Photographic platforms
As someone who’s been sharing photos for a while, I’ve noticed some big changes in how platforms treat photography. Instagram, which used to be a favourite, seems to be shifting its focus towards videos and Reels. This change has made it tougher for still images to get noticed.
My Instagram Experience
Over the past three years, I’ve put a lot of effort into building my Instagram presence. Despite improving my photography skills, my follower count hasn’t grown much. It’s a bit disheartening to see accounts with no posts and private profiles having more followers. The recent changes, like moving from a square to a rectangular grid view, have made the platform less appealing for photographers like me who focus on still images. Not to mention the ease (or should say lack of it) of uploading content from a PC. Insta is just not friendly for photographers.
What gives Insta?!! Other accounts.
Rediscovering Flickr
Given these challenges, I decided to give Flickr another shot. I’ve had an account for years but hadn’t used it much recently. A few days ago, I uploaded a handful of photos to see what would happen. To my surprise, one of my images received over 120 favourites within a day, which is more than any photo I’ve posted on Instagram (and even a lot more than when the model posts one of my photos – models always get more likes!). Additionally, my daily views jumped from around 30 to almost 23,000!
Is Flickr Making a Comeback?
This experience made me wonder: is this just a temporary boost, or is Flickr becoming a go-to platform for photographers again? Unlike other platforms that are shifting their focus, Flickr continues to prioritise high-quality images and fosters genuine connections among photography enthusiasts.
What Truly Matters to Me
At the end of the day, what makes me happiest as a photographer is knowing that people are seeing and enjoying my photos. I don’t care much about follower counts or social media metrics. The knowledge that people are viewing and appreciating my work motivates me to keep sharing. For now, I’ll be sticking with Flickr and seeing where this journey takes me.
For fellow photographers looking for a community that values still imagery, revisiting or joining Flickr might be worth considering. As the digital landscape continues to change, it’s important to find platforms that align with our artistic values.
If you like the above photos and want to see more, then head over to https://photos.hikeandclick.scot/Front/Models/Samantha-Lucy where the entire shoot can be seen.
