While social media might seem like an easy source of inspiration, it often drains you by fostering unhealthy comparison. There’s a better place, providing a more thoughtful and empowering way to engage with photography. Photo books.

Yes, oldschool photo books. Especially for beginners in photography, seeking inspiration from photo books can be far more beneficial than scrolling through social media. Here’s why:

1. Social Media Can Be Draining and Affect Your Ego

Scrolling through social media can often feel overwhelming and draining. The endless stream of images, along with the constant pressure to gain likes and validation, can diminish your sense of self-worth.
Instead of inspiring you, it can take your inspiration away, leaving you questioning your own abilities.

This can be especially harmful for beginners, as it feeds into a cycle of self-doubt and frustration.

2. Photo Books Offer Expert Insights

There’s an inherent authority associated with book authors. When you pick up a photo book, you know you're engaging with the work of someone considered an expert in their field.
This authority comes with the promise of inspiration, education, and an opportunity for growth.

We don’t compare ourselves to experts, we draw knowledge and experience from them.

3. No Likes, No Comparison

Without measuring the success of an image by how many likes and comments it gets, you can engage with the artwork on a deeper level.
Social media, on the other hand, often creates an unconscious hierarchy.
Pictures with higher engagement can make you feel worse about your own work, leading to frustration or self-doubt.

Photo books allow you to shift from feeling jealous to learning and growing as a photographer.

4. Photo Books Encourage Analysis Rather Than Doubt

Not all photo books are filled with exceptional photographs, and not all authors are renowned experts. But this can work in your favor. It encourages you to analyze and break down what works or doesn’t work in the image. You start to think critically about the composition, the subject, and the story being told.
In contrast, seeing an average picture on social media, especially one with high likes, can trigger doubt.

You might start questioning your own work, wondering why it doesn’t gain the same attention.

5. Critical Thinking and Self-Improvement

Much like in galleries, you can – and should – be critical when looking at photo books or exhibitions. However, the key difference is that your criticism in this context is constructive.
It helps you engage with the material on a higher level, enabling you to understand the artist's choices.

This critical approach is a tool for improvement, helping you see the work as an opportunity to learn, rather than as something to compare yourself to.

6. Photo Books Are Not Subject to Trends

In contrast to social media, where trends constantly shift and evolve, photo books are timeless.
They represent the artist’s work, created over a period of time, unaffected by the pressure to conform to fleeting trends.

Social media are great to make connections, but I can’t disagree more when I hear they’re a good spot for inspiration. Photo books are made to be admired, discussed, analyzed. By diving into such a body of work, you can find inspiration that is timeless, without putting yourself in danger of self-doubt and unhealthy comparison.

Do I really need it? - this is perhaps what you want to ask. Well, I can guarantee: if you aren’t consuming excellent quality photography, you won’t produce one neither.

Choose wisely your sources and re-use them in your favor.

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Why you should skip social media for inspiration