Thank you. Truly , thank you. I'm starting to feel comfortable sharing the photos I take. I used to feel inadequate in a space where we should all be free to express ourselves fully and embrace our creativity.
I don't read much as I prefer audiobooks to manage my ADHD, but I enjoy photo books very much.
i’m glad you’re feeling comfortable - the feeling of inadequacy is something we all feel and pushing through that feeling over and over helps rewire the way your mind thinks. you deserve to be here. always remember that.
I recommend going to youtube and watching a video from Paulie B “Walkie Talkie with Andre D Wagner”. his mantras and attitude about what making images is really helps simplify things.
Yes I need to rewatch that . I have watched the walkie talkies a lot and that one was one of my all time favorites along Reuben Radding, Martha Cooper and Laura Fuchs. I'm going to do that now ( slow morning in the office ).
Thank you so much for what you do and I love the BS no hold back approach 👍🏿👍🏿.
I have watched " Why people have a problem with amateur photographers" so many times. You have helped me greatly. 🙏🏿
Never feel uncomfortable about sharing photos. They are for you; to be seen by others if they so choose. That inadequate you speak of is a sign you found something you like and it isn't what everyone else, or at least the popular ones, are doing. Go with it and just have fun.
Yeah I never got why people who shoot film get so elitist against those who don't. I shoot film primarily and never had the feeling of superiority because I shoot film. In fact, I shoot film mainly because I really enjoy shooting old cameras. My favorite is a Hasselblad 500c and you best believe if I could afford it, Id use a digital back on it. I do my best to surround myself with other photographers that build each other up with encouragement and advice and stay away from those that tear others down. Find the right people to be in your circle and filter out the noise.
Totally agree with you here. There’s nothing elite or superior with film in any sense. Digital is better in any way to film we strip it down to what yields the best objective result (sharpness, dynamic range, versatility ++), but for me it’s what film brings to the table for me when I take the photograph. The limitations help fuel my creativity. The thought that I can’t just alter that in Capture One/Lightroom or Photoshop is a freedom if you ask me. Knowing that my camera is now loaded with RPX 400, and that’s it. I can’t make it a colour image later is liberating if you ask me. Also being able to use the old lenses and cameras as they were design is just a joy.
💯 I enjoy the process from composing and making the photograph, to developing and scanning my negatives/positives. When I can, I even make darkroom prints. Analog photography to me is really the enjoyment of the process.
Thank you for this! I consider myself an “insecure photographer” only because of my imposter syndrome lol and constant questioning of whether I am good enough. Thanks for giving me permission to enjoy my photography journey without taking
Damn dude, this article grabbed me and really made me think. I agree so hard with everything you said here. There are a lot of dumb ass biases rolling around out there in the broader photography community (as well as the rest of the world) these days and it’s nice to see other people who just don’t have room for the BS anymore.
I just want to create my art in the way that feels right to me, there shouldn’t be anything wrong with that.
Thsnk you got the read and the response. Glad it did something for you. I think a lot of spaces in life have been overrun with selfishness and insecurity which is why we see the toxicity.
Choosing to be decent to everyone every chance you get (who deserves your decency, I believe in fucking bullies up) is all it takes to make things better.
Photographer is a funny word. I cannot think of another word that had its original meaning diluted to this extent over the years. This is the core of the issue I think. From a ‘skilled professional’ we got to ‘anyone taking pictures with anything at their disposal’. We are at a point where ‘photographer’ doesn’t really have a meaning anymore. I understand why this irks some people, and frankly, sometimes (though rarely) me as well. You wouldn’t call yourself an engineer because you like playing with paper planes, but it is perfectly fine to call yourself a photographer because you have some form of a camera. All these other professions have a firmly set point of entry, you have to get a certificate, a degree, whatever, there is a way of vetting your qualifications. With photography there is no such thing. Having a degree in photography does not make you more of a photographer than taking snaps on an iPhone. This makes some people unhappy, and we shouldn’t look down on them. Ultimately, if all it takes to become a photographer is to start thinking about yourself as one, then why bother with opinions of others who happen to disagree.
I wouldn’t call myself an engineer because I made a paper plane.
