Why I Keep Returning to Self-Satisfaction in Photography

Photography has always been about self-satisfaction, capturing only what I genuinely enjoy. For me, that means long exposure cityscapes at blue hour. There’s a quiet joy in building my online gallery, Top 40 Photo Gallery, one photo at a time. 😀

Singapore Skyline from Gardens by the Bay South. 28mm, f/9, 161 secs, ISO 100. My “niche” is long exposure cityscapes shot at blue hour, especially waterfront cityscapes.

What lies opposite self-satisfaction is a craving for validation, something that’s become deeply intertwined with social media. I started shooting photos around 2008, just as social media was beginning to take off and change the way we shared and experienced photography.

From Sharing to Competing

Social media may have started with good intentions, reconnecting old friends and bringing distant communities together, etc., but over time, it has changed its nature. When it comes to photography, what used to be a personal, almost meditative hobby is now turned into a kind of game where attention is the prize. 😅

Today, it’s hard not to be affected by the number of “Likes” and followers alike. These vanity metrics create unnecessary hierarchy among users and push us into a competition for attention that we didn’t sign up for.

Measuring by Self-Satisfaction, Not Vanity Metrics

In a way, social media gives us the illusion that everyone can be “somebody.” It’s true the hurdle to getting noticed is lower than it was before the Internet. But not everyone will be noticed, no matter how good the work is. That’s where many fall into the trap of chasing approval instead of expressing themselves.

That’s why I try not to let numbers define how good my photos are, or which of them represent my best shots. I believe the only person who decides that is us, the photographers ourselves.

So, I keep returning to the principle of self-satisfaction. It reminds me why I started, and it keeps photography something I do for myself, not for the algorithm. 😅

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About the Author: LASTLIGHTS.NET is a passion project of Joey J, a Singapore-based Japanese photographer primarily shooting cityscape photography with long exposure at blue hour. Visit his Photo Gallery (40 most favourite photos taken) or download his free eBook, Getting Started with Long Exposure Photography .