Beyond the Grid: Photography Beyond Likes
In a world where our attention spans have been trained to scroll endlessly, social media has become both a blessing and a burden for photographers. Platforms such as Instagram offer visibility like never before, but they also quietly reshape how we measure value. Somewhere between curating the perfect grid and chasing engagement, it’s easy to forget that a photographer’s worth was never meant to be calculated in likes or follows.
For some people, social media works brilliantly. It can be a gallery, a diary, even a career launchpad. But it isn’t for everyone. Not every photographer thrives in that constant cycle of posting and performing. And the truth is, you don’t have to. You don’t owe the algorithm your creativity, nor do you have to mirror what everyone else is doing. Photography has always been about vision, not visibility.
Psychologically, the mechanics of these platforms aren’t accidental. Each like delivers a small hit of dopamine, rewarding us and subtly encouraging us to seek the next one. Over time, that drip-feed of validation can shift the way you see your own work. Instead of asking, What do I want to create?, you begin to wonder, What will do well on the feed? It’s a quiet, creeping pressure that can turn art into content and expression into strategy. That’s often when the exhaustion sets in.
There’s also something deeper at stake: identity. When every image is created to be “content”, the slower, more intimate relationship with your craft starts to fray. Building a body of work takes patience. It needs room to breathe, to grow privately before it’s ready to be seen. Some of the most powerful photographs you’ll ever take may never be posted online at all, and that doesn’t make them any less valuable.
If you’ve ever felt drained by the need to stay relevant online, you’re not alone. Stepping back can be an act of preservation. There’s no rulebook that says you must share every frame or follow trends to be a “real” photographer. Build what works for you. That might mean posting occasionally, or saving an entire project until it’s ready to be seen as a whole. It might even mean keeping some work entirely offline, existing in prints, books or simply within your own archive.
Likes will come and go. Algorithms will change. What lasts is intention. A photographer’s worth isn’t found in a grid of squares but in the depth of their vision and the stories they choose to tell. Social media can be a useful tool, but it is not, and never will be, the measure of your art. Create for yourself first, for the work second, and if the feed fits into that, let it. But never mistake it for the reason you picked up a camera.