This comment disappoints me because:
1. It’s so stupid that “photographers” are so sensitive.
2. I literally addressed the tired reference you made.
3. Photography isn’t hard. At all. It’s a hobby for so many people. If someone gets a job as an engineer and all they’ve done is built one paper plane - they would be fired or people would die. If someone says they’re a photographer and they post a photo - people won’t die. No one is hurt.
Your insecurity and weird obsession with people who absolutely have nothing to do with you is wild.
I think you completely misunderstood what I wrote. Also, please refrain from diagnosing people you don’t agree with and have no knowledge of as having insecurities and obsessions. That’s just lame.
Oh, I did read your article, but reading something does not automatically entail agreeing with what is written.
My comment was a general remark about semantics and in this context the engineer analogy holds water very well. In your article you recall the definition of the word photographer and then continue on as if it was irrelevant. Instead of accepting the fact that the definition of a word (any word) you find in a dictionary holds true for the majority of language users. Of course, language changes and definitions are updated to reflect the most common meanings. For now, the word photographer still has that “skilled professional” element in its core meaning, and this reflects many people’s understanding of the term. It has nothing to do with their envy, jealousy, or private vendettas. That’s why some may claim that a person is in fact not a photographer by way of only taking pictures. Other people may perceive the term more broadly and accept that meaning. And for some, the term may have already lost the original meaning and they say photographer when they see a person with a camera. That’s why I wrote that we shouldn’t look down on people who understand things differently. I find it sad that instead of accepting other viewpoints and engaging in a constructive discussion, you prefer to call other people names and draw uninformed conclusions.
I’m not reading your novel because my issue isn’t you agreeing. It’s you using the same tired argument that I dispel in the Substack. You literally use the same tired arguments that I said make no sense.
Your crying about the meaning of photographer doesn’t matter. What I said is the actual definition. You won’t ever agree, not because you’re trying to protect the word, but because someone enjoying themselves doing no actual harm to you upsets your pride.
The issue with your argument is that it is based on false assumptions. This has nothing to do with pride or me in the first place. I don’t care if you or anyone else calls themselves a photographer, or whatever really. My argument was that the fact that some people may disagree is not because of their bad faith or any kind of personal problems with a given person calling themselves a photographer, but it stems from their actual understanding of the word, which is closer to the prototypical meaning. Not everyone looks at the world with your eyes and you don’t have a license for truth. I would really appreciate a constructive discussion instead of this condescending tone on your part.
Instant follow. Lovely and authentic. Awesome to see some of the names of folks that I think are making great work now, too. "Only because of social media," blah blah is such crap. Like folks shouldn't make use of the tools we have available to us? Cheers dude.
Love this article. I'm passionate about photography, art, and creativity (painting, drawing, film, jewellery making, fashion design). What I find off-putting in many creative spaces: pretentiousness, absolutes, gatekeeping, superiority complexes, etc, that seem to fuel certain people's attitude towards photography. Being surrounded by others who enjoy capturing the world around them and sharing it with others is amazing. Discussing the how, why, inspiration, struggles, etc, of creating images is interesting. Being resourceful, thinking outside the box, being adaptable, etc, because the situation or your gear isn't ideal and experimenting nonetheless is the essence of creativity. Banging on endlessly about absolutes, pedantic critiques and looking down on those who do things differently is not a badge of honour.
AHAHAHAHAHHA- omg this is hilarious and amazing. You are an incredible writer, and now I can't wait to check out your photography as well. Thank you for writing this, bringing levity and many doses of reality to this subject- this is why I joined this app. I seriously want to send this to everyone I know, especially my college photography professor. 👀
I immediately subscribed and can't wait to dive in to what else you've written! 💖
You make some really great points here, this isn’t talked about enough in the photo community (I also struggle to even acknowledge the existence of a real community online sometimes, if it’s out there I’m not sure I’ve found it yet in 15 years of searching). The only real community I’ve found in the photo world is by finding the people similar to me in my local area who are in that first camp of photographers who aren’t gatekeepy, know it all jerks with big, fragile egos and the mentality that they must keep anyone else down to bring themselves up.
I think this divide into the two camps you mentioned can be seen in a lot of fields where people are really passionate about a craft that can have a ton of options for the artist/maker/whatever to get extremely technical about what they’re doing. Unrelated to art, I’ve seen it in the climbing world. I like rock climbing, I climb, but I’d never say I’m a rock climber because I feel so intimidated by the people out there who can be so judgmental and stuck up. Skiing also comes to mind. Writing as well.
