Agree about halting notifications. Shit is getting worse out there.
Agree about connections outside of social media. See above.
Uphill battle, for all of us, but I think your efforts will be rewarded. I think old school and “in person” is a better way.
One thing my alma mater has been doing is quarterly zoom conversations about the art world, moderated and with prepared topics. The larger they get, the greater potential for chaos, (moderation is key) (chaos can be good sometimes) but I think that might be another way for you to connect with photographers.
Thanks for the note, Stephen; it's nice to hear from you. Last year, I spent much of my time volunteering with an arts organization to program in-person photography exhibitions, lectures, and films. That was a lot of fun and very rewarding but also very draining. So, I need to dial it back in 2025.
I agree about that human connection. I have long wondered if there would be value in programming virtual photography events using Zoom or Google Meet. Honestly, I'm not sure people have the bandwidth for that kind of thing. But I could certainly give it a try. What do you think?
Andy, I’ve been involved with a monthly local zoom photo group for several years. It started during the COVID lockdown to replace a group of 10 or 15 or so who met monthly at a local art association. During peak COVID I would say nearly everyone stayed with zoom which was very rewarding. We continued to share photos, tech advice, etc. and got to each other better. Then as things opened up we kept zooming but attendance kept dropping. The hard core of just a few continues for a monthly hour on a Saturday morning which I still look forward to. It’s a relaxed group share and chat with people it’s likely I wouldn’t have gotten to know as well via the in person meetings, oddly enough because we don’t live close enough. And I like having to push myself to have something to show each month, not that it’s required. And always enjoy hanging out with the hard core. I had a similar experience with a zoom group based on the other side of the country my brother introduced me to. Obviously the scales involved are miniscule compared to your Substack following. But maybe some helpful info for you in thinking about whether to start a photo zoom. Not sure how it would work with a crowd as I rarely join big zooms and they’re usually set up as presentations not interactions. .
PS. I don’t get substacks to follow as emails. Having notifications for peoples’ posts to clear out would drive me nuts. I use the app and like that I can pick and choose who to read according to my state of mind. Similarly I was on twitter and Igram mostly to follow people I knew professionally (I’m a retired biologist) or personally (friends and people from photo projects) in both places but left both (twitter before it x’d out) because they were taking up too much of my attention even without notifications especially as the Igram algorithm kept throwing things at me I had no interest in. And feel no great loss. But our wants/needs may quite different. I’m a retiree of Joe Biden’s age with no great responsibilities except to keep myself going with plenty of time to do it.
Agree about halting notifications. Shit is getting worse out there.
Agree about connections outside of social media. See above.
Uphill battle, for all of us, but I think your efforts will be rewarded. I think old school and “in person” is a better way.
One thing my alma mater has been doing is quarterly zoom conversations about the art world, moderated and with prepared topics. The larger they get, the greater potential for chaos, (moderation is key) (chaos can be good sometimes) but I think that might be another way for you to connect with photographers.
Thanks for the note, Stephen; it's nice to hear from you. Last year, I spent much of my time volunteering with an arts organization to program in-person photography exhibitions, lectures, and films. That was a lot of fun and very rewarding but also very draining. So, I need to dial it back in 2025.
I agree about that human connection. I have long wondered if there would be value in programming virtual photography events using Zoom or Google Meet. Honestly, I'm not sure people have the bandwidth for that kind of thing. But I could certainly give it a try. What do you think?
Andy, I’ve been involved with a monthly local zoom photo group for several years. It started during the COVID lockdown to replace a group of 10 or 15 or so who met monthly at a local art association. During peak COVID I would say nearly everyone stayed with zoom which was very rewarding. We continued to share photos, tech advice, etc. and got to each other better. Then as things opened up we kept zooming but attendance kept dropping. The hard core of just a few continues for a monthly hour on a Saturday morning which I still look forward to. It’s a relaxed group share and chat with people it’s likely I wouldn’t have gotten to know as well via the in person meetings, oddly enough because we don’t live close enough. And I like having to push myself to have something to show each month, not that it’s required. And always enjoy hanging out with the hard core. I had a similar experience with a zoom group based on the other side of the country my brother introduced me to. Obviously the scales involved are miniscule compared to your Substack following. But maybe some helpful info for you in thinking about whether to start a photo zoom. Not sure how it would work with a crowd as I rarely join big zooms and they’re usually set up as presentations not interactions. .
PS. I don’t get substacks to follow as emails. Having notifications for peoples’ posts to clear out would drive me nuts. I use the app and like that I can pick and choose who to read according to my state of mind. Similarly I was on twitter and Igram mostly to follow people I knew professionally (I’m a retired biologist) or personally (friends and people from photo projects) in both places but left both (twitter before it x’d out) because they were taking up too much of my attention even without notifications especially as the Igram algorithm kept throwing things at me I had no interest in. And feel no great loss. But our wants/needs may quite different. I’m a retiree of Joe Biden’s age with no great responsibilities except to keep myself going with plenty of time to do it.