mlanger

I should begin by saying that I’m not a “photo sharing” person. When I put a photo online to share with others, its usually because I think it’s one of the very best I have ever taken. That’s why I currently have only 22 public works on Red Bubble.

What struck me when I first began using Red Bubble was how different it was from sites like Flickr. About a year ago, when I joined up, it was obvious that the site attracted a lot of quality work. Then I ordered some cards and wall art. Holy cow! The quality of the printing was magnificent!

But as time goes on and Red Bubble grows, it has become apparent to me that not everyone uses Red Bubble the same way. Indeed, most people seem to use it as a photo sharing social networking site. A good many people will upload any photos or artwork that’s handy rather than their best. That’s unfortunate because it really detracts from the quality of the site.

I’m not a professional photographer and I don’t expect to ever be one. I have some decent equipment these days - a 10 megapixel Nikon D80 with numerous lenses - and I occasionally get out to some interesting places with it. But Red Bubble won’t see a fraction of what I shoot because it simply doesn’t make my cut.

Yesterday and the day before are good examples. The flowers in the Arizona desert have been popping all over the place. I was aching to get out with my Jeep and camera to a place I knew they’d be magnificent. But on Thursday, I waited too long. Interested in getting that late afternoon sun, the spot I wanted to shoot in was already in the shadow of a nearby mountain. I took a bunch of photos that aren’t terrible, but certainly not worthy of being shown off. So I went out again yesterday, much earlier in the day. The light was harsher, but perfect for the shots I imagined.

Over the past two days, I shot over 100 images. So far, only 1 of them has made it to Red bubble. There are 2 other strong candidates that may make it here, too. But that’s it. I’m not going to flood Red Bubble with 20 good shots from just two photos shoots, just because I can. That dilutes the quality of my work. Am I one of the few Red Bubble members who sees this?

To me, Red Bubble should mean quality. It should mean our best images and only our best. It shouldn’t be the odd photo of passing scenery you snapped out of a moving car or the sunset you captured with your cell phone’s camera. It should be the images you thought about, the images you worked a bit to create, the images that truly stand apart from the rest.

I’m not here for people to give me a rubber stamp seal of approval with comments on my work. And I don’t care if my work is viewed by 10 people or 10,000. That’s why you won’t find my work in every single group it might possibly fit into. And I’m not about to start rubber stamping other people’s work, either—if I comment, it’s because I do like an image and I have something to say about it.

I’m here primarily to get my best work printed as cards and framed artwork. I’m also here to learn about photography by studying the work of people who capture the kinds of images I like. That can make me a better photographer.