Time for a long retrospective note, a shoutout to a few guys, and some thoughts on value-for-value. Bear with me for a bit. It’s been a little over two months since I introduced my photography project on Nostr, and while I was cautiously optimistic at the beginning, I wasn’t prepared for what followed. I’ve been shooting photography in all sorts of genres, mostly landscapes, for about eight years now. That number is mostly a vanity metric when you don’t shoot daily like me, but I’ve always aimed for quality over quantity. And even though I think I’ve done a decent job over the years, I’ve often fallen into the trap of comparing myself to others more than I’d like to admit. I believe social media has a lot to do with that. When you’re on Instagram, for example, you’re just one above-average photographer fighting for attention in a sea of people who are more experienced, better equipped, and often more proficient than you. If you grind hard enough and get lucky with the algorithm, maybe after many years of struggle, you’ll sell a photo or win a random contest. But the odds of that happening in perpetuity are about the same as hitting the lottery. People don’t really grasp how many photographers actually exist out there. Billions of people walk around with a camera in their pocket today. And according to the latest statistics, over seven million standalone cameras were bought in 2023 alone. That means there are tens of millions of serious photography enthusiasts and professionals worldwide. Those are your odds if you choose to compete. Some people sense this subconsciously and just give up halfway. I know quite a few who did. Luckily, I noticed the social media trap a few years back and walked away. I had a few thousand followers on Instagram and a couple of other platforms, and one day I burned it all down and never looked back. That’s why I was hesitant to start something again — this time on Nostr. I wrestled with the idea for some months. I had already moved all my portfolio shots to a website back in 2021 and was content sharing them quietly, with only close friends and family occasionally taking a look. It felt pointless to change that. I hadn’t sold a picture or farmed likes in years and still found real fulfillment shooting in complete obscurity. Still, Nostr had its appeal — it checked all the right boxes for me: no algorithm to manipulate you, barely any photographers, a built-in tipping system over Lightning, and a culture that values authenticity over vanity metrics. Monetization was never the goal; I’ve always been about the experience and the sense of self-accomplishment. But hey, a few zaps along the way don’t hurt. So I tweaked my website a bit and added the option to buy high-resolution images for some extra sats. I didn’t expect much, yet somehow I ended up selling ten pictures in just two months. The first shoutout goes to my first customer, @Orange Dad, who went ahead and bought five right off the bat. He later told me he planned to print and frame them in his home because they reminded him of his grandparents’ lake house. I can’t describe how good that felt — knowing that someone halfway across the world found my work valuable and emotional enough to hang on a wall and look at every day. I think I bragged about it for a week straight. 😂 So thank you, Orange Dad — you made me proud of what I do. 🫂 I also want to mention @First Man Photography from First Man Photography, who shared one of my images with his larger Nostr audience and helped me make that first sale. Adam’s one of my favorite photographers on Nostr, and I’ve become a regular viewer of his YouTube channel — it’s excellent and deserves more attention. 💪 And last but not least, @🟠 isolabellart — an incredible painter who reached out of nowhere and asked if he could paint one of my photos. That was a huge honor I didn’t expect or think I deserved. The piece he created absolutely blew my mind with its attention to detail and how perfectly it captured the mood. 🤯 Check out his work and buy a painting if you can spare the sats — he’s worth it, and I have no doubt you’ll enjoy having his art on your wall. I also can’t forget everyone who’s zapped or engaged with my posts so far — I notice you, and I appreciate it. I hope my images bring a bit of light to your day and maybe inspire you to get out, explore, and enjoy nature the way I do. We can stay vigilant Bitcoin psychopaths and still touch some grass at the same time. 🤙 To wrap this up — Nostr is an amazing place for value-for-value, especially for artists worn down by the social media grind. It’s a place to rediscover motivation in a genuine, organic way. You’ll find friends and collaborators along the way too. Journeys are always better shared, and I’m grateful I get to share mine with so many like-minded people. View quoted note →