When I started photography in 2009 it was a simple hobby without any expectations. I had no idea whether I would be good or not. I jumped into it with both feet because I liked taking pictures. After a few years, I had improved my techniques and equipment and I felt the need to get in touch with other photographers or photo-amateurs. I was looking for some inspiration and for their advice. I wanted to learn and grow and for other people to share our experiences and…the Internet was out there, calling for me!
However, narrating my photographic activity and documenting it on social media has been a long and nonlinear path…my hesitancy and perfectionism must have definitively kicked in the process!! Over 15 years I have been on the following platforms, with different outcomes:
- 2007: I discovered Facebook
- 2010: I created a WordPress blog which lasted 5 years. In that period I was also was using on a daily basis my Facebook page
- 2015: I closed the blog (thinking it was something “out of date”) and opened an account on Flickr
- 2019: Public profile on Instagram
- 2021: Flickr being almost “dead” + got the feeling that just my Facebook page was not “enough”. Therefore, I went back to my first love, blogging!, as I was missing it and opened this website (that should be closed by the end of this year)… I am not convinced about its layout and navigability!
- 2023: I opened this blog (the 3rd one) I am writing on now: https://elenaarvasi.com/ I am using and updating it as main tool for my photography
The platform I have loved most and that has given me the most satisfaction is WordPress. It challenges me to express myself, it pushes me to be active on the web and to consider myself as a conceptual artist. Social media has changed my attitude towards work and so many aspects of life. Now we are living and working, in most cases, inside of a technological bubble. Contacts are more frequent and it is easier to discover and follow somebody or something but these contacts can be very superficial. Creating a network on the web is almost essential but often lacks human connection and a deep interaction. A face-to-face exchange makes the difference.
I still believe that a blog is “your face” on the internet, is partly a reflection of your personality and choices and allows a fairly direct approach with the people who follow you. I am thankful to this platform for allowing me to achieve, through learning, developing and persevering, a personal fulfillment and demonstrating to myself that I am capable of reaching my goals, despite the obstacles that I have faced.
Thanks to Francesca for this lovely picture!!
Elena Arvasi Portrait Photographer 