Howzit to all 256 new readers who've joined this week!
Saturday Selections now has 1506 readers
In last week's newsletter, I asked people to share some of their photographs with me. (also - thanks to everyone who helped iron out the kinks on the new Kajabi course)
I am very pleased to say that a number of readers did.
It was great to see a range of images from all levels of photographers.
The subject matter was different in each photograph the approach was different the level of technical ability was different but there was one thing that was evident in each image.
That was that the photographer themselves had the confidence to share some of their work with what really amounted to a stranger. I know that many of you reading this newsletter will feel that I'm not a stranger and that I am some friend even but it does feel very different when you take a photograph and you share it with a specific person rather than just putting it up online for the masses
It's great to see these images and the words from those photographers and realize that they feel that they are in a safe space where they can be comfortable sharing their photographs and their personal work. They've lent into this idea that everybody who watches the channel and who reads this newsletter belongs to a supportive community.
It was interesting to see recently when I asked people about their experiences with photography clubs how divided opinion really is about being in a community of photographers.
For a long time, I didn't really seek out online groups or forums about photography, I just sort of kept myself to myself. In many respects, I feel that that was detrimental to my photography because I ended up being an echo chamber of one. Mostly I simply looked at the kind of photography that I liked. I never got any constructive feedback or was challenged to think about photographs in a different way.
We live in an age where a lot of people will wear proudly the fact that they are not members of any social media group - Instagram, Facebook, or something of that nature.
Obviously, everybody has their own reasons for this. If it works for them then, it works for them. My own personal take was that as soon as I started to try and actively share my love for photography and what I'd learned over the decades of being a photographer, I started to see these communities or the idea of community at least in a whole different light. This was actually far more fulfilling than I had ever considered. Both in regard to my own photography and how I could help other people develop their passion
This coming September I'll be starting the second iteration of my creative photo mastery cohort.
In the original cohort, there were photographers of a wide range of abilities, some of whom were more nervous about sharing their images. However at the end of the cohort, they realized that they had the confidence to show their photography not just to the members of the cohort but to the wider public, they knew that they weren't alone in some of the struggles that they faced in creating photographs that resonated with them.
One of the ways that they managed to build up some of this confidence in their own photography is actually to look at the work of other people's images.
Brief interlude -
It’s been awesome to see the growth of this newsletter. If you’ve enjoyed it, please feel free to forward it onto anyone you know that’s passionate about photography. It helps spread the word that photography isn’t just about camera equipment and software.
If you’ve been forwarded this email and would like to subscribe to future editions of Saturday Selections you can do so here:
People are so reticent to share their photography online because they've had bad experiences when sharing their work for feedback. They have bumped into those people who have the loudest voices when talking about other people's photographs, but who have the least to say.
The first assignment that I asked the members of that cohort to undertake was to submit a single image by one of their favorite photographers.
We then spent some time talking about those images and there was a wide range of subject matter and getting used to the idea of not talking about images from a technical standpoint but from a position of what we like about it. Learning to see the positive, not the negative.
I'm sure you've bumped into all these people always quite happy to tell you what's wrong with your photographs and never really what's right with them.
There's an odd thing about photography it seems to be almost like a flame that attracts moth-like people who just want the opportunity to show off how much they think they know.
I have a little challenge I'd like to set to you: for the rest of this year when you see somebody's photographs either someone you know or just a random person online help to make them feel that they are not alone to recognize the confidence that they have in showing their own work.
Obviously, this isn't a case of just blowing smoke up the backside of every photographer you see, but how many times have you seen an image and you've gone “oh you know I really like that”, and then not done anything more?
Even if it's just a comment that says “I really like the shapes” or the lighting or the composition that you've managed to create there. A simple comment like that can mean the world to someone who might be feeling frustrated about being able to take what they see in their minds-eye and translate it into a photograph.
It might even be the difference between them actually giving up on photography, and sticking with it.
To paraphrase a quote - try and be the change you want to see in the (photographic world)
Thanks so much for reading and helping to support this newsletter.
The next cohort will run from early September and will be limited to just 10 photographers. If you’d like to join the waitlist click here
P.S - one reader is so committed to photography, he was even taking photos after being involved in a bike accident!