Social Networks Are Reinventing the Way We Photograph

Have you ever wondered about the impact that social media has on your photos?

Have you ever wondered if photography in general is influenced by social media or vice versa?

I asked myself these questions a few weeks ago when defining a new photo project.

In this article, I will share with you the conclusions I came to. I think that you will be surprised to see that networks are completely changing the very concept of photography.

An environmental wildlife photo that has little chance of being noticed on social networks. The tones are soft. The scene is quiet. The opposite of a photo that is noticed on social networks.

The Dawn of the Digital Age

After more than twenty years of using different generations of digital cameras, I have come to understand that the real photographic revolution is not about the use of modern technology, but rather, about the way pictures are used.

Digital cameras have made photography available to everyone. Personally, I think this is great because everyone can express themselves in a broader way. But these cameras remain only a means. In my opinion, there is nothing revolutionary even if technically, the advances are remarkable.

I believe that social networks are a real photographic revolution. They are the ones that are shaking up the photographic paradigm.

Nothing will ever be the same again. Is it good, is it bad? I have an idea of the answer. After reading this article, you may come to a different conclusion. Regardless of whether you agree with me or not, my aim in authoring this article is to help you understand this photographic revolution. I hope it will help you to see the future of photography.

The Story Behind This Article

As part of my grand photo project about the natural landscapes of the United States, I decided to photograph the Saguaro National Park in the state of Arizona in the Southwest.

This is my first trip to this park. I conducted a lot of research and prepared my project. I have already seen many artistic photos made in Saguaro. I knew that I wanted to photograph scenes that corresponded to my style, and which were coherent with my photographic approach.

A few weeks ago, I decided to scour social networks for inspiring and creative ideas. I spent more than 5 hours looking for original photos with different keywords. But I found very few. They all looked the same. Many of the pictures were just selfies without any interest. In the end, I kept about 30 of them, which was not so bad.

But if you think about the fact that I looked at thousands of them, the ratio of these saved photos is extremely low. This little digital escapade got me thinking a lot about how photographers use social media.

Do they have an impact on the way we photograph? Do they influence our photographic vision?

The conclusions I have reached are rewarding.

Why It Is Important to Understand Social Media’s Impact on Photography

Understanding the impact of social media is essential for you. On the one hand, they have become inescapable. Each new generation and all professions use social media.

If you want to use them to highlight your photos, utilize them for advertisement or marketing a business, or browse for inspiration, it is in your best interest to understand them and know what you are going to find.

If you do not make the effort to understand how photography is being turned upside down with this new media, you are going to fit into the mold of those who do not ask questions. You will look like the others. Your photos will become normal, banal, and without much interest. If you want to start creating interesting and meaningful photos or if you want to continue to do so, you must master social networks and their contents. This is the price you will pay to achieve photographic excellence.

Before the Era of Social Media, a Photo Always Delivered the Truth of the Photographer

Before discussing the role of social networks in photography, I thought it would be interesting to look back at the role of photography in general and how it has been practiced for decades.

This is how I learned to shoot with a film camera that did not yet have automatic autofocus (an Olympus OM40).

Before this photographic revolution linked to networks appeared, photography had a precise goal: to tell your own truth.

I have always thought that when a person, whether a photographer or not, takes a picture, they are capturing their vision of reality and then sharing that truth.

The word truth is an extraordinarily complex word to explain.

There are many definitions. I have chosen one that seems appropriate for this topic.

Truth is the adequacy between reality and the person who thinks it.

In applying this definition to photography, when we make a photo, it is to share reality as we see and think. For example, when I photograph nature, I always do it in the same way. It is what I think. My thoughts guide what I see.

That is why a photo always delivers our truth.

When you create or take photos, you combine reality with your imagination.

In my opinion, this could be a new definition of photography.

When you took a picture, you captured a fraction of the time that passes, and you edited or processed it in such a way that your imagination saw fit.

Once that fraction of time is immortalized, you can keep it indefinitely on a digital storage device or on paper.

From time to time, you will look at it, then you will leave it in a drawer. Then you will look at it again. Little by little, the photographed scene becomes reality, even if it is the result of your imagination at the time of the shooting.

Each time you look at it, you will discover further details, like little secrets kept in a safe for which you are the only one to have the combination code.

Looking at your photos means reading them differently from one time to the next. You decipher them.

Looking at your photos means constantly analyzing them to better understand their truth and learn from them.

This is one of the reasons why you should make precise editing of your photo projects. You must keep only the best and the essentials. You must keep only the material that will make you ask yourself questions, about yourself, about your photographic why, and about the reasons for your very existence.

Photography is also a way to express yourself. Your photos tell the truth! I think this art form is extraordinary because everyone can practice it.

But the most amazing thing is when other people look at your photos and give you feedback. Then you develop your intentionality. Other people open up new avenues and new paths for you.

Photography can become an extraordinary source of sharing and exchange.

Each person, whether it is you or your audience, will tell their truth and their testimony. Each photograph will create a relationship with the others. Stories will be built. Imaginary bridges will be created. Each story will be different and interesting. Each one will open new horizons.

Photography allows us to express ourselves, to show our differences.

Everyone can share their experiences by creating a photo and posting it.

As you can understand, taking pictures is not simply pressing the release button of a camera or a cell phone. To photograph is to question yourself, to wonder, to reflect, and also, to marvel.

To photograph is to deliver your truth. But there is no one truth.

I find photography to be an extraordinary form of communication because it transcends languages. It has its own language. If you master the rules and codes, I want you to imagine everything you can share, and I want you to think of how many people you might impact. You will still be surprised.

Welcome to a world without limits!

The Definition of a Social Media Network

Before getting into the heart of this article, I thought it would be interesting to clarify an expression that we all use every day: the social media network.

By its definition, social media is a service that brings together various people on a particular subject or not.

In the virtual world, social media is a website that allows users, professionals, or individuals to share or exchange information.

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The word “information” is particularly important in this definition because it will allow you to understand the direction that photography is heading towards.

Social Media Is Essential for Photography

This article is not a slam against social networks. On the contrary, I think that in general, they are great tools that allow many people to communicate, exchange, and share ideas and information.

I think they are a particularly crucial step forward in digital communication. I use them to show my photos. I admit that I do use it not necessarily because it is my chosen tool, but because I sometimes go to great lengths when I think a subject is important.

However, I must say the way in which some people use social media must be pointed out.

In this article, I will share with you why I think that some drifts are detrimental to photography instead of strengthening its basic principles of communication, exchange and sharing.

Make no mistake. Social networks used constructively and intelligently are a real source of creativity.

The problem we face today is the photographic noise to which we are subjected. This noise scrambles the signal of creativity. Interesting photographers who have important messages to convey are no longer audible. Photographic social networks have become a vast photographic hubbub.

With Social Media, Photography Becomes Only Informative