Just like reading a book, watching a movie or listening to music, when people look at your photos, you probably want them to spend time and appreciate them. In a world where people constantly scroll and immediately forget about your photos, is there a way you can get your photos noticed? Let’s find out.
Popular photography compared to high eyebrows
Photography has something in common with fiction that many photographers do not pay attention to. Authors aim their work at a specific audience. They can write popular novels that appeal to many readers. Additionally, authors may view their work as highly intellectual and thus attract a smaller audience.
The same applies to photography. For those of us for whom photography is our job or at least a serious hobby, we choose who we want our audience to be. We can create photos for mass appeal or focus on creating photos for a narrower audience.
Of course, like authors who publish works in different genres, sometimes under pseudonyms, those two approaches are not mutually exclusive. You can create landscapes that are easy to like, but prefer to take abstract photos that are less appreciated.
There is no judgment here about which is better. Any type of photo is eligible. However, there is a certain degree of snobbery on the part of some writers of highbrow fiction when they refer unkindly to popular fiction, and the same thing happens in the world of photography.
Intellectual literature challenges readers with complex language, layers of meaning, and profound insights into the human condition. However, when it comes to writing successful popular fiction, attracting tens or hundreds of thousands of people and wanting to read more takes great skill.
The same can be said about highbrow and popular photography. The first meaning may contain many meanings that may not be accessible to some viewers. This can be difficult for the photographer as they may encounter criticism from viewers who do not understand the photo. Many people have received harsh comments online from often unskilled photographers who lack the insight to grasp the meaning of the photo.
One often reads that these ignorant criticisms can have a more negative impact on artists than the dozens of positive comments made by more educated and appreciative people. Sadly, the online world attracts a lot of untalented people who spend their time spreading ignorant taunts instead of improving their skills. Luckily, there is now more awareness on this issue and realization that the ignorant people behind such comments are just compensating for their incompetence.
I recently read an old article article in Rolling Stone magazine wrote about Paul McCartney laughing out loud when critics said the Beatles were exhausted. They prepare to release Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album, and he knew the opposite was happening. They are experiencing what he calls “a great explosion of creative force.” One of the most influential albums of all time is about to be released. Photographers should dismiss laptop criticism with similar indifference.
Like popular fiction, creating photographs with mass appeal is equally difficult to achieve. Especially nowadays there are so many people taking photos; There will be about 1,400,000,000,000 photos taken this year. However, being persistent, ignoring the naysayers, and working on making your images more appealing is still the best way to make them popular.
Whether you want your photos to have broad or limited appeal, there are certain things you can do to achieve your goal of getting your photos seen.
Love photography
Don’t just love your photos, love every aspect of photography. Appreciate everyone’s work, whether it’s your hobby or not. The world of photography is relatively small, and if you network actively with other photographers, you will get noticed. Your enthusiasm will shine through.
If you love photography, you will immerse yourself in all the information available. Read about it, watch documentaries, look at other people’s photos and try to decipher what they say with their pictures.
If you want to point out flaws in a photo because the photographer didn’t take it the way you did, unless asked, keep that to yourself. Why? You are most likely showing that you cannot understand what the photographer is saying. Therefore, you may be considered stupid as well as rude for giving uninvited criticism. For the same reason, if people make unwanted negative comments about your work, ignore them.
Shoot the project.
I’m not a fan of clichés. However, there is truth in saying that a set of photos on a subject says more than an individual photo.
You don’t have to continue that theme forever; Your next project could be a completely different genre. Projects can also overlap. Maybe you’re shooting mountain landscapes for your project, but you can also take photos of seascapes.
Do research
Don’t just photograph the subject; learn about it too. As part of my exploration of bird photography (perhaps spelling), I strive to not only photograph my subjects but also learn, through observation and reading, about birds.
For example, the birds illustrating this article are the spinning stones (Arenaria interpres). I have dozens of pictures of them. They are small but voracious wading birds, which we English call shorebirds. They migrate here in winter. Breeding adults then migrate thousands of miles to the Arctic in the summer to nest, leaving only a few young. So I have pictures of their summer and winter plumage.
They are braver than many waders, and I often see them running around our harbour, even when it is busy with human activity, as they can scavenge for food scraps. So some of my photos will illustrate that as well.
A carousel is a flock of birds flying rapidly in groups that rotate rapidly low above the water. When foraging on shore, they are sometimes accompanied by other waders such as Dunlin, Redshank, Oystercatchers, Curew, Knot and Sanderling.
They got their name from turning over rocks to find food. However, they will eat anything and can be seen pecking at dead seals or dolphins washed up on beaches.
Whenever I go photograph them, I discover something new to add to my knowledge. It could be a small change in their feathers or a sign that they are about to fly.
That’s just a summary, not everything I learned about spinning kicks. But it does give you an idea of what you can learn about any subject that will help you get better photos. When shooting landscapes, I try to learn as much as I can about the location, often revisiting the scene to shoot at a different time of day or another season to explore how it behaves with different lighting.
You may find that one project leads to another, sometimes through a happy accident. Many photographers take photos in ways that were not their original intention and discard those images, but you should save them and see if you can learn something from that incident and apply it to my future work or not.
There’s always more to learn
I roll my eyes when I read someone claiming superiority because they have been taking photos for over 50 years. There is always more to learn about photography. Furthermore, some of the best photographers I know are half my age and I’m happy to learn from them. Don’t just read or watch YouTube videos; Talk to other photographers of all ages and ask for their opinions on different aspects of photography.
Put your work out there
If you want to get noticed, you have to find a way to get your work seen. There’s nothing wrong with sharing your work on social media; Most professional photographers have Instagram accounts. However, that type of format has limitations. People will soon scroll past your posts and your photos will be forgotten in a few seconds.
If you have the time and are a busy photographer, which is something I struggle with, you should find a means of displaying your images elsewhere on the internet to attract a more discerning viewer. This could be on your website, on a third-party server like Flickr, 500px, or even in the Fstoppers gallery. If possible, include your work in an exhibition or display one for yourself and your fellow photographers and artists. Or create a photo book and donate a copy to your local library.
In short
The takeaway here is that getting noticed requires hard work. It’s not given to you on a plate and there are no shortcuts. You need to be enthusiastic, love photography, constantly learn, be positive about other people’s work and put in the time and effort to get noticed. Seize every opportunity that comes your way.
Are you frustrated that your work isn’t being noticed? Are you tired of people scrolling through your pictures on Instagram? Do you feel annoyed when your favorite photos are less popular than the ones you like the most? Do you feel disappointed by stupid criticism of your work? It would be great to hear your opinion.
