Notice what you notice
Reflections on my blogging habit
Can you believe it’s been a year?
Now that I am officially middle-aged, I appreciate how time flies. That’s what it does — it just keeps on moving. Obviously, yes, but it takes you by surprise when you stop to take stock of where things are and where they might be going. I realized the other day that I started doing FlakPhoto in 2003. Twenty years ago! I’ve been blogging about photography in one way or another ever since. FlakPhoto began as a photoblog, became an online magazine, got eaten up by social media, and, in a strange and oddly sweet way, has come full circle and become a bloggy photography newsletter.
The circle is complete. For now.
I rebooted
on September 8, 2022. I was feeling tired and bored, and I needed a creative refresh. Social media had devoured my blogging habit, and I was burned out. Then, I started writing here on , and things got better. Here’s how I started my inaugural post:Can email cure my digital blues? I’m not sure that’s the right question, but I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately. Mostly, I love social media, but to be honest, I’m getting bored and even a little exhausted by it. I was talking to a photographer friend the other day, and he nailed it when he said it’s all too much. I sometimes feel that way, but I’m not ready to throw the baby out with the bathwater. I just need to slow down and focus my attention. It’s all about finding a balance, right?
Going in, I knew this project needed to give me something new — an inspirational shot in the arm that I was sorely lacking last year. That’s the funny thing about these social nets: they trick you into thinking you need them for your creative work, but they end up sapping you of so much of your energy that you don’t have the juice to do your thing. And they are an enormous distraction, not to mention addictive. That has been my experience, anyway. I’d be curious to hear if you agree and how you have responded to these nefarious challenges in your own work.
I’m still on social media as much as I’ve ever been, but my relationship with it is different than it was a year ago, and I don’t resent it as much as I used to. (I still feel annoyed at Instagram much of the time.) What has changed is my relationship to FlakPhoto. I realized a while ago that this thing would always be a part of me if I wanted it to, but I didn’t understand how the space between me and my work would evolve.
Instagram had become a drag, and I couldn’t help but feel it was taking more from me than it was giving. Rebooting the newsletter changed things. What once felt like a burden has become a new friend I look forward to spending time with from week to week. Writing has become a creative practice akin to photography — something I enjoy. It’s challenging and helps me work through my ideas. I know many of you can relate. Of course, you, my readers, are the best part. I love hearing from you, and I learn from you daily. I have been genuinely encouraged by your willingness to come along for what has been a very publicly experimental ride. Thank you for that.
One of the most exciting parts of the journey has been seeing the community grow over the past twelve months. Nearly 24,000 of you subscribe to these posts today, and 300 of you have signed on as paid subscribers. That warms my heart. The thing I find myself saying again and again: Thanks for looking. I'm so grateful each of you continues to carve out attention for FlakPhoto. There are so many distractions today, and I don't take that for granted.
I’m excited about year two. I’m lining up some guest contributors, planning more audio features and giveaways, and developing some new ideas. I’m looking forward to it and hope you are too. Thank you for looking, folks. I appreciate you!
FlakPhoto Highlights: My Year in Photography
Since so many new people have subscribed, and to celebrate the first anniversary of FlakPhoto Digest, I thought it would be fun to round up some of my favorite posts from the past year. You can find the full archive at flakphoto.news/archive. Please share these links with friends. I would love more folks to see them. Enjoy!
The Instagram gods are angry
Has this happened to you? My coffee had barely kicked in when I got a notification on my phone explaining that my Instagram account was on the verge of deletion because of a picture I had shared in my Stories. My heart raced as I swiped through the screens, informing me I had violated the “Community Guidelines.” Social media should
Searching for Saul Leiter
“Seeing is a neglected enterprise.” — Saul Leiter He’s right. I think the thing I love most about Saul Leiter’s photography is the vision. The guy could see! Those of you who follow my Instagram know I’m obsessed with beauty. Why? Because it’s good for you. Immersing one’s self in beautiful imagery is good for the soul. It feels g…
The Practice of Attention
“Instructions for living a life. Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.” ― Mary Oliver Sometimes life gets in the way. That’s what’s been happening over here. Or maybe my super-productive end of the year resulted …
Seeing in the moment
“My pictures speak for themselves.” I can’t tell you many times I’ve heard photographers say that. I get that imagemakers don’t always like talking about their work. I struggle with it too. The truth is, it’s not easy. Most of the time, artists’ statements read like so much gibberish it’s impossible to understand what they mean. And in general, I think p…
Spotlight: Greg Miller
Every picture has a story. You know by now that I love hearing photographers talk about their work. Yet, surprisingly few imagemakers have leveraged the power of the internet to publish audio stories that feature their photography. I want to do more of that here in
Remembering William Klein
It always stings when an artist dies. I’m weirdly sentimental, and the death of an artist I admire always gets me. I rarely think about dying, but I frequently wonder what the world will be like when my favorite artists die. I’m sure some of you can identify with this feeling. It probably has to do with our mortality…
I need a new camera
Are you addicted to your camera too? Kristen and I just got back from a 10-day road trip in Colorado. It was fantastic to (mainly) log off, hit the road, explore some mountain towns, and hike. Here's the problem: the lens on my smartphone camera got cracked right before the trip. It still works, but there's a massive lens flare that does not loo…
One more thing…
We’re having fun discussing photography in the FlakChat. Please join us there if you haven’t yet. This might be a good place to start. Take care!
Dipping my toes in here and just reading your post ‘Can’t believe it’s been a year’ your comments about you stepping back and finding a balance with your use of social media.
I don’t have Facebook or Instagram, just connect with the people I choose on WhatsApp.
Where do you find the time to write , to read other peoples posts, there are hundreds of them and so many of them are such long reads!
I came on as a songwriter (Simon Hawkins) whose book I have just read for the second time uses this platform for a weekly newsletter ( I discovered this site by accident) and am selecting carefully who I follow.
As you mentioned there is so much negativity out there and life is too short to spend hours reading stuff which can often depress us.
I will continue for the moment to see how things go - thanks Andy for making me think it through !!
A lyric
It’s not just black and white
But shades of colour and light
It’s how you feel
Not what you see
A lyric from a Song
Emotion is never wrong
Just believe
And we can be
SB 2019
I am a songwriter and hope to find some flashes of inspiration here and if I do it will be worth it.
Somehow I wasn't following you on IG. And now I am 😊