Thread by @joelsax47

There's a group on #Flickr whose title always gives me a laugh: "Narcissism in Color". When I make selfies, I have to admit that I am very much like Narcissus of mythology: the person who looks at them the most is me. This audience leans over the edge of the pool and dreams.

#photograph #photography #face #seniorcitizen #selfie #selfportrait #eyes #blackandwhite #monochrome
Joel Sax shared a #photo with you from the #Flickr app! Check it out:
flic.kr/p/2jofz8b

There's a strong association between #narcissism and dreams in #mythology. Many of us dream of that face in the pool, giving it fame that we think we deserve. The Instagrams of young people attract many likes. But this is no country for old men.

Since the birth of internet driven quality assessments, I have been frustrated by the lack of attention given to my photography and my tweets. I am one of the Disappeared, one of the ones who doesn't have the knack for drawing attention to their self.

Those who I have enticed over the years to look at my photos tell me it is good including a few trained artists. But my Flickr like counts don't match these opinions. The average is less than twenty, probably less than fifteen adorations per photo.

I have concluded after years of frustration that the only person who I photograph for is myself. And I have discovered a lie: this kind of work doesn't bring you an audience. People don't give a fuck about your self discoveries. They want more of the same.

#photograph #photography #man #seniorcitizen #selfie #selfportrait #mask #facemask #blackandwhite #monochrome #Covid19
Joel Sax shared a #photo with you from the #Flickr app! Check it out:
flic.kr/p/2jofz5F

A lot of work looks like a lot of other work to me. And what is considered my best by the mobs of Flickr, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram looks like the other work considered the best by audiences. And much of it seems to be ugly in their eyes, or worse, boring.

But it is not boring to me, so I spend hours staring into my pool, wreaking my variety of perfections on the shadows I caught on a given day. Reflections in my eyes get transmitted to the world and ignored.

Perhaps Narcissus was ugly and craved for someone to look at him.

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