NZPhotographer Issue 24, October 2019

the same tree – you are absolutely 100% right. BUT it
doesn’t mean you don’t need to share your photo.
Just like fingerprints, no two photos of the same
subject are ever the same so please do share your
shot whilst telling your personal story that goes along
with the photo – your why.
GETTING THE COURAGE TO LEAVE THE
SHADOWLAND
The Shadowland is the same place as our comfort
zone. We all know that it is comfy and cozy but
doesn’t help our progress. Communities whether
online or offline are there to help us grow, meet others
and share common interests.
The problem is that as time passes and you are
no longer a “new member” of a community,
psychologically it becomes harder and harder to
engage. Do you just post something and say “Hi”?
Do you say you just joined when it’s been six months
already…? How do you start the conversation? What
happens if the active members of the community
don’t like what you say?
Forget the ‘what ifs’, and know that you must start
engaging in any community as soon as possible
after you join. Get your foot in the door, no matter
how uncomfortable it may feel. The risk at this stage
is minimal, but the reward from participating in a
community of like-minded people is enormous. Of
course, there are some cases when you join a group
and then find it doesn’t feel quite right. There’s no
need to stay or force yourself into something you
don’t like. Maybe you don’t share the same values as
other members? Maybe the age of the participants
is not right for you? Maybe you don’t get any new or
useful information? That’s ok, with one click you can
leave, unsubscribe and find a community that feels
like home.
I could easily spend hours talking about “lurking
syndrome”, giving different examples and
consequences, but I’d like to say to everyone
reading this who recognized themselves as a lurker
or even half-lurker – as soon as you acknowledge the
reason why you are not actively participating in any
community you belong to (and those reasons may
not be from the list above), try to remember why you
joined it in the first place and then be a bit braver
and take the first step of saying “Hi!” and introducing
yourself, even if you are not ready to (or don’t need
to) share any of your photographs.
I’m still on this path myself. If you want to share your
experience – you are most welcome to send me an
email, let’s bring more lurkers out of the Shadowland
and more talented photographers to light.