Are you shooting for you or for others? That's a powerful question. If you are shooting for what you think other people want, you will never be able to feel satisfied with your photos. In my opinion anyway.
I post on Flickr and as of late, I've noticed that not too many people are commenting on my images or even looking at them. This bothered me for a while and I was unsure of why it was happening. I started to wonder what do people even want to see. Maybe I can photograph that and they would like my images. Turns out I have no idea what people want to see and I'm starting to not care anymore. I have noticed that photos of people are more popular on my stream but only slightly.
I've been very busy lately and have not been participating in any groups. That makes a difference. But still, I have several people that have me on their contact lists and clearly what I'm posting is not good enough for them. But, do I care? Well, not anymore.
I'm tired of trying to please other people with MY art. It's mine and I need to be the one to like it. It should mean something to me. It must resonate with me.
Take this photo for example.
This one means something to me and probably only me. This is my hard hat, gloves and coveralls. I wear these every day at work. They keep me safe. I like the colors in this photo and the contrast of the blue coveralls with the tan gloves and white hard hat. And because I really enjoy my job, this photo makes me feel good. I doubt anyone else will feel that if they don't wear the same gear at work.
So the next time you are out taking some photos take some just for yourself. I'll be you like them a whole lot more than you think.
Chris.
