HELLO 2026!!
Oh my gosh! Okay. Calm down Brandy. Take a breath. I know creating your first blog post can seem scary and intimidating and crazy. I mean, who's going to read it? IS anyone going to read it? Why would anyone care to read the ramblings of some little known Arizona photographer who has horrible self doubt about her work, is creating a million different scenarios in her head when not A SINGLE ONE of them is going to come to fruition, and who over analyzes EVERYTHING to the point of wanting to give up before I even begin?! Well... if you made it this far, apparently YOU want to read what I have to say. SO with that, take a seat, grab a drink (you might need one when I'm done), and buckle up. You're in for a ride!
Let's officially begin with introductions. Hi. My name is Brandy (cue AA meeting "hiiiiii Brandy").
Aside from the About Me, what else is there to know? Well, right now I have a love-hate relationship with social media. Truthfully, I've ALWAYS had a love-hate relationship with social media. I remember the days of coding my MySpace page! I know, I know. I'm showing my age. I would sit there in front of my teal iMAC G3 (donated to yours truly from the high school library when they upgraded), furiously typing in numbers, symbols, and font, to make my page THE page!
Hilariously enough, my MySpace was never about me. I created it with the premise of using it for my character backstories that I role-played online (in Yahoo & AOL chat rooms. Again, I know. I'm OLD).
Eventually, Facebook took over and MySpace was left behind. Chatroom's became comment threads and eventually Reddit; my ever changing Top 8 Friends converted to my favorite pages to visit; my role playing ceased to exist. I just closed the door to one version of social media for another, quicker, more convenient version. One where I didn't have to code, where I didn't get to sit and choose my backgrounds and fonts and c0lor schemes. It was all basic. Simplified. And I hated it.
Today, we have Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, X, Threads, Reddit, Pinterest, Etsy, Snapchat, WhatsApp, Discord... the list goes on and on. You name it, it's probably already been created. Where there is a will, there is an ever-present online app and/or website already built and ready to go, for your ease and convenience. I mean, yah, but also, ew? Don't everyone jump on me at once. Let me explain.
As a photographer, I obviously rely pretty heavily on social media to get my photography out there into the world. I've debated using Pinterest, but honestly, as much as I would love to see my own images listed on their feed, I feel intimidated by it. I of course love seeing a beautiful, uniquely curated (based purely on the algorithm), flowing symmetry of images, based on my wants and desires. Who DOESN'T love that?! Because isn't that the basis of Pinterest? Creating mood boards to bolster your own creative juices and create something fun and "YOU"nique (see what I did there?!) I see Pinterest the same way I see Instagram, Facebook, and Meta. A necessary evil. I KNOW it helps couple's create their dream wedding. I also know it can become a rabbit hole of dreams and ideas that, when put into action, can be WAY out of budget, NOT as simple as it claims to be to set up, or worse. I'm also worried my own images are going to be snagged and regurgitated as someone else's idea. I can't stand that.
Pinterest is a wonderful app to get INSPIRATION, not copy. It also creates a false level of ideals for couples. Several vendor friends over the years have voiced their concerns with Pinterest as well. These drop dead gorgeous images are being used for style boards, and couples are expecting the EXACT SAME lighting, editing style, floral arrangements, etc. Then, as photographers, we get asked to mirror said editing style. I'm sorry... does my photography in ANY WAY say I photograph and edit any other way than MY OWN?! Please don't ask me to photograph "light and airy" when you know damn well, and can SEE, that's NOT how I edit. Please don't ask vendors to create a style that doesn't align with their own aesthetic. There are a plethora of vendors just within Arizona who will gladly jump on the opportunity to create a beautiful, Pinterest board worthy wedding. But don't ask a vendor who's style showcases western aesthetic to change it up and do dark/moody, or, the ever favorite, Twilight style. This is part of why you vet your vendors before signing on the dotted line.
Now let's move on to Instagram. I despise the Meta algorithm, and I'm so tired of the switch-ups, the small tweaks made here and there that drastically alter my feed, the hashtags, keywords, blah blah blah. I'm barely cracking the surface of Instagram as a business owner right now.
As a personal photo dump page, it's great for me to play around with and highlight the crazy that is my family! My personal page is a montage of, well, everything! There is no style, no rhyme or reason to it. I post when I want, what I want, how I want. And it's fun! My business page on the other hand... this is where my Type A personality AND my loathing of social media platforms comes out to play. As any good influencer will tell you, aesthetic is everything. Which means when I am doing a session, regardless of what it is, I am always on the lookout for THE image to add to my feed. Where were we BEFORE social media?! I miss the days of point, click, and pray.
