When you’re first starting out it’s difficult to know what and how much of your work you should share with others. You think, will people be annoyed, will they think I’m full of myself, will they even care at all? All of these questions are valid and part of the process each artist goes through. You don’t have to have your own business or “Page” to share and put yourself out there but you should put yourself out there! What would we think of Ansel Adams or Annie Liebovitz if they never shared their work? Nothing because we wouldn’t know who these people were. Whether you want to be known throughout the world or just within your group of friends an important step in growing oneself is to examine oneself.
Now you may be reading this saying, I share my work all the time, I have 100 vacation pictures posted right now! I would ask you, is that really a prime example of “your work?” Yes, they are beautiful photos and yes it’s great that you share them with family and friends; and here’s where I challenge each of you to do more! Yes, I am throwing down the gauntlet and saying make and album that represents your best work! There should be that 1 album in your social media, web page, blog, etc that showcases only that work which you are most proud of, which shows your journey, which screams to the rest of the world (or just your friends list) that you are a photographer and they should look at what you can do!
Why, you ask?
My answer, in the long run, you will learn and grow just by doing this 1 thing. By taking a few minutes to go through your 100 vacation photos and pluck out your favorite 4 or 5 you will look at them differently, you’ll spend more time editing them and you’ll make them into something that shouts, don’t have time to look at all 100? That’s fine, just look at these! And you may be saying those sentences to your future self. A year from now you will be browsing through your own online life and you’ll look back at these photos and say, those were great, but look what I can do NOW! Chronicle your photography journey by plucking out your best work so that you can look back at it to see where you were, how you developed your style, and use it to lead you to where you want to be. And if along the way people share feedback that’s great but remember this is not for them, this is always for you!
Happy Sharing!