Insta-guess

   Picture taking is at an all time high. Professional photographers aren't the only ones recording life.  It's not 1930 anymore. You don't even need to specifically carry a camera anymore. Cellphones have a lens built right in for you to take a decent photo. 

   What will you do with the pictures? You probably are not going to share each one on the internet. Most of them aren't taken with the purpose of being instantly posted on social media. We keep them to look back on. Whether the day comes when we show a friend part of our photo library doesn't matter. They don't need to be featured anywhere. But when you take a picture of an impressive landscape, a delicious coffee drink or a group shot at a party you have to decide it it's worth clicking "share" on. I hit on that question in my last post concerning baked goods. 

   There's always that one friend who seems to have no filter and documents much of what they see. I don't mind that. But that's not the case for all of us. Some are too busy and don't see the need for posting very often. We have to weed through the new hundred images during the week and decide what makes the cut and what doesn't. 

   Do I have a good enough reason to post? It has to be something that I like and think others will like, even if it's just have a few people I have in mind. The biggest thing I'm talking about is Instagram. Do you post for friends only or quality photographs for a person who might not know you would appreciate? 

   I never gave much thought to the standards there are for a picture to be considered "good" in the eyes of a stranger. A book publisher won't put out a book that doesn't have an interesting story. A record producer won't release a song only the artist's mother could stand. Before a song or book can be out for public consumption it has to meet an established criteria.

   Some focus on the product and choose to follow the rules and share photos that could attract anyone out there. I'm trying now to see the skill involved with being able to do that versus being straightforward and posting what's plainly in front of you. It's like informative writing that gets the point across compared to descriptive writing that is attracting and enjoyable for a wider range of people. 

   I have an idea for another app as a predecessor to Instagram or anything else you use. Insta-Guess. Upload a photo and people can vote 'yes' or 'no' if they think the picture is worthy of being seen. Until that app is built, we'll have to decide for ourselves- Offer strictly good quality photos for anyone or appeal to a smaller audience of just your friends? There's a need for both. You can set the standard. It's just a personal choice that won't get you in trouble one way or another.

Easy

   Do you have a hobby you've picked up that can be considered a skill? It's enjoyable to do even simple things. Whether it be creating by drawing, painting, sewing or something athletic like running, playing a sport with friends. In all my free time last year, I got into baking from scratch. 

   Baking seems pretty straight forward to me. All you have to do is follow the directions. How can anyone mess it up? Yet lots of people will confess they don't do well in the kitchen. Having millions of recipes right at my fingertips made it very easy to bake whatever I was in the mood for. Lots of different cookies, muffins, and cakes were dished up. Along with this came the need to share a picture of what I made with others. When I started out I was pretty impressed with each thing and considered it worthy of  Instagram. Since I've made even more things this year, the less impressive things have went to Flickr. And some rank so low they go unseen by anyone on the Internet.  

Just look at this cinnamon-sugar muffin picture I didn't consider worthy of any website. Now it will have it's time in the sun! 

With every other picture I post, I get a "that looks so good" comment. I wish anyone who wanted a sample could just reach through the computer and have some. But in the mean time- why don't they just make something themselves?  I've picked up a reputation of being good at baking among a few people. Most of us enjoy sweets so baking can be seen as a valuable skill. But it feels like I'm cheating somehow because nothing I've done has required any test and fail or advanced knowledge. Maybe the only thing I know that not everyone is aware of is the correct way to measure flour. So can I really be considered good at baking? I feel very far from anything my grandmother, and maybe yours too, ever did. I would sooner pick writing as my talent because it's an ability I really care about and want to develop.

Is there anything you're praised for that is easy for you to do? Not a skill you've acquired by putting time in and gaining knowledge about, but whatever doesn't take much work in your eyes.