Ayup! The number of black-and-white photos featured on Unsplash is steadily declining. A couple of years ago, they were abundant on the homepage. Then they started colour-coordinating. Black and white would come around once a week. A small handful of monochrome images made their way to prime-time viewing if they were lucky.
Now, I think they’ve pretty much abandoned it altogether. Scrolling through the category pages and home page recently, they’re so few and far between. I assume it’s all down to trends and demand. Fair play.
Pastures New
Unsplash has served me extremely well over the years. That said, I’m embracing this signal as an opportunity. I’ve recently been considering how shooting for a stock photography audience affects my creativity.
It certainly has its motivational benefits, but it can also stifle artistic pursuit. They want images that serve their users’ needs. You quickly learn what’ll fly or flop on the platform. Often, the deeper, more meaningful (to me) images die a slow and sorry death.
I wouldn’t change a thing about my time as a contributor. Maybe I’ll come back to it some time, but for now, the next phase of the journey awaits. I’m slowly figuring out what that will look like.
Focus, Passion & Creative Freedom
My passion and enthusiasm for photography are at an all-time high right now. Taking and editing photos. Sharing and engaging with like-minded folks online. Writing about the process. Maybe, for now, this is enough.
My entire focus is currently on black-and-white photography. As far as I can see, this no longer aligns with Unsplash. Let’s see what happens when I’m left to my own devices. No rules, no limits, no working to trends or briefs. Full creative freedom.
For archival purposes, I’ll now be using Glass. I’m also really enjoying the community aspect there. Here on my website, I’ll continue to display a selection of recent work, too. Cheers to pastures new…