I try to run a person-landscape-person grid on my business page. At first, I was trying to color & pose match EVERY session. Eventually, I wound up hating every session, every photo, and everyone who, I thought, had a better grid than me. #NotHealthy. After much internal reflection, I realized I was trying to fight an algorithm. I was in a battle with AI and, look, I know we all have our likes and dislikes for AI in the photography world, but up until this moment, it didn't effect me, and I was loving what the Generative-AI was doing for my editing Que! Now... now I see my grid differently. I see it as a reflection of me as a person, as a business owner, and as a photographer. I don't see codes, hashtags, or an algorithm I know I'll lose against. I finally see those in front of the camera. I can hear each session as if I were there again. I can see an image I took, and feel it.
I know I can only fight AI so much, and I know my job won't be taken by an artificially created image because unlike a code, my photography speaks. It talks quietly, loudly, obtrusively, delicately, and to the heart; to the soul of a person. AI can't do that. Code can't do that. Only a living, breathing creature can resonate on a deeper level than AI will ever be able to create.
But that leads me to my "issues". As a living, breathing creature myself, I find myself doom scrolling. I will sit for hours just scrolling Instagram, looking at all of these phenomenal images that others in my field of work have captured, and what begins as admiration soon turns into envy, self-loathing, and eventually, anger at myself for even letting it get that far. It would get to the point where my own anger at myself was reflecting outwards and causing issues with my family and friends. Despite my best efforts, it was pretty apparent I had an issue, especially when I no longer had occasional RBF, but was just a B instead.
I wanted to delete ALL my social media accounts.
Deactivating my TikTok wasn't enough.
But how exactly was I supposed to just WORK without critiquing, criticizing, and crying over myself?! (Selfish, I know)
Now, I think I've found a balance. Putting it into action on the other hand...
1) Stop the doom scrolling!
It's not healthy. I wasn't desensitized to social media. The opposite occurred. I became so entrenched in it all, I was feeling everything at the same time. I didn't have time to process what I was watching/reading/viewing. I was placing myself in a dark mental state.
2) Set a time limit.
Yes, I have to treat myself like I would my own child, and that's okay. I try to stay off social media or do any work on social media after 8pm, and nothing before 8am. I create posts through a 3rd party app, link them and schedule them, then step away. I have my accounts set to nighttime mode so I don't get notifications. When I am active, I will scroll for no more than 15 minutes, and while doing so, I ask myself, "what is the intent of scrolling?" This seems to keep me on track... so far...
3) Remember not everything seen on social media is real.
When I'm scrolling through images, I have a tendency to forget that those very images have been altered. The color, the tone, the angle, all of it. Yes, the wedding was real, the emotions were real, but the final product is something else. It was made to evoke deeper emotions and thought. It was made to draw the viewer deep into a world not their own, but a magical one created by crafted artisans (coordinators, florists, stylists, caterers, photographers, etc). I can emotionally and mentally resonate, but I can't touch it. I can't smell it (man I miss Scratch & Sniff stickers). I can't taste the food or drink the signature cocktails. Each image has been carefully culled, cropped, and edited to not only resemble what the couple wants, but also to showcase the craftsmanship of the vendors and finally the style of the photographer. What you don't see posted is all the chaos behind the scenes (or maybe you do...). The disagreement between the groom's mom and the caterer. The last minute switch-up from outside to inside due to weather and how annoyed everyone was because "we told you so" just isn't appropriate to say to a couple on their wedding day. An image is simply a snapshot from a moment in time. As photographers, we make sure to showcase the best because why on earth would you want to see the coordinators losing their shit?! Am I right?
4) Let the algorithm do its thing.
There is no use fighting it. It doesn't matter how many hashtags I use or what keywords are listed. It's going to do what it's told to do. I know I can add my two cents worth by clicking specific images, saying the right words in a post, commenting, liking, sharing, blah blah blah. At the end of the day, I don't have any control over a data stream that is reliant on millions of other users, doing the same thing I am. I can better concentrate my energy on this! Or creating my own styled sessions, updating my website, networking (another beast I will talk about in a different post), or even just going outside and touching grass!
If I could toss my devices out the window I would. I think social media in all its forms, even this, has become an annoying necessity, at least from my own standpoint. I rely on it to channel my images out into the world. I use it to stay in the know with family and friends. I find new and exciting places to visit because of structured ads or comments in various threads. I can't stand being limited to a certain number of hashtags. I hate having to make sure I have keywords sprinkled throughout so I can (fingers crossed) gain 1 new follower. Social media is here to stay, and as much as it drives me insane to use it, I'm thankful I have it. Though, honestly, I would love to go back to general word of mouth or printing an ad in the Sunday paper. I miss the old days.
If you made it through ALL of that, BRAVO you! How much is left of your drink? I had to refill twice.
See you again next month when I talk about an oversaturated market. You might want to get snacks for that one.
