Something Rare

Today something extremely rare happened on Flickr. It was something that restored my fast fading faith in the place. Of course, to the usual fleeting, superficial visitors it would have gone largely unnoticed. But for me it genuinely made my day.

And what was this occurrence?

It was nothing more than a comment left. But this wasn’t any kind of comment. It wasn’t a “wow” or a “fantastic” or a “brilliant” one word response left in the hope I would return the same and feed another shallow ego. In fact, it wasn’t because the gentleman in question was particularly complimentary about my photography; indeed had he been really scathing I would have been equally as happy.

No what pleased me is this gentleman took the time to really study the photo in question, to analyse it and contemplate it. Too often you know people are hardly looking at the photos they comment upon. In fact, I’ve even discovered when pointing things out in other peoples photographs, the photographer hasn’t even noticed things in their own photo. However, this gentleman then took the time to comment on how he had read the photo, not in one or two meaningless exclamatory words, but with genuine thought and intelligence.

Can a photographer really ask for more than that?

This was a gentleman I had never come across before on Flickr. He wasn’t a “contact” fulfilling his duty or obligation. This was someone who just happened across my photography and actually bothered to give intelligent feedback.

Sometimes it amazes me when I see people with hundreds of contacts on Flickr. How’s it possible to really view and keep up with so many people? It’s not. Making others contacts is just a way to raise one’s popularity. I’m no longer interested in those who are there for their egos.

So thank you to that gentleman.

Thank you for being sincere and genuine.