Street Photography vs. The Algorithm: Are We Artists or Just "Content Monkeys"?

Remember the early days? When social media felt like a global gallery? Today, that gallery has been replaced by an algorithmic circus hungry for "engagement." The system is no longer looking for your art; it’s looking for ways to keep users "glued" to their screens.

The Carousel Trap

This is where many fall into the trap: the algorithm loves carousels. It wants 10 images at once to force the user to swipe and stay in the app longer. This is the main reason I don’t use carousels.

I firmly believe that if a photograph can’t stand on its own, it’s better off not being posted at all. I refuse to water down a powerful moment with nine mediocre ones just to steal three extra seconds of your time. We aren’t showing vacation slide-shows; we are doing street photography. My philosophy is simple: Look at one image, but look at it correctly. Give it the time it deserves to speak to you.

The Natural Destination: From Pixel to Wall

When an image is strong enough to stand alone in the digital chaos, printing is its natural destination. If a photo spoke to you, it deserves to be liberated from the prison of the screen.

By printing a piece of work—whether printing your own or supporting a creator by ordering a print—you are performing an act of rebellion against the ephemeral. There is no more beautiful feeling than a printed image on a real wall. It is a presence that doesn’t blink, doesn't beg for likes, and doesn't disappear with a scroll.

And for me, as a photographer, there is no greater satisfaction than knowing my work evokes such feelings in someone that they want to see it every day in their space. That is the only connection that truly matters.

Street photography belongs in the real world. In a place where images have texture, weight, and permanence.