Goodbye to Facebook, and Instagram
Earlier this month, I decided to delete Twitter because I never used it, and don’t dig the musky guy at the top, so, poof, that was an easy delete. For sometime now, I’ve toyed with the idea of getting of Meta sites because it seemed like their platforms were getting worse by the minute, but, after seeing today’s reports of Meta, and other big names, disclosing personal information to alphabet agencies, I did not want to be a part of whatever the hell they’re trying to do.
This photo I took a couple of days ago seems relevant to some of my problems with social media, lol
It always seemed like the idea of a ‘surveillance state’ was so far off, and required some hard turns to get to, but social media platforms have managed to let it slip into our lives in such a way that many don’t even think twice about; what seems like a benign request for information, or even something that’s predicated by the idea of protecting something, is just another tendril they sneak into your life, and that is 100% by design. For so long, we’ve had social media as an integral part of our lives, especially those of us in creative fields, making itself an invaluable tool for showcasing your art, networking, and more.
For me, so many opportunities have come up for music because of how easy it was to get in touch with promoters, or other bands, and get music to them. When it came to running Groove City, being able to have a platform that presents ‘the work’, and allows clients to get in contact with me in one, easy to use package is, again, something invaluable that takes a lot of work out of running a business. But, in the many times I’ve pondered this whole thing, the idea that the ‘work’ is circumvented is something that sticks out in my mind as something of a trade-off. In giving social media all the information, and letting them do the grunt work of presenting it, we’re able to get a quick product out to followers, and prospective clients. But, in doing so, we have given them something much more important than initially thought: THE INFORMATION.
That information is precisely what is being used against us in the surveillance state, and we’ve handed it over to them without a second thought. While there are a myriad of other reasons why using these big social media platforms is a problem, the one that is a bit more pressing is the information we’ve given them, how they’re using it/selling it, and who’s getting a hold of it.
Believe me, I’ll be making a post about the other effects, especially the environment, that these tech companies have. See all of that dirt before the waterline? That USED to be underwater.
For now, I’ll remove the tinfoil hat, and just say that I know these social media companies DO NOT have our best interests in mind, and, quite frankly, it’s not their job to; they’re just a bunch of shitty corporations whose sole purpose is to make money, and it’s up to us to say when enough is enough. For me, while it means a hell of a lot more work when it comes to pushing music, Groove City, or whatever, in front of people, I’ll gladly do the work if it means not supplying these awful companies another set of eyes to feed garbage to.
Thanks for reading!
Fun Photos to Send Off 2025
I try to avoid doing “TOP 10 FAVORITE X” lists because I often find myself with too many favorite whatevers, and narrowing them down to a specific number feels so reductive. Maybe next year, I’ll try doing it as an exercise in decision-making, but, today, I’m just going to share some photos I’ve shot this year that I really liked.
We’ll start with the banger above: a can of the nectar of the gods on a pier. While taking in the gulf’s sights, and sounds, I looked down, and spotted the can. Being a Dr. Pepper enjoyer, I found it to be a beautiful scene that I had to capture.
Slow shutter speeds, and lights just GO together, right? Walking around SeaWorld during the holiday season with a camera is always a great time for noodling with that kind of thing.
For this year’s fiesta festivities, I decided to mosey myself over to downtown (with a camera, of course), and just walk around, seeing what I could find. I took a number of shots that I really liked, but this one always made me smile.
Groove City was brought on to shoot for an event at a golf course, capturing the attendees, but, hidden away in the trees that lined the fairways, there were TONS of deer that my camera needed to see. I happened upon this one, and it locked in on me before I even brought up the camera, staying still the entire time. It’s almost as if she said, “yes, you may photograph me.”
Another photo opportunity courtesy of SeaWorld, this little owl was so cute! And, even though it looks like a baby, I was surprised to hear that this owl is 8 years old, and this is their adult size.
This shot is also one of the first ones I ever took on color film!
I have some cool friends that have a band called Viatorum, and they brought me on for shooting a performance they had at the missions. The building was so beautiful, that I had to take a moment after their performance to capture a wide shot of the interior.
On the way to a restaurant downtown, these were just chillin’ in the middle of the road. I wonder if they’re still there.
Before I took it to the San Marcos Film Lab, I had to use up the roll of film I had in the camera! Right next door to the lab is Old Soul, a retro clothing & stuff store. Inside was this poster, and I just took a shot of it, thinking it’d be a cool shot. Once it was developed, it became a favorite of mine; something about the framing, angle, the grain, and colors just grabs me with this photo.
Here’s a shot from a recital of my friend’s music school, the Institute of Musical Arts. He brings me on to capture photos of the students for his Spring & Winter recitals, and, during this year’s Winter recital, I slipped towards the back, with the Elan that I had just picked up, and took a shot. It’s also one of the first photos I took with a film camera. I wanted to shoot on black & white for my first roll because b&w has always had this ‘sacred’ feeling to it in my mind, and I’m glad I did.
And, that’s all for this one! Again, 2025 had me shooting a ton, and it’s hard to select a few favorites out of the thousands I’ve taken over the year, but I hope you enjoyed looking over these. I’m excited to see what 2026 will be bringing into frame.
Thanks for reading!
A Visit to Colorado Springs
Photos from Colorado Springs!
One of the many views from a shoulder on the road to Cripple Creek.
FIRST POST!!!
Colorado Springs is such a beautiful place. I won’t be too long-winded, so you can just look at the photos, but, WOW, I love it up there, and can’t wait to go back!
Photos shot with:
5D Mk IV, Elan, and Rebel 2000 | Canon’s EF 24-70 2.8 & 70-200 2.8, and Promaster Spectrum 7 28-70 3.5-4.5 | Fujfilm 200, and Harman Phoenix II 200
Bonus: here are some photos taken on the road to, and from!
