Many photographers who are serious about their craft join photo-sharing platforms in hopes of gaining viewership and building a following. But soon after they realise that their platform of choice panders to commercial interests. Therefore, rather than prioritising photographs with artistic value, such platforms only push financially lucrative content. They value average marketing spend more than the quality of content being displayed on their sites.
Rather than relying on the quality of content, the exposure depends on the simple metric of the number of likes and comments. Such a methodology makes this platform vulnerable to manipulation where poor-quality content can get more exposure than one with artistic value. Plus, it charges a membership fee so photographers might have paid the fee for a few months until they even realise the inept methodology at work.
Then we have 100ASA, a photo-sharing community whose goal involves providing amateur and professional photographers with the tools they need to show their craft to the world and have an online portfolio and bring the community of photographers together to offer feedback and curate each other’s work. On 100ASA, rather than having a financially motivated algorithm deciding which photo gets featured, community feedback and curation assess which photos deserve to get featured. Such a methodology takes the focus away from financial benefits and prioritises the craft of photographers above everything else. This means that you don’t have to have a specific number of followers, likes, comments and shares to get featured. If you share quality content, the community curation process will ensure that you get the visibility you deserve. Having said that, it’s not all left to the community, 100ASA team members themselves also handpick photos that they believe deserve greater visibility.
For amateur photographers, it offers a great way to learn from professionals and use their feedback to build upon their photography interests and hone their skills. 100ASA is the perfect photo-sharing platform that brings the community of photographers together without letting their financial interests hurt the craft and psyche of the users it aims to attract.
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