Excellent points. Not only do people have a short attention span for looking at photos, but their attention span of engaging with the world itself is being affected. This reminds me of a time I was standing at the edge of the Grand Canyon, in awe at the place, and a man hurriedly rushed over and said to me "Where is the Grand Canyon?". At first I wasn't sure how to react because I thought he must be joking, but he looked at me with a serious face.... so I said "um, right here" and gestured at the massive hole in the ground. He quickly lifted his phone, took a snapshot, then spun on his heel and hurried away. The thing is, it's not like there's a place to be when you're there, it's far away from everything. To this day I can't fathom where he was in such a rush to get to that he couldn't spend more than a single second looking at the Grand Canyon.
But I see this just walking around the city too (I live in Barcelona now). People rushing around, suddenly holding up their phone and snapping a picture without even stopping. I imagine lots of blurry pictures stored on their phones, but I'm sure they post them on "the socials" anyway in hopes of garnering many Likes. Sigh.
I read your edition very carefully. It's so crucial in our daily lives to take the time. To breathe. To observe. This also the way to be part of a community and to improve our skills!
Well said, Marcel. Getting back into photo books helped to remind me what I love about photography and the joy of focusing on what inspires me. What you are doing with Darkrooms is very cool. Thanks for the post!
Yada yada yada, darkroom magazine, photostack edition, yay! 👍 Just kidding, valid points of course. I long time ago decided not to photograph for the online masses, but then again I'm lucky it's just my hobby and not my source of income. Looking forward to the magazine 😉
Very well put Marcel. I put your words into practice today and visited the extensive and brilliant Saul Leiter exhibition in Milton Keynes today. Two hours well spent.
Hi Marcel, I could not agree more. The strange factoid that I have been picking up on lately from various publishers of photography books that I am familiar with, is that the volume of photography book sales has been growing in recent years and from what I have read and been told, it will continue to grow for some years to come. Granted, this doesn't really make sense given the way in which we are almost hardwired to our phones and have the attention span of a gnat, but never-the-less, the numbers suggest that the Global volume of photography book sales is increasing.
As a fan of photobooks and someone who prints a magazine of my own photos every month (mostly) I couldn't agree more.
The problem is that the abundance of images has changed how we take photographs as well as how we view them. For photographers who are pursuing recognition on social media, knowing that they only have a split second to grab someone's attention might lead them to shoot or post images that can do so. Consequently, it might be that the images they are posting are not worth more than two seconds.
Hadn't looked at this point, but I think it's fair to say lots of photographers are just shooting what attracts likes instead of focussing on what they really want to shoot
I read your article in 4 seconds :D
Hahaha. nice
Can’t wait to see the next edition, Marcel!
I'm sure you do. I can tell you it will be a blast!
Excellent points. Not only do people have a short attention span for looking at photos, but their attention span of engaging with the world itself is being affected. This reminds me of a time I was standing at the edge of the Grand Canyon, in awe at the place, and a man hurriedly rushed over and said to me "Where is the Grand Canyon?". At first I wasn't sure how to react because I thought he must be joking, but he looked at me with a serious face.... so I said "um, right here" and gestured at the massive hole in the ground. He quickly lifted his phone, took a snapshot, then spun on his heel and hurried away. The thing is, it's not like there's a place to be when you're there, it's far away from everything. To this day I can't fathom where he was in such a rush to get to that he couldn't spend more than a single second looking at the Grand Canyon.
But I see this just walking around the city too (I live in Barcelona now). People rushing around, suddenly holding up their phone and snapping a picture without even stopping. I imagine lots of blurry pictures stored on their phones, but I'm sure they post them on "the socials" anyway in hopes of garnering many Likes. Sigh.
It's so right Marcel!
I read your edition very carefully. It's so crucial in our daily lives to take the time. To breathe. To observe. This also the way to be part of a community and to improve our skills!
Thank you for sharing all of your thoughts!
Well said, Marcel. Getting back into photo books helped to remind me what I love about photography and the joy of focusing on what inspires me. What you are doing with Darkrooms is very cool. Thanks for the post!
Yada yada yada, darkroom magazine, photostack edition, yay! 👍 Just kidding, valid points of course. I long time ago decided not to photograph for the online masses, but then again I'm lucky it's just my hobby and not my source of income. Looking forward to the magazine 😉
Very well put Marcel. I put your words into practice today and visited the extensive and brilliant Saul Leiter exhibition in Milton Keynes today. Two hours well spent.
PS looking forward to seeing the magazine!
Cool. I've seen a Saul Leiter exhibition in Fomu Antwerp some years ago. Very very impressive.
I accept the premise of your article but as a counter-factual would point to the seeming explosion in photo books available. How to explain this?
It is just a tiny fraction of people enjoying printed work. Still hopeful news, but for most this is not applicable. Unfortunately.
Wow, I'm honoured. The cover looks incredible, can't wait to see the next issue!
And what a cover image it is...
Hi Marcel, I could not agree more. The strange factoid that I have been picking up on lately from various publishers of photography books that I am familiar with, is that the volume of photography book sales has been growing in recent years and from what I have read and been told, it will continue to grow for some years to come. Granted, this doesn't really make sense given the way in which we are almost hardwired to our phones and have the attention span of a gnat, but never-the-less, the numbers suggest that the Global volume of photography book sales is increasing.
Good to hear that those numbers are increasing. Like it very much. It also shows we are not completely doomed
As a fan of photobooks and someone who prints a magazine of my own photos every month (mostly) I couldn't agree more.
The problem is that the abundance of images has changed how we take photographs as well as how we view them. For photographers who are pursuing recognition on social media, knowing that they only have a split second to grab someone's attention might lead them to shoot or post images that can do so. Consequently, it might be that the images they are posting are not worth more than two seconds.
Hadn't looked at this point, but I think it's fair to say lots of photographers are just shooting what attracts likes instead of focussing on what they really want to shoot
Hola , Estoy Deseando Comprar El Número Tres , De Está Fantástica Revista. Un Saludo.
Super. Gracias por su apoyo