75-80% of the commercial work I do doesn’t turn up on social media
40% of the collaborative work I do will never be edited because something I didn’t factor in during the shoot renders the pictures “useless”.
These are rough estimates as far as estimates go but let’s not bother with the numbers.
I got into photography because I had self-image issues; I was 20, skinny, insecure and wanted to explore boudoir photography because I felt I could use it as a medium to explore human emotional vulnerability so I got my Dad’s Canon Powershot SX260HS and started creating. I’d be wrong to say I initially created stunning images because those first set of images sucked but the beautiful thing about a process being continuous is that you can see the growth showcase itself over time.
Through the years, the better I’ve gotten, the less I’ve shared. I share less and less every month and now its becoming a problem because as much as this is art and personal, I also run a business and sharing these works means more visibility and visibility most times equals food on my table. The initial rule was I’d never post pictures/videos of myself on social media but anyone who uses Instagram and follows me knows I’ve inconsistently broken that rule.
On the other hand, I feel somewhat awkward sharing some of the stuff I get paid to shoot and not because they aren’t good but mostly because it doesn’t align with the artistic craving that my soul hungers for or is it just me wanting a feed that is pleasant to look at? My friend James (a digital marketing expert) says nobody cares about what the social media feed looks like but I care, so should my need for pleasing aesthetics supersede that of my business? Am I my business? or just a physical representation of it? does the previous question even make any sense?
There’s so much I’ve shot that I love and would love to share with you all on the gram but I’m too lazy… or feel the algorithm won’t favor it… or some other excuse that would manifest 3 hours after I publish this piece.
Anyhow, in no particular order, here’s some of my unpublished work that I love and have shot over the last couple years;
