Reality Is Stranger Than Fiction: 50 Of The Most Unreal Photographs (New Pics)

Asking for feedback for your photos is one of the most gruelling, heart-stopping things you can do as a creative. Being criticized is hardly ever fun. However, the more feedback you get, the easier it is to hear. And if you’re open-minded enough, this can be a great way to level up your work and shore up any weaknesses in your art. But it means knowing how to separate the wheat (constructive, useful criticism) from the chaff (negative opinions, biased comments, and venting that have no substance).

No matter how amazing you are at photography, you will never, ever be able to make everyone happy. There will always be someone who doesn’t like what you do or thinks it’s ‘meh,’ ‘mid,’ or ‘blah.’ But you don’t need the entire world to love you. What you probably want is to enjoy what you do, earn a decent living, and have a semi-sizeable, loyal, engaged following of awesome people. With that in mind, it’s not worth trying to appeal to absolutely everyone.

According to Fstoppers, social media can be quite a harsh environment for creatives. “It’s mostly those with negative observations who speak up, and people, in general, do not give affirmations nearly as much.” So, it’s best not to take the negativity to heart (even though human beings are literally hard-wired to do the opposite).

“One person’s reaction to criticism (at least the true constructive kind) will reflect how they see their work themselves, and how they see themselves as artists altogether. As artists, it is crucial to get used to criticism,” Fstoppers points out that developing resilience to feedback is vital.

Broadly speaking, when trying to understand where the criticism is coming from, first consider whether there’s actually any substance to the person’s remarks. For instance, are they talking about your art or just you as a person, are they expressing their opinions or being rude and insulting, etc.

Some negative comments come down not to mistakes on your part, but rather a gap between your photography style and that person’s taste. Others, however, might point to errors on your part, which you can fix in the future.

If you’re the creative type (and if you’re reading this, the odds are that you are), then you’ve probably considered becoming a professional photographer at some point in time. Maybe you started out by taking some amateur photos, or you signed up for a course or two. Or maybe you’ve even managed to turn your hobby into a full-fledged career.

In this day and age, with so much content flooding the internet and social media, standing out is a major challenge. So, your work, voice, and style have to be unique and high-quality enough not to get lost among the noise. Developing that uniqueness is easier said than done, however.

If you want to test your limits, raise the bar, and think outside the box, you can challenge yourself to photograph things in ways you never have before.

For example, you could decide to spend a day focusing on a completely different style of photography than you’re used to.

Switch things up a little. If you mainly do portraits, do some nature or animal photography, and vice versa.

Another way to challenge yourself is to drastically change your environment. If you mostly spend your days in an urban environment, you could visit wilder, more rural areas.

Try taking photos during times of day and in weather when you usually wouldn’t.

Intentionally put yourself in situations where you have to adapt to new conditions and learn new things. Hopefully, this should help you grow as a professional.

Meanwhile, if you have access to a wide(r) range of photography gear, you could experiment with different cameras (both digital and analog), lenses, lights, tripods, phones, etc. Try out new angