I went out for a walk and brought two cameras. Here is what I captured. The weather was cold and grey, so black and white was the perfect fit.
Let’s try once a week.
It’s been far to long since I’ve taken a picture. I’ve taken several on my phone but they don’t count. I need to get back into a rhythm of taking pictures. I need to take pictures and then get them printed.
Photography used to be my friend, now it feels like that person I used to know. I see them once in a while but we don’t say hi. I’d like to have a relationship with my camera again. I used to find comfort in holding it, it was like an extension of who I am.
So what do I do? Do I just start taking pictures of things or people like how do you get back into a hobby. I guess it should be like riding a bicycle, it’s something you don’t forget. I’m sure there will be muscle memory.
Written on 03-29-22
I quit.
After 15 years I decided to quit social media. Now what?
I never gave much thought to the “what do I do after I quit?”. As a father, I found that I was missing moments with my children. I started to notice that I was irritable, I was anxious and angered easily. My phone had become like the ring in Lord Of The Rings. If I didn’t have my phone I was grabbing my pocket or constantly hunting it down. My phone was keeping me up at night.
So I was done with it, not my phone but I was done with social media. I have taken breaks in the past by just removing the apps from my phone. Though the fact of still having the accounts kept me thinking of what I was missing who is interacting with me. Every time I put the apps back on my phone I didn’t miss much, a few likes here a couple of comments there. Social media was not what it used to be when I joined 15 years ago. Over 15 years social media has become a different beast.
My go-to app was Instagram, Instagram offered so much for me in 2012 as a photographer for sharing images. Instagram used to be a great way to see photographers’ work to interact with other photographers around the world and see day-to-day life around the world. Fast forward to today and Instagram is a marketing platform for content creators, advertising for major corporate brands trying to have the grassroots, mom and pop look.
So with the lack of interaction on social media and what it was doing to me mentally and with my recent news of poor physical health, I decided to quit.
So far (one week in) I feel great, less stressed. I feel less attached to my phone, I want to spend more time with my kids. I still want to communicate so maybe this is where I post my thoughts.
This is what I left behind
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
What I still have and thinking about not using anymore.
Youtube
Linkedin
Glass (paid photo-sharing app, no ads. Not sure how I feel about it but it’s actually pushing photo sharing and socialness between photographers, no business stuff.)
Gmail
works apps like Teams and outlook
Share your thoughts.