I don’t know how many of you are on Threads or read Substack, but I am and I do, and for the most part I’m finding these platforms interesting, informative, but definitely a bit weird sometimes. In case you’re not sure what they are (and I’m struggling to define them) here’s an explanation:
Threads is an app from Instagram where you can view and share public conversations. Depending on how you use Threads, you can also post threads, reply to others and follow profiles you’re interested in. Threads and replies can include short pieces of text, links, photos, videos or any combination of them.
I don’t actually post that much there, I just browse and cruise, comment occasionally, catch up with news and points of view, and ‘follow’ various people who have interesting things to say. At the moment there’s a lot of political chit-chat as you might imagine with what’s going on in the world, and sometimes I learn things before they actually appear on news outlets. There are of course people with unsavoury political opinions but they can be blocked and reported. If you think of any topic, pastime, hobby or subject that interests you, there is bound to be many other people who like it too. I sometimes follow people who are sharing threads about subjects I didn’t think I had an interest in, but from them I find they are fascinating. There are silly things too, like debates about the English tea alarm and when it’s sounded, or aspects of Marmite, jokes, correct procedure for eating scones, and comical stories.
Another platform I have just begun to look at is Substack (not Substrack as I originally thought!) I don’t use it to share anything, but again, I’m finding it interesting and useful:
Substack is an American online platform that provides publishing, payment, analytics, and design infrastructure to support subscription-based content, including newsletters, podcasts, and video. It allows writers to send digital content directly to subscribers
I came across a Substack contributor who shares photos and comments on them, for example why he took the picture, thoughts, imaginings, ponderings – I guess similar in a way to my ramblings here about my writing. I love his photos, but his writing also really engages me and makes me think not just about what and how I’m writing, but the purpose of it – and the ‘my thoughts, imaginings and ponderings’. He is Matt Oliver https://substack.com/@mattoliverphoto
This is something he wrote which I found most interesting and yes, inspirational:
But more and more I find myself slowing down and asking a simple question before I take the photograph: what’s the story here? What is it about this scene that caught my attention in the first place? What am I trying to show the viewer?
Often the answer is not obvious at first. Woodland scenes can be visually complex. There are branches crossing everywhere, layers of trunks, patches of light and shadow competing for attention. Without a clear subject the photograph can quickly become confusing.
That is where the idea of story becomes useful.
When I say story, I don’t mean something literal or cinematic. A photograph doesn’t need a beginning, middle and end. More often the story is simply a suggestion, something that gives the viewer a place to rest their eye and a reason to stay with the image for a moment longer.
Perhaps it is a single tree standing apart from the others. Perhaps it is the way a shaft of light isolates a fallen trunk against a darker background. Perhaps it is a path disappearing into the distance, inviting the viewer to imagine where it might lead. It could be the relationships of the trees together, how the shape and form respond within the scene.
https://substack.com/@loiselsden
https://www.threads.com/@loiselsden?hl=en
Lois Elsden 