Am I a Hypocrite? I Just Posted to Facebook After Quitting it "Forever."
(This post is a little political... but trust me, it has photography in it!)
I changed my mind about posting to Facebook, and that’s okay! This moment is about the future of my son, my family, and every student who ever walked into my classroom.
Look at Bernie. He’s never going to be done fighting, and in this moment he’s pointing at us.
He’s pointing at me.
And so instead of giving into depression, hopelessness and full-on extreme rage at the world today, I want to take this moment to gather my patience and strength, and pick up my camera in a new way. (And if you disagree with my politics - that’s cool! I hope you can use your camera to fight for what you believe in as well… I’d love to be enriched by the stories you tell - that’s AWESOME about American politics, right?)
I believe I can use photography, art and writing to move the needle a little more toward a positive, uplifting future.
However audacious that sounds, I have to try. I think I’ll collapse under the weight of my own guilt for not trying to fight for a better future if I don’t.
In it, Phelps talks at length how the patience and kindness of one man’s interactions online changed her mind completely.
Her worldview didn’t shift because someone screamed at her. She was used to that, and had defenses against it. She responded to truth, kindness, sincerity.
We need more of it, and we need it in places the people are… like Facebook.
The more progressives like me leave Facebook, the less likely my voice might reach someone who needs it.
So here’s the deal: I’ll never go back to X. That’s a dumpster fire so hot I can’t get near it.
Facebook though? I think I might need to post there a bit. Not scroll. Never scroll… but I think it’s important to put some truth and sincerity out there on a platform that’s built on outrage and lies.
I’m not sure what that means yet. I’m adjusting. I’m figuring things out… and who knows? Maybe I’ll delete Facebook completely tomorrow, and that’s okay too.
For now, I want to participate in building a better future, and I posting some positivity here and there just might help a bit.
To switch gears just a little back to Photography, I did love taking photos at the Bernie Sanders rally in Omaha, Nebraska on February 21.
I used an X100vi and a Panasonic G9II with the 40-150 f/2.8 to cover the event. The kit was light, didn’t look intimidating, and gave me a lot of options.
I could get close-up shots of Bernie with the X100vi when I was closer to the stage like this:
Then I could switch to get close-ups and details with the G9II:
If you want to hear about the experience of me using those cameras, you can check out my latest YouTube video here:
If you want to see the full gallery of photos, you can view them on my website here:
https://jerredz.com/bernie-sanders-rally-omaha-2025
Facebook still sucks for photography! Join my community instead…
Look… I may be going back to posting to Facebook, but it’s only a transactional thing for me. I want to get there, post, respond, and then get the hell out.
True photography community just doesn’t work on Facebook or Instagram because of the constant negativity and the shattering way ads and the algorithm interrupts our minds and steers the conversation toward negativity.
Deeper conversations are hard to have there. I have an alternative though.
Did you know I have a community you can join? It’s pretty fun! We do weekly livestreams, events, challenges, conversations about all kinds of photography topics… and it needs YOUR contributions!
In this community, we could workshop your prints, think of audience personas, review your mockups and much more. I think it’s going to be one of the best places on the internet for photography.
As always, THANK YOU!
If you know someone who might like this newsletter, share it! I’d love to continue to grow and help more photographers!
jerred@jerredz.com Is bouncing FYI