Without much regret, I packed up my things and walked away from Instagram this week (ok, so I didn’t really pack anything up…I left my page open for viewing…or in case I change my mind in 3 weeks). As I stated in my final post, I have become disenchanted with the way the app is run…having been turned into more of a digital classified page than either a social or creative platform. Well, you know what they say: you can’t complain about something as long as you keep supporting it. So I ran… and that’s what brings me here, to the blog I have tried many times to start and maintain, but have failed in each attempt.

As much as it pains me to admit, Instagram really was the perfect outlet for a photographer…so much so, that I began dedicating more time to my IG feed than I did to my website. People don’t look up websites on computers like they used to. Rather, given the choice between browsing a photography website on a phone or taking a quick scroll through someone’s Instagram, most will choose the latter. But I couldn’t do it anymore; I couldn’t continue to waste precious moments of my life on an app…especially not one that has mutilated the very social experience it was built on, in favor of the almighty dollar. However, almost immediately after kicking Instagram to the curb, I received a number of messages from people telling me how much they love my work and my words, and how inspirational I am…messages from complete strangers and people who have followed my work for years…and then it hit me: I need to be able to continue to share my work with those I motivate and inspire. By cutting off my followers and fans, I was no better than Instagram only caring about their own selfish needs…

Enter the Macheen Blog. Assuming I can stay regular with this thing, I plan to provide those who wish to still follow my work a place where they can come see what I’m up to……without the ads. This will be the place I come to share posts from a day out shooting, or to talk about a particular photo. Hell, I may even end up using this like a journal that’s open to the public.

That all being said, today I went to the NY Botanical Garden……yes, you read that correctly…..and spent the day taking photos I didn’t think I was going to take until I’m 97 years old and asking someone to watch my walker as I crouch my Depends-covered ass down to capture a damn daffodil on a nursing home field trip.

One thing is for sure: NY Botanical Garden is quite possibly the cleanest place I’ve ever shot in The Bronx. No garbage, no graffiti, no homeless people….no problem? Well, not exactly. Shooting content you’re not passionate about, or used to shooting, is hard. Flowers don’t tell a story, and even a beautiful scene is just that…beautiful. There’s no backstories, no rush of the streets, no capturing the feeling of walking down Jerome Ave. with salsa or bachata blasting from an amp next to a stack of tires, while the local business owners bust their asses 7 days a week to make ends meet. I kept looking for “the shot,” but soon realized it wasn’t going to be that kind of party. I had to accept the fact that I was going to leave with cliche, run of the mill photos…of flowers…and I’m okay with that. I enjoyed the challenge of stepping outside my comfort zone and shooting content that is aesthetically pleasing in a way that is completely different from my normal subject matter. 

…okay okay…that wasn’t too hard.