It took me something like 7 years to refer to myself as a photographer when anyone asked what I did or what my job was, even though it was my sole source of income. Some of that is imposter syndrome I guess which anyone can get in any field but it’s refreshing to hear you mention all of these things. I think the best thing to do is tune them out and call them out on the bullshit.
You’re making good points. Personally, I prefer to look into the future, rather than glorify work from past eras. Photography, like most other disciplines, continually evolves in our ever-changing world. The cultural context and tools evolve too.
I wish we focused more on images and stories, and not creating borders, gatekeeping, or obsessing over gear.
Thank you for sharing your wonderful post!!! Subbed and followed! Out here trying to make new Substack friends 😊 Anyway there is a lot to unpack here; I think you can distill it to, be authentic to yourself, your art, your likes, your choices, allow others to do the same, and don’t be a douche. Personally I enjoy shooting film because 1) I find the aesthetic more pleasing and I can get a film image to look digital but have a hard time making a digital image look analog. 2)I have to be more conscious or present when I do, I’ll take a zillion pictures of if I just walked around all day with my digital but I love that camera too and one certainly isn’t better than the other. Really enjoyed this one, and it’s “breath” by the way lol
glad you enjoy it - i enjoy film because it reminds me i’m not working and it is a cure for burnout. the great thing about photography is everyone’s eye can interpret things and appreciate things in a way that makes it easy to connect to different people with an image.
Thank you. Truly , thank you. I'm starting to feel comfortable sharing the photos I take. I used to feel inadequate in a space where we should all be free to express ourselves fully and embrace our creativity.
I don't read much as I prefer audiobooks to manage my ADHD, but I enjoy photo books very much.
Thank you again.
i’m glad you’re feeling comfortable - the feeling of inadequacy is something we all feel and pushing through that feeling over and over helps rewire the way your mind thinks. you deserve to be here. always remember that.
I recommend going to youtube and watching a video from Paulie B “Walkie Talkie with Andre D Wagner”. his mantras and attitude about what making images is really helps simplify things.
Yes I need to rewatch that . I have watched the walkie talkies a lot and that one was one of my all time favorites along Reuben Radding, Martha Cooper and Laura Fuchs. I'm going to do that now ( slow morning in the office ).
Thank you so much for what you do and I love the BS no hold back approach 👍🏿👍🏿.
I have watched " Why people have a problem with amateur photographers" so many times. You have helped me greatly. 🙏🏿
Never feel uncomfortable about sharing photos. They are for you; to be seen by others if they so choose. That inadequate you speak of is a sign you found something you like and it isn't what everyone else, or at least the popular ones, are doing. Go with it and just have fun.
Thank you very much 🙏🏿
Yeah I never got why people who shoot film get so elitist against those who don't. I shoot film primarily and never had the feeling of superiority because I shoot film. In fact, I shoot film mainly because I really enjoy shooting old cameras. My favorite is a Hasselblad 500c and you best believe if I could afford it, Id use a digital back on it. I do my best to surround myself with other photographers that build each other up with encouragement and advice and stay away from those that tear others down. Find the right people to be in your circle and filter out the noise.
Totally agree with you here. There’s nothing elite or superior with film in any sense. Digital is better in any way to film we strip it down to what yields the best objective result (sharpness, dynamic range, versatility ++), but for me it’s what film brings to the table for me when I take the photograph. The limitations help fuel my creativity. The thought that I can’t just alter that in Capture One/Lightroom or Photoshop is a freedom if you ask me. Knowing that my camera is now loaded with RPX 400, and that’s it. I can’t make it a colour image later is liberating if you ask me. Also being able to use the old lenses and cameras as they were design is just a joy.
💯 I enjoy the process from composing and making the photograph, to developing and scanning my negatives/positives. When I can, I even make darkroom prints. Analog photography to me is really the enjoyment of the process.
There's "magic" in the process. Alchemy is also involved. To develop films is like turning lead into gold. :-)
That’s right! The chemistry part is fun! Black and white especially.
