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Platform Dependency: What happens if the platform changes its algorithm, shutters its services, or bans your account? In 2024 alone, over 60% of creators reported revenue losses due to algorithm changes.
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Monetization Barriers: Platforms often take a significant cut of your earnings. For instance, YouTube takes up to 45% of ad revenue, and Instagram’s monetization options are pay-to-play.
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Data Ownership: The data you’re generating—your audience insights, contact lists, and engagement metrics—belongs to the platform, not you. They profit from it while you’re left in the dark.
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Censorship and Restrictions: Platforms can impose restrictions on what you publish, often limiting creativity and expression. If your content doesn’t align with their guidelines, it can be removed or suppressed.
Exposed to Light | 02 - Hippo Love by Unknown
Photographer: Unknown.
Camera: Unknown.
Title: Unknown; I’m calling it Hippo Love.
Link: Unknown.
I have two desktop screens. One’s background picture constantly changes; the other has this, which never changes. The love, care, and trust that this picture imparts makes me smile every day. I would love to know the background of this shot. I would love to talk to this man and find out about his relationship with this hippo. What is the hippo’s name? How long was he a part of this hippo’s life? Was this a daily ritual? How long did they sit there? Who took the picture?
I love the working-class feel of the picture. I had that lunch box for a while growing up. I love the tape on it. Mostly, I love the hippos' look of complete security and peace. No matter what was going on in this hippo’s life, at this moment, all was well with the world.
When I look at this picture first thing in the morning when the computer whirls to life and the screens pop on, all is right in my world, too.
Exposed To Light | 01 - Ballet Dancers by S.
Exposed To Light
Get ready for a new post, popping up weekly, monthly, or whenever inspiration strikes. It’s all about a powerful picture that catches my eye.
How do I know? As they say, you know when you see it. For me, It catches my eye right away. I open it full screen and can’t stop looking at it. It’s powerful, dynamic, beautiful, tells a story, and has good lines; maybe it’s the lighting or shadows, but so many things can make a powerful photo. It’s a moment that in real life passes you by in mere seconds, but when you freeze that moment in light and shadow, you give that mere micro-second of time a new life. Your brain has time to process it and, more importantly, to feel it’s draw, it’s power. A photograph can be one of the most emotionally invoking things we interact with.
Onto the first installment of Exposed To Light:
Photographer: S.
Camera: iPhone 14 Pro
Title: S. didn’t appear to name the photo; I’m calling it Ballet Dancers.
Link: Ballet Dancers
The light and shadow in this shot are just mesmerizing. The entire range is present with light and shadow. The overall story here is pretty obvious, but the individual and small group stories are not. When you look around at the different expressions and small group chats, you can’t help but wonder what they are talking about and feeling. Nervousness, excitement, boredom—you see all the different emotions in the faces.
This is what S. says about the photo:
This is the best photo I’ve ever taken and the client didn’t wanna use it. Pls enjoy bc otherwise it will never see the light of day :,)
They give a download link to the photo and tell people to download it and enjoy it. Further in the comments is a short video of the room where the shot was taken.
I think the photo is fantastic.
Behind the Scenes on Project 365Pixels
Tough day behind the lens. Yesterday I was super happy with the pictures and felt good posting. Today was tough and I’m not happy with anything. You can see today’s pick here. I’m showing today’s other work below so you can see what I had to work with. It’s a fun process but much more enjoyable when you have a banger. 💥📷.
Pictures shot in SMF, with an iPhone 16ProMax. Edited on iPhone and posted with iPad.
Would you have chosen a different one?
“Hang In There”
Hiking in Colorado, caught this guy struggling to stay on top of a blade of grass. A little metaphor for this year…
When the processing fee is starting to rival your electricity fee…
Next month, I’ll start selling more than I use, building up a credit for the 115+ degrees F Summer that is coming.
Thank you, sunshine. #solar
Digital Sovereignty - Own Your Content Reason Number 429
I used to write/publish photo stories at Exposure.co. It’s a nice website, and it’s a great place to see other people’s work, but it locks your content and locks you into paying every year to have access to your content. I’ve had a good engagement over there. I only have four stories there, but they each have 33,000+ views, which is a lot for my work. With that being said, I don’t do the things that I do for views, clicks, or money.
