Do websites matter?
On the limitations of social media
Hey friends, just riffing today.
I gripe about Instagram often, but I still hang out there and have a good enough time despite the drawbacks. Everybody's focused on mobile, but I think the future for online photo community apps might be on desktop. People want to talk to each other and congregate around pictures. Photography looks better on big screens, and typing on a keyboard is easier. I know that sounds old-fashioned, but it might be true. Right?
For some reason, years ago, we all agreed to spend most of our online time looking at photography on a canvas smaller than a cocktail napkin. It’s awful when you think about it: Thoughtful appreciation is the whole point of looking at photographs. And most of us cannot truly appreciate an image as it’s screaming by on a handheld social media newsfeed. It doesn’t help that my middle-aged eyes are changing.
My birthday is next week, and I realize this probably comes across as the musings of some old geezer past his prime. Sometimes, I think we all should take a moment to reflect on why we got into photography in the first place. Sure, it was to be creative and make images. But a significant part of it is experiencing visions of the world created by other people. Instagram is miraculous for discovering other artists, but as we all know, it’s terrible for truly seeing. That’s a shame because most of us are hopelessly addicted to it. I know I am.
Sometimes, I’m at my desk, and my mind wanders, and a thought bubbles up out of nowhere. That happened today. I found myself wondering: Do people still look at photographers' websites? I look at them all the time. But I may be in the minority. Clearly, the answer is yes, but I’ll bet it’s fewer people than we think — or fewer than there should be. And many photographers don’t keep their websites as current as their social feeds. It’s a problem worth considering.
Most artists want people to experience their work in person. At least a website is a closer representation of the real thing than most social media. I’m not leaving Instagram, but I think spending more time on photographers’ websites and less time scrolling their Instagram would be wise. I suspect some of you have opinions on this. Thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts with me.
Speaking of websites, those pictures up top are by Emely Timm, a Berlin-based photographer who shared her work with me last fall. She writes:
My camera is always around my neck, and I love capturing the beauty of the mundane, profound, and unseen. I feel like my job in this world is to show all the wonderful things that surround us every day and make them visible for people who might not see them just yet.
She’s right. Photography is about attention — looking and seeing. Please make some time to explore Emely’s work this week. You’ll be glad you did.
One more thing…
Speaking of beauty, Sophie Howarth sends words about her new book, Everyday Wonder: How to Find Beauty in the Ordinary, "An anthology of essays, poems, photographs and creative practices for anyone seeking re-enchantment with everyday life." It sounds fantastic and is the perfect antidote to these trying times. I’m eager to read this one. Congratulations, Sophie!
I couldn’t agree more, and would love a return to where photography online was 10!years ago, blogs, websites, photobook groups, but I don’t see how we get back there.
I update and maintain my website on a regular basis. I always follow links from social media to see the websites of artists I admire or find interesting. I also get quite a bit of traffic to my website via my blog page. My website is a place I feel I have 100% ownership over what I create and share with the world.