In a beautifully written piece about Flickr, Ferdy Christant reminds us why photography matters. His argument is simple and worth sitting with:
Look at people having other hobbies. Reading, hiking, tennis, wood crafts, brewing beer, collecting stamps, watching movies or playing Tetris… none of these people spend hours per day seeking validation as to whether their hobby is worthwhile or has meaning. It has meaning because it is your time and you enjoy doing it. None of them determine meaning based on others as if they are monitoring a stock market of self-worth.
I needed to hear that.
Like many photographers, I sometimes slip into caring too much about reactions — checking stats, wondering if a photo is good enough, comparing myself to others. My favorite images are usually the ones that meant something to me when I made them, not the ones that performed well.
That's more than enough.