Thank you for this! I consider myself an “insecure photographer” only because of my imposter syndrome lol and constant questioning of whether I am good enough. Thanks for giving me permission to enjoy my photography journey without taking
myself too seriously.
Damn dude, this article grabbed me and really made me think. I agree so hard with everything you said here. There are a lot of dumb ass biases rolling around out there in the broader photography community (as well as the rest of the world) these days and it’s nice to see other people who just don’t have room for the BS anymore.
I just want to create my art in the way that feels right to me, there shouldn’t be anything wrong with that.
Great stuff, subscribed. 🤙🏼
Thsnk you got the read and the response. Glad it did something for you. I think a lot of spaces in life have been overrun with selfishness and insecurity which is why we see the toxicity.
Choosing to be decent to everyone every chance you get (who deserves your decency, I believe in fucking bullies up) is all it takes to make things better.
Photographer is a funny word. I cannot think of another word that had its original meaning diluted to this extent over the years. This is the core of the issue I think. From a ‘skilled professional’ we got to ‘anyone taking pictures with anything at their disposal’. We are at a point where ‘photographer’ doesn’t really have a meaning anymore. I understand why this irks some people, and frankly, sometimes (though rarely) me as well. You wouldn’t call yourself an engineer because you like playing with paper planes, but it is perfectly fine to call yourself a photographer because you have some form of a camera. All these other professions have a firmly set point of entry, you have to get a certificate, a degree, whatever, there is a way of vetting your qualifications. With photography there is no such thing. Having a degree in photography does not make you more of a photographer than taking snaps on an iPhone. This makes some people unhappy, and we shouldn’t look down on them. Ultimately, if all it takes to become a photographer is to start thinking about yourself as one, then why bother with opinions of others who happen to disagree.
I wouldn’t call myself an engineer because I made a paper plane.
This comment disappoints me because:
1. It’s so stupid that “photographers” are so sensitive.
2. I literally addressed the tired reference you made.
3. Photography isn’t hard. At all. It’s a hobby for so many people. If someone gets a job as an engineer and all they’ve done is built one paper plane - they would be fired or people would die. If someone says they’re a photographer and they post a photo - people won’t die. No one is hurt.
Your insecurity and weird obsession with people who absolutely have nothing to do with you is wild.
I think you completely misunderstood what I wrote. Also, please refrain from diagnosing people you don’t agree with and have no knowledge of as having insecurities and obsessions. That’s just lame.
No I judged your position based on the fact that it seems like you didn’t even read what I wrote and wrote that horrible engineer analogy.
Your inability to read something before commenting on it is disappointing.
Oh, I did read your article, but reading something does not automatically entail agreeing with what is written.
My comment was a general remark about semantics and in this context the engineer analogy holds water very well. In your article you recall the definition of the word photographer and then continue on as if it was irrelevant. Instead of accepting the fact that the definition of a word (any word) you find in a dictionary holds true for the majority of language users. Of course, language changes and definitions are updated to reflect the most common meanings. For now, the word photographer still has that “skilled professional” element in its core meaning, and this reflects many people’s understanding of the term. It has nothing to do with their envy, jealousy, or private vendettas. That’s why some may claim that a person is in fact not a photographer by way of only taking pictures. Other people may perceive the term more broadly and accept that meaning. And for some, the term may have already lost the original meaning and they say photographer when they see a person with a camera. That’s why I wrote that we shouldn’t look down on people who understand things differently. I find it sad that instead of accepting other viewpoints and engaging in a constructive discussion, you prefer to call other people names and draw uninformed conclusions.
I’m not reading your novel because my issue isn’t you agreeing. It’s you using the same tired argument that I dispel in the Substack. You literally use the same tired arguments that I said make no sense.
Your crying about the meaning of photographer doesn’t matter. What I said is the actual definition. You won’t ever agree, not because you’re trying to protect the word, but because someone enjoying themselves doing no actual harm to you upsets your pride.
The issue with your argument is that it is based on false assumptions. This has nothing to do with pride or me in the first place. I don’t care if you or anyone else calls themselves a photographer, or whatever really. My argument was that the fact that some people may disagree is not because of their bad faith or any kind of personal problems with a given person calling themselves a photographer, but it stems from their actual understanding of the word, which is closer to the prototypical meaning. Not everyone looks at the world with your eyes and you don’t have a license for truth. I would really appreciate a constructive discussion instead of this condescending tone on your part.
