Why I Chose Substack for Photography

On taking a closer look, even when it's not golden hour.

When I decided to get more into photography, a few friends suggested I start an Instagram. I thought about it. I even came up with a username. But something about it didn’t really appeal to me. Not because I think Instagram is a bad platform for photos, but more because I’ve never really been able to commit to posting consistently there. Every new account I started eventually went silent, but there was never an intention to stop posting. It’s more just that I didn’t find much joy in posting there.

There was really only ever one place I consistently updated and that was a blog I used to write quite actively. It’s kind of weird now that I think about it. That I wouldn’t post much to a small group of people I chose, but I’d put some of my most personal thoughts and experiences up online for anyone to read. Reflecting on that made me realize I sort of just want to say something more, and when it comes to photography, it’s not so much the photos themselves, but the thoughts, feelings, and experiences behind them that I want to share.

I still remember exactly how I found Substack. One day I was reading someone’s essay without a clue that it was Substack or what Substack even was. A few days later, I heard from a friend that a mutual of ours self-publishes some of her writing. When I asked what platform she used, she sent a link and I was surprised to see a familiar looking website - the very same site I was looking at just a few days before.

I’m glad that little serendipitous discovery came about. Substack feels like the perfect place to sort of continue my blogging adventure while also making the photography a core part of the experience. The experience for both me, and you. I like writing about life, about how I see things, about how I feel. It gives me clarity, and I get a nice little personal history book out of it as an added bonus. The reason I share all this is really only to give my friends and family a place to keep up with me. And now that photography is becoming a normal part of my life, I wanted to find a place where I could put a picture, but have it be more than just a picture. Have it be something to stop at, take in, and think about. To think about why it exists, what it represents, and what feelings are behind it. To have a more intentional experience. And this felt like the perfect platform, especially now that I realize I’d love to share with more people if this type of thing brings them joy too.

At the very beginning, it felt a bit strange. I didn’t think there’d be a photography community here. But I discovered a few cool people and came across a photography account called

Aminus3 Photography

. Aminus3 is an online community where photographers share a photo every day. It’s existed long before Substack, but every week, they post a prompt here. Something along the lines of, “this week’s photography prompt is vehicles.” But what’s more important is that the prompt is followed with some context. Why vehicles? What is a vehicle? How do you frame the concept of “vehicle”?

This week’s photography prompt really was vehicle. And this is what I came up with, but it might be interesting to note that I didn’t actually take this photo thinking of the prompt. I only put the 2 together when I was back home looking over some pictures thinking about what might be nice to share from the day.

What about this is vehicles? Easy! The cars. But there’s some more hidden in here. The breeze, a vehicle for the bird. The buildings, vehicles for hearty meals and memorable conversations. The traffic lights, vehicles for order and organization. The tow away sign, a vehicle for city planners to keep the streets clear. And probably my favorite, the muni tracks, a vehicle for carrying the sun’s gleaming rays into our lenses.

Is any of this a stretch? Maybe. Is it too much, a little extra? You could say that. But they were thoughts I had when I took a second to take a longer look. And they made me appreciate what’s captured here at a deeper level. I’m sure you could spot even more if you spent some time on it. This is why I’m here. This is why I like Substack.

My biggest fans will wonder where this was shot. The answer is near the pier of San Francisco. My friend said the most wholesome thing when the day was over - “today made me feel like this city is a bit more beautiful.”

He’s right. There’s so much beauty hidden in the most ordinary of places. We just have to stop and look a little harder to notice.