Why You Should Stop Caring What People Think About Your Photography

By /

Why You Should Stop Caring What People Think About Your Photography

What’s poppin people? It’s Dante.
This morning I have a powerful thought for you.

Why care about what other people think about your photography, right?

Like, just think about it.

Photograph for Yourself

Who cares?

Photograph for yourself.

You know, ultimately, I photograph because I have fun.
I love life.

I love waking up early just across the street and go catch the sunrise and hopefully find some dew drops on some flowers.

Am I crazy for that?
I don’t know—maybe.

I mean, I like to go out and photograph the dew drops. I like to come out and photograph whatever I find along my journey.

If you don’t like that, go find somewhere else to look at photos, right?

Let Go of the Audience

I think ultimately when you’re photographing, you gotta really detach yourself from any ideas of what the photograph is for.

Because if you have this idea in your head like:

  • “Oh, I’m photographing today because I’m a visual storyteller.”
  • “Let me put my visual storytelling hat on.”
  • “I hope National Geographic sees this.”
  • “Maybe some Instagram page will feature me.”

…then you’ve already lost.

Photograph because you love to photograph.

And from that, you’ll find yourself making more photographs, increasing your curiosity, and continuously going out there each and every day to practice your photography.

That, to me, is the ultimate goal.
It has nothing to do with external validation or what other people think.

Even if people think your photographs are great—I don’t even want to hear that.
It’s better not to know.

It’s better to make photos in a flow where you’re completely immersed in your own world.

We’re All Gonna Die Anyway

We’re all going to die one day.

Who gives a what people think?

Once you hit the grave, I mean, that’s it.

  • Did you have fun doing it?
  • Did you photograph your soul?
  • Did you find things that intrigued you and made pictures of things that resonated with you?

Then that’s all that really matters.

Follow What Makes You Smile

Is it making you smile?

Are you waking up in the morning eager for the day?

These are the questions that I have.

I’m not concerned with what other people think about me, whether they think I’m crazy, whether they think what I’m photographing is interesting or not.

Go out there and do your own thing.

Everyone’s gotta immerse themselves in their own process, in their own world—and become unattached to the “contemporary photography world.”

Whether people are photographing what other people are doing or whatever…

This Is the Way to True Authenticity

This is the only way to true authenticity.

Just be in your own little world.

  • Chase the pigeons on the street.
  • Follow the light.
  • Snapshot your way through everyday life.
  • Don’t take it so seriously.
  • Don’t worry if your photo is “good” or “bad.”

Technical Flow Example

Here we go—
Some beautiful flowers.

Got the Ricoh GR III, high contrast black and white, macro mode.

Let’s go negative one on the exposure—it’s a pretty bright flower.

Look at that…
Abstract reality.

Create Your Own World

Just create your own world.
Immerse yourself in your own world.

Photograph your soul.
Photograph what makes you feel good.
Follow your curiosity. Follow your conscience. Follow that little inner voice in your head.

Yeah… this is kind of beautiful.

Look at the fog over there… it’s nice.

Plug Your Ears with Beeswax

Ultimately, you gotta be like Odysseus in The Odyssey when he’s being attacked by the sirens.

What’d he do?

Plugged his ears with beeswax.

You gotta plug your ears with beeswax and stop listening to all the static.

  • Likes.
  • Comments.
  • Subscribes.
  • “Did I get accepted to the gallery?”
  • “Did the show invite me?”

All of that is noise.

Follow the Crazy

Follow the crazy.
Follow your curiosity. Follow your intuition.

It sounds ridiculous, but it’s so much more important in photography than anything else.

It’s in your gut.
It’s in your heart.

Follow that joy.
Follow that feeling when you’re pressing the shutter, when you’re just out in the sun, observing life, photographing life.

Everything Else Is Noise

Everything else is noise.

Everything else doesn’t matter.

What people think about your photography?
Genuinely—it doesn’t matter.

I can tell you that.
It’s nothing but a distraction.

I Just Like to Make

So for instance, right?

I make videos on YouTube.
I publish photos on my website…

Because I genuinely just enjoy sharing.

I enjoy making things.
Making videos.

So I disable:

  • Likes.
  • Comments.
  • Analytics.

I don’t even watch YouTube videos.

I literally just make, publish, and then go live my life.

If one person sees it…
If one person understands it or resonates with it…
Then I think that’s pretty cool.

But I don’t think it’s about going viral.
I’m not trying to get attention.

I’m completely detached.
I just want to share the joy of photography…

Because I love it.
I have fun doing it.

And I really don’t care what other people think.

That’s just straight facts.

And I think you shouldn’t either.

What? I just came over here to make one photo.
I have to go back.

Scroll to Top