Why We Shouldn’t View Our Hobby of Photography as a Competition

Hello, fellow photography lovers! Joey J 📸 here from ​​LASTLIGHTS.NET​​. Since recently switching my website to a simpler one-page, Linktree-style setup on Carrd, I’m now sharing my posts through this newsletter. This time, it’s “Why We Shouldn’t View Our Hobby of Photography as a Competition,” which I originally wrote in 2021 and also published on PetaPixel.

Why We Shouldn’t View Our Hobby of Photography as a Competition

It’s probably undeniable that life is seen as a kind of race or competition although I absolutely despise this idea.

For kids, it’s about academic grading (which school they go), athletic ability (who plays sports better), their looks (who is more popular among girls/boys), etc.

As we grow older, we face the harsher reality of life, as the difference of being one or the other for things like salary and socioeconomic status matters significantly more. As an Average Joe myself, I’ve always tried to disassociate myself from such a view that sees life as a race, but those who are quote-unquote “successful” might be thinking that I’m just deceiving myself.

Hobbies Let You Live a Different Life

That’s where hobbies come to rescue. Hobbies are supposed to be an escape from reality of everyday life. No matter how hard or even miserable your real life is, hobbies let you live a different life. A hobby is supposed to be a sacred pastime with no winners or losers. It should be just you and a hobby for the sheer joy of it.

For instance, I love listening to jazz music, cycling, and feeding cats. Those are my small hobbies (me time!) that can never be turned into competitions. Nobody competes on the number of stray cats they feed. That said, photography is a little different. Let me unpack.

Social Media Have Drastically Changed the Way We Share Our Photos

Before the Internet and social media came, photography was more of a private hobby. I saw my father taking photos with a Pentax film camera, getting a film developed and printed, putting photos in a photo album, showing it to family and close friends, and it didn’t go anywhere beyond.

Today, photos can go beyond our close circle thanks to the power of social media. In fact, social media have drastically changed the way we share our photos and also connected people that would have never met or even known about each other.

“Likes” Creating an Unnecessary Hierarchy

All these sound good, but on the other side of the coin, the gamification element of social media (e.g. who gets more “Likes”) has inevitably created an unnecessary hierarchy among participants. Some of them become very popular, Insta-famous, influencers, etc. while others are left unnoticed, just like the real life.

Looking back the history, it’s said that “Likes” were first introduced in 2005 by Vimeo, but Facebook’s adoption of it in 2009 has made the feature become one of the most powerful online tools. Since then, it’s been implemented everywhere from Instagram, YouTube to LinkedIn, as we all know today.

Gamification Element of Social Media Can Be Negative or Even Toxic

Nowadays, this gamification element of social media seems to be accepted without much questioning, but it can be potentially negative or even toxic. Let me cite an interesting article here.

Apart from my own website, I’ve been posting photos on Tumblr and Flickr (NOTE: I’m no longer posting on Flickr in 2026), but I do feel a little discouraged by the fact that my pages have never “taken off” after all these years.

Hobby of Photography Isn’t a Competition

That said, I won’t let the disappointment get to me, because I know my hobby of photography isn’t a competition. Photography is all about what makes me happy.

To me, one of the most blissful moments in life is whenever shooting waterfront cityscapes in solitude at blue hour on a clear day. I love nothing more than seeing the warm sunset sky turning into beautiful blue hour and capturing cityscapes with a few minutes of long exposure.

At the end of the day, if there is any element of competition in photography, it’s the one against ourselves. We should be competing with the yesteryear’s ourselves to improve and take better photos. And, we will know when we have improved. We don’t need to count the number of “Likes” in order to validate our own growth as photographers.

★★★

UPDATE IN 2026

That’s why I’m now sharing my photos on Glass (https://glass.photo/lastlightsnet), as this relatively new platform doesn’t display the number of “Likes” or follower counts, which makes me focus more on shooting than vanity metrics. If you’re looking for a photography home beyond your own website, I highly recommend giving Glass a try!

If you’re interested, you can sign up on https://glass.photo/referral/NMWWMNKA0D8U to get $10 off your first year of Glass (USD29.99 per year instead of USD39.99). Note that this is NOT an affiliate link, and I won’t receive any commission, etc. when you sign up.

🔓 Unlock the Secrets of Long Exposure Photography at Blue Hour

The quote above☝️is what I believe to be the most important key to shooting stunning long exposure photos. Let me take your long exposure photography to the next level with my 42-page eBook (PDF), Mastering Long Exposure Photography at Blue Hour. Packed with a decade’s worth of tips, tricks, and insights, this PDF guide will help you capture breathtaking long exposure shots with confidence. Ready to transform your photography? Get your copy today!