Gatekeeping
Why’s this showing up on your feed? It’s because we need to talk. This is an issue in the large format community, but pervasive among most photography and any technology-based visual arts. I’m talking about gatekeeping. You know the thing where you make other people sharing your hobby feel bad about participating? Yeah it sucks, and if it doesn’t stop, our hobby will.
Gatekeeping comes in all shapes and sizes, but really seems to thrive in niche communities that celebrate activities and practices that haven’t always been in the mainstream. The more popular the hobby becomes, the harder long-time users will start attacking newcomers as if it’s their job to hold the gate for those truly “worthy” of the title. This isn’t me accusing you, but sharing a decade’s worth of observation.
There’s other hobbies that I’ve been into longer than photography, and the further I got into them, the more I noticed how toxic some the hardcore fans were. If you don’t know me as a person outside of a screen, it may come to surprise you (or not) that I’m a giant nerd that loves anime, cosplay, and rhythm-based video games. I’ve been into all of these for at least twenty years, and each new platform that fans have migrated to has created larger fan bases, but also larger push-back to that same progress. Of my non-photographic hobbies, anime has got to be the most polarizing of them all.
Yours truly, dressed up as Kakashi from Naruto at Animarathon 2007.
Every 5 years or so a new animation will come out of Japan that will set the world of anime ablaze. It will hit a new audience that’s in that target demographic of early to mid teens, and a slew of new fans will discover the wide world of anime fandom. As quickly as new fans can join social media groups and start attending conventions, they’re greeted with the vitriol and outrage of veteran anime watchers quick to dismiss them as “not true fans”. Excited newcomers will share how much they love their new hobby and their new shows while old timers will stop at nothing to make them feel lesser and unwelcome. I noticed this happening when I was in college, again immediately following college, and a couple more iterations since. Admittedly, I was on the wrong side of it the first few times, but once I became a newcomer in photography, my perspective shifted.
I was a beginner at something again. I had no knowledge, little experience, and I was grasping for ways to feel like a “real” photographer everywhere I looked. All at the same time there was a battle raging as digital photography was taking over the world of film and camera systems from the 20th century were being abandoned at record pace. When I found film photography, there was a rapidly shrinking community, and I was fortunate to have a supportive pair of college professors that fostered my growing interest. One granted me darkroom access, while the other loaned me his 8x10 camera as long as I promised to learn. If I had started by going onto an online forum or social media to ask questions, I definitely would not have made it as far into my photographic journey.
Me, new to film, visiting the 2010 Photo Plus Expo in New York City with my trusty Hasselblad 500C.
The lesson here is nobody is picking up these big, heavy cameras and shooting expensive pieces of film just to ruin your hobby for you. More often than not, they’re just interested in this weird type of photography and maybe you should offer a helping hand. At some point you and I were beginners too. If you had a rough go of things, try and make it easier for those that come after. Don’t be someone holding the gate, be like that helpful docent at a museum. If people have questions, use your time, talents, and position to offer guidance and enhance the newcomer’s experience.
For me personally, that’s why I started the Large Format Friday series.. I had the support and access when starting and am doing my best to make sure I’m extending that to photographers where they are at. Each week hundreds of new folks from around the world stop by to watch a video. Some will click that like and subscribe button,and a few others will write a comment or question. And a very special group of you find this content helpful enough to become LFF Sustaining Members. Starting at $1/month, your contributions help to keep the content coming here on the channel. To all of you LFF members out there, thank you!
And if you’re still here with me at this point in the post, I have a homework assignment for you. Pay it forward to someone starting out in large format. If you haven’t been shooting for that long, share what you’re up to with friends and answer their questions, no matter how trivial they might seem to you. If you’re comfortable enough with your large format setup that you’re getting bored, reach out to local students or offer assistance to those in your area that want to start shooting. If you’re an old-school large format shooter, is there something maybe the new-school kids haven’t seen? Maybe there’s a need in the market that you can point out or help create a new product to fill?
Pay-it-forward, be the change you wish to see, and like my buddy Michael Raso says, keep it “Super Positive”. Remember, the longer you stand there keeping the gate, the less time you have to be making pictures!