top row pictures are from June 2023, bottom row pictures are from June 2024
just realized it's been a year since i started taking virtual photography more seriously, both by trying to learn about photography so i'm not winging it 100% of the time and by learning how to edit my pics. Lightroom counts 664 pictures in my catalog which puts my pace at about two pictures every day.
i'm pretty satisfied with my improvement although i still struggle fairly often with framing characters in a satisfying way. i've thought about joining stuff like discord servers dedicated to this hobby but honestly those communities either feel very intimidating to me (those managed by the ppl who created the tools i'm using especially), or they have vibes rancid enough they can be felt without even interacting with them. oh well
So far based on my assetto corsa screenshot community experiences and my current life in photography & camera communities and yt channels, I find communities helpful in getting to know 'what the others/public likes to see (for certain period and moods)' and feedback from getting words to from seeing the works and analyzing what works & how to capture better for your next shots. But at the same time it can be a headwreck, seeing dramas and insults etc that might end up in your complete demotivation. The reason I left assetto corsa communities was due to paid mod and scripts drama, and now I'm facing 'professionals' who cannot understand & are insulting a lot of people calling "$1500 body-only full frame camera" very expensive and not budget friendly.
Anyways, I really do hope you get to find communities that feel comfortable and also continue to motivate you! After drama headwrecks, I'm finding more importance in finding communities you feel comfortable & confident in sharing your works and get encouragements, even if that communities' main theme is not directly related to photography.
