentic is because it feels desperate. Rather than focusing on creating the best work possible, by taking their time–both in the creation and the analysis of the work they make–they’re screaming “please look at me” week in and week out. There are only so many times you can be “incredibly excited” to mint an average photograph.
What frustrates me is many of them are extremely talented photographers, but even the best can’t produce gold each and every week. Constant creation seems to be a curse on the arts, and social media feeds it. I’d rather see five amazing pieces over the course of a year than 25 mediocre ones.
I remember when I interviewed Cath Simard. I was so impressed by her approach to creating her photographic art. Sometimes she wouldn’t show a new set of images for up to six months, however, she never stopped creating. You can create each and every day, but only the cream of the crop should be for public consumption.
How to be Authentic
Being authentic within the photography community isn’t difficult. In fact, transparency is one of the easiest things we can achieve in this life. If you genuinely care about helping others and the overall health of the community, below are some simple ways to be authentic.
Leave valuable feedback: Take the time to really sit with a photographer's work and offer thoughtful and honest feedback. “Great” teaches a photographer nothing about the work they make. Reach out and leave at least a couple of sentences on why you like the image.
Don’t spend all day copying algorithm trends: Having thousands of followers isn’t the be all and end-all of success. How you interact with people (and how they interact with you) is far more valuable in the long term. If you log in to your social media every day and just do the same generic posts, you’re not being your true self, you’re being a robot--a desperate one.
Craft social posts that show off your personality and that give you an identity. We learn nothing from “show me your blue shots retweeting all” other than you’re begging to be adored.
Message photographers privately: We don’t always need to converse publicly and not everything has to be for something in return. If you dig a photographer's work, send them a private message letting them know how you feel. Expect nothing in return and be satisfied that you likely made another artist feel confident about the photography they create.
Post more about others than yourself: I get that our social media pages are spaces where we show our work. However, personally, I don’t like this “it’s all about me” culture that we are normalizing. If you love photography it means you enjoy consuming as much as you enjoy creating.
Use your profile to show off the work of others and news within the photography industry. People will respect you more and will be more likely to engage with you when you share your work.
Final Thought
I’ll reiterate, that I have no issue with photographers marketing themselves and their work. It’s just that I want a genuine space for photographers to grow together, and that’s not attainable if people operate with an “I’m in it for myself” frame of mind.
For all that’s wrong with it, social media can be such a useful tool for society if we choose to use it properly. We have a choice; we can opt to use it to spread selfishness and negativity, or we can use it as a space to be selfless and spread positivity. Which option do you think is going to be better for everyone, including youself?
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