Instant follow. Lovely and authentic. Awesome to see some of the names of folks that I think are making great work now, too. "Only because of social media," blah blah is such crap. Like folks shouldn't make use of the tools we have available to us? Cheers dude.
Cheers, Hanz!
As always, excellent piece my man 🤝
my boy i appreciate it!
Love this article. I'm passionate about photography, art, and creativity (painting, drawing, film, jewellery making, fashion design). What I find off-putting in many creative spaces: pretentiousness, absolutes, gatekeeping, superiority complexes, etc, that seem to fuel certain people's attitude towards photography. Being surrounded by others who enjoy capturing the world around them and sharing it with others is amazing. Discussing the how, why, inspiration, struggles, etc, of creating images is interesting. Being resourceful, thinking outside the box, being adaptable, etc, because the situation or your gear isn't ideal and experimenting nonetheless is the essence of creativity. Banging on endlessly about absolutes, pedantic critiques and looking down on those who do things differently is not a badge of honour.
people think talking loud and being a douche makes them smarter and the worst part is so many people buy it.
AHAHAHAHAHHA- omg this is hilarious and amazing. You are an incredible writer, and now I can't wait to check out your photography as well. Thank you for writing this, bringing levity and many doses of reality to this subject- this is why I joined this app. I seriously want to send this to everyone I know, especially my college photography professor. 👀
I immediately subscribed and can't wait to dive in to what else you've written! 💖
thank you for the kind words!
You make some really great points here, this isn’t talked about enough in the photo community (I also struggle to even acknowledge the existence of a real community online sometimes, if it’s out there I’m not sure I’ve found it yet in 15 years of searching). The only real community I’ve found in the photo world is by finding the people similar to me in my local area who are in that first camp of photographers who aren’t gatekeepy, know it all jerks with big, fragile egos and the mentality that they must keep anyone else down to bring themselves up.
I think this divide into the two camps you mentioned can be seen in a lot of fields where people are really passionate about a craft that can have a ton of options for the artist/maker/whatever to get extremely technical about what they’re doing. Unrelated to art, I’ve seen it in the climbing world. I like rock climbing, I climb, but I’d never say I’m a rock climber because I feel so intimidated by the people out there who can be so judgmental and stuck up. Skiing also comes to mind. Writing as well.
It took me something like 7 years to refer to myself as a photographer when anyone asked what I did or what my job was, even though it was my sole source of income. Some of that is imposter syndrome I guess which anyone can get in any field but it’s refreshing to hear you mention all of these things. I think the best thing to do is tune them out and call them out on the bullshit.
Opening line is pure gold
I could tell. Absolutely wonderful to read!
It was written from the absolute depths of my being.
Great post - loved the depth you went into here. Love seeing this kind of stuff on Substack :)
much appreciated!
You’re making good points. Personally, I prefer to look into the future, rather than glorify work from past eras. Photography, like most other disciplines, continually evolves in our ever-changing world. The cultural context and tools evolve too.
I wish we focused more on images and stories, and not creating borders, gatekeeping, or obsessing over gear.
agreed. i don’t relate to a lot of older work. contemporary artists speak to my experience.
This was great!
Thank you!
Thank you for sharing your wonderful post!!! Subbed and followed! Out here trying to make new Substack friends 😊 Anyway there is a lot to unpack here; I think you can distill it to, be authentic to yourself, your art, your likes, your choices, allow others to do the same, and don’t be a douche. Personally I enjoy shooting film because 1) I find the aesthetic more pleasing and I can get a film image to look digital but have a hard time making a digital image look analog. 2)I have to be more conscious or present when I do, I’ll take a zillion pictures of if I just walked around all day with my digital but I love that camera too and one certainly isn’t better than the other. Really enjoyed this one, and it’s “breath” by the way lol
glad you enjoy it - i enjoy film because it reminds me i’m not working and it is a cure for burnout. the great thing about photography is everyone’s eye can interpret things and appreciate things in a way that makes it easy to connect to different people with an image.
Yes I don’t shoot professionally, I’m a chef, which in the same vain is why you’ll never see me do food photos lol
Love this and spot on. ♥️👍
much appreciated!