Social Media Popularity Contests: A Picture Just Isn't As Good As The Person Behind The Camera

I have many friends in the chaser community....many of whom are avid photographers who are as passionate about photography as they are about storm chasing. I love seeing their work in fact I think their photography is on par with Mike Hollingshead's photography to be honest. You would think they would be the talk of social media with what they share to the public, but the reality is they're either "under the radar" or seen as a misfit so consequentially their work doesn't get the accolades it truly deserves.

For them a good photo receives 15 to 20 likes while a well known photographer taking a similar or a slightly worse photo (or one that simply looks like shit) easily gets 100 likes. What I've noticed as of late is a few of my friends feeling discouraged about a hobby they love because to them getting little or no feedback in return sends the message that their photos suck or simply no one gives a shit. It reminds me of my struggle with shooting video....I know my videos are on par with other chasers you see on television but because I have no desire to be a "chaser celebrity" other than having my videos sold to news agencies and production companies (at the right price) I'm an afterthought and I know my photography friends feel the same way.

Of course if you're using a social media outlet like Facebook for exposure you're not going to go far because of how Facebook is set up to stomp on the little man with their business like platform. The number of likes dictate how good a post is and if it doesn't get likes immediately it disappears from your friends' news feed and because many of them are too fucking lazy to check out profile pages (hey, I'm that way too) they miss out on good posts at times and it makes the person making said post feel ignored (there is no worst feeling than being ignored IMO). You pretty much have to be in good company with someone popular (that's right a clique) to get exposure.

My observation of what I've seen is simple....a picture just isn't as good as the person behind the camera taking the picture and it's a shame. I've seen attempts by other people to give the little man a moment to shine with photography groups and photo contests only to get taken over by the elitist crowd and their fans.

I've seen my friends air their grievance over this matter....the responses they got vary from don't give up to who cares what other people think hell I've even seen some blow back from people who view their complaint as a cry for attention. It's obvious they do care what other people think otherwise they wouldn't post about it (like I said the worst feeling anyone can feel is being ignored). It is also easy to say don't give up, but if you keep trying and trying with the same result you're going to feel as though you wasted your time and eventually you throw in the towel. Quite frankly I hate to see that happen to my friends who invest their time and money on a hobby they love.

I got nothing more to say, but I would like to help out a few photography friends with some exposure I feel as though they deserve. If you want to see some good photos then check out these pages.....http://www.tabithahawk.com/ http://www.jonstonephotography.com/home/index.php