Picture Pressure

Why you have so many pictures?

My son asked me from the backseat while on the school run. I had given him my phone to show some pictures. I had no answer except the obvious - I like to take pictures.

It got me thinking - But do I?

I was a teenager when MySpace, Orkut and the likes of those were becoming the cultural zeitgeist. It wasn't long after when Facebook emerged as the star of the digital world. As a teenager, who felt the need to keep up with all the trends, I was fully invested. It started with sharing thoughtful texts, life updates, and sometimes photography, as the cameras improved.

I believe it was around that time when I developed an interest in photography. Later, when I started blogging on Steem, pictures seemed more important, especially for lifestyle content. I switched to educational content for a change and enjoyed the liberation that I got from photography because it kind of felt like an added pressure with blog writing. I liked being behind the camera but not in that way.

Nevertheless, later on, I started a blog on Instagram - a visual platform. I thought I would be fine with written content but I couldn't be more wrong. Once again, I dived into photography. For months, I enjoyed the process. I used to think of a concept, create a setup around it, and then photograph it and always posted it with some text. However, I had to eventually leave that blog because I was unable to continue photography due to some medical reasons. Yeah, I used to lie down and bend at all awkward angles to take a perfect picture from different perspectives. I'm forever grateful for that experience, though, it taught me a lot, and I felt a little more qualified than an amateur.

However, it inculcated in me a constant need and pressure to take pictures (more than ever) - whenever I saw something unique, beautiful, or picture-worthy for that matter.

I see other millennials following this culture, and I don't even need to mention what Gen Z and Gen Alpha are upto. The constant need to visually broadcast life online is lethal for mental health and causes FOMO. Luckily, I didn't went far with this - just a normal amount would make me want to bite my head.

For this generation, a celebration or a party doesn't feel complete without pictures; something is missing in a trip if you don't capture all the scenes. I'm not against photography; one needs to preserve memories, too. Though I hardly ever check old photos. My husband often reminds me to forget the camera for once and live in the moment, especially when I get carried away and obsess over perfect clicks.

When I took a break from Steem, it was as if an invisible pressure of taking nice pictures lifted away. Since my content mostly revolved around lifestyle, I always took time for pictures that mostly used to end up in my blogs. But when I stopped blogging, I slowly left the habit of taking pictures.

It was a new kind of freedom. I started living in the moments, doing things only because I wanted to, not to turn them into content. I almost stopped taking pictures.

I resumed blogging this year and it's funny that I find it really hard to take pictures now. Forgettig is a better explanation though. My son says I have a lot of pictures but I have uploaded most of the limited stock on Steem. 😆