I’ve been moving my digital life to cliff538.com and have downloaded my data for Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Today, I focused on Exposure. How much does it cost a year? Can I download my stories? Do I want this anymore? Keep or delete.
Over the years at Exposure I’ve been paying $99/year, the lowest tier now is $149/year. I decided to export my content and move it to cliff538.com. Well, guess what, you can’t. The only export option is a PDF, only if you pay for Pro Plus, which is $319/year. If I want to export PDFs of my photo stories, I’ll have to upgrade my account, download the PDFs, and close my account. But, they throw in some nice warnings; if your stories are over a specific size, you have to be on the business plan at $999/year to export your PDFs. Two, they warn you that the PDFs may not even look good due to pagination issues and that they are working on it.
PDF exports don’t help me much because I need to build a web page to recreate my photo stories. This makes me unhappy and reinforces why I’m making this move. Own your content, control where it is, and have full backups. Don’t be locked into price increases, a lack of export options, or business failures.
So what to do? Well, I’m stuck; luckily, there are only four medium-sized stories. I have all the photos; I used Obsidian Web Clipper to clip the pages, which gives me the text between the pictures. Reimagining the stories into web pages for my blog will be time-consuming, but the beauty is that it will be the last time. I’ll control how it looks and where it lives.
I thought about just deleting it but the stories really do have meaning for me. They are from a different time in my life. I wouldnt write the stories the same way today or use the same pictures (some of the HDR makes me cringe) but back then I did, and sometimes it’s good to see where you came from.
Note: below, you will read A.I. taking a crack at giving you reasons and risks. It’s polished, clean, and well done, but it feels soulless and generic, like reading a technical manual. I may be a lousy writer, but at least it’s real; it tells my story. I’m leaving the A.I. stuff just because it’s good info, a little novel, and maybe just a little bit for posterity.
(warning A.I. written text below)
The Risks of Relying on Third-Party Platforms
If you’re publishing your work exclusively on platforms like Instagram, Medium, or Facebook, you’re playing by someone else’s rules. While these platforms provide convenience and exposure, they come with significant risks:
The Benefits of Owning Your Platform
By running your blog or website, you remove the middleman and take full control of your content and audience. Here’s what you gain: 1. **Full Creative Control**: Publish what you want, how you want, without fear of censorship. 2. **Data Ownership**: Collect and control your audience data directly, enabling better relationships and monetization strategies. 3. **Longevity**: Platforms come and go, but your self-hosted blog can remain online indefinitely, ensuring your creations outlive any trend or corporate decision. 4. **Custom Branding**: Unlike third-party platforms, your blog reflects your unique identity, free from distracting ads or conflicting branding.Debunking the Technical Barrier Myth
Many creators hesitate to start their blog because they fear it’s too technical or expensive. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Modern tools like WordPress, Hugo, and Micro.blog make self-hosting more accessible than ever. Here’s a simple roadmap to get started: 1. **Buy a Domain**: Use a registrar like Hover.com to purchase a custom domain for as little as $10/year. 2. **Choose a Hosting Platform**: Services like SiteGround, Micro.blog, or Netlify offer affordable options. 3. **Start Writing**: With pre-built templates and easy-to-use tools, you can be up and running in a matter of hours.The Numbers Don’t Lie
The shift toward self-hosting is gaining momentum: - **45% of creators** plan to invest in self-hosted platforms by 2026. - **70% of internet users** express concerns about how platforms handle their data. - **Domain registrations for personal websites** rose by 30% in 2023.Call to Action: Own Your Digital Future
Owning your content isn’t just about control; it’s about building a digital future that belongs to you. Stop renting your ideas on platforms that profit from your creativity. Start your own blog today, and take the first step toward true creative independence.Here are some resources to get started:
Your creations deserve a permanent home. Give them one.
A Trip Home ~ Kings and Sawdust
A visual story post over at Exposure from 2015 - A Trip Home ~ Kings and Sawdust