I have for some time thought that photography is really a private endeavour. Meaning that we really do it for ourselves. The motivation to go out and make pictures is a deep need to create, to enjoy the creative process and to give our lives some added enrichment. That is why we ultimately make pictures.
But I would be lying to say that no one needs an audience. For reasons I cannot fathom, all I know is that every creative person out there needs to be able to show others what they do. And until one has experienced having an audience, it is something that we all wish to experience. A need even.
But perhaps what we need is a community. Not an audience. Photography, or the act of making pictures is often a lone pursuit. I think many (if not all of us photographers) are in some way loners. We prefer to have time on our own, and to enjoy relating to the land without the interruption of others. But wishing to have alone time and to work on our art does not mean that we wish for our results to remain unseen or hidden from others.
All creatives, no matter how introverted, need to show their work to others.
For the most part, this is one function that Instagram should provide: a space to find like-minded others with which to share your images, and to interact. In case you do not know this, this isn’t what IG excels at.
Social media platforms are brokerage firms. Irrespective of whom you wish to follow, they will not send you every update of those you’ve requested to follow. It is also true the other way around: those that express an interest in following you, aren’t guaranteed to see all your posts. Despite them wishing to. Instead, you get what these platforms choose you to see, and it is because they are in the business of trying to make money from advertisements, and by deciding how much reach your posts have.
This kind of ‘social networking’ I like to think of as discriminatory-social-marketing. You are asking a 3rd party to help you socialise, but only on their terms, not yours. And their terms are to only give you full reach to all of your audience if you pay.
Back to the problem at hand: all creatives need a community.
If you are seeking a community, you’re not going to find a high quality community on a social network platform. If you wish to have a community of value, one where you can share and express your thoughts, then I believe the way to find one is to build one yourself out of the network of people that you’ve met, and know. And even then, you have to be selective. Choose wisely those that you feel you can have the conversations you desire to have. Choose those that you feel have a level of ability or perhaps opinion, where you feel they are on a similar level to yourself.
I remember that Ansel Adams and Edward Weston used to swap prints with each other. They were peers. Everyone needs to find their peers. You need to find folks that stimulate you, that are interesting and interested. You need to find real connections, whether you do it through clubs, meeting others through tours or workshops, or simply by bumping into someone on your travels with your camera. That is how one builds a community that they not only desire, but need. IG won’t give that to you, simply because its aim is very different from yours. They are in the business of making money from exploiting your need to reach others.