When I was younger, my photos were geared towards the Instagram aesthetic – meaning that yes, I was one of those people that really took their time in what they posted on Instagram; edits and all. I don’t want to say that my photos were “good”. Rather, the scale/subject of things that I was photographing were grand. And they were shot with the purpose of contributing to the social media photography hive-mind.
It wasn’t always about getting approval and there were alot of people who shot for the sake of beautiful pictures. I immensely enjoyed shooting and editing. These are skills I’ve taken with me up to the present day.
These past few years though, I have slowly come to see that my photos – while still following technical photography rules – are drastically smaller in subject scale. They are more intimate, close-up portraits that make up the tapestry of my life..
I don’t take photos with that grand, sweeping Instagram aesthetic in mind anymore. My photos now are a reflection of the peace and quiet I spent a lifetime searching for.
This also makes me viscerally aware of the inverse relationship to the Instagram aesthetic. Sometimes, it takes seeing or experiencing the opposite of what really matters to you to make you realize the value of the things that do matter in your life.
That being said, it is a constant humming thought in my head these days that I have to protect this measure of peace I have now. A future must never occur in which my photos have a grander set of subjects and scale or context. My life must gracefully wind down with an unending line of natural photos or video (vidjya lol) resonating a quiet, dignified gratitude for everything my eyes and lenses witness.
Because if my photos become Instagram-aesthetic again, it’s an indicator of a life I absolutely do not want.
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