Social Media Is No Longer Part Of My Photography Journey

My Path To And Then Away From Instagram

Josh Rose

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Dance Performance. By Josh S. Rose, 2022.

It’s more than just muscle memory that had my thumb reaching for the usual phone icons; for the inescapable worlds of social media. It was mental, psychological. I tried deleting the apps and only accessing through a browser, but too many times on the job someone wanted to connect on Instagram. Also, I often will use Instagram for tangible photography things: finding talent, finding a location, referencing an image. Eventually it did happen for me, though — I went from Instagram being my most-used app to among my least. Not through any behavioral “hack,” but in re-prioritizing my entire approach to my photography business.

But let’s back up and talk about how we got here to begin with.

Bixby Bridge. Photo by Josh S. Rose, 2004.

When digital photography emerged — not the first round, but when it became viable, professionally — I was all in. My photography journey began young, in my teen years. I had a photographer’s eye at an early age, but there was no chance of me becoming a professional. In my day, you needed to be in the right circles to get photography jobs. If you didn’t have someone to usher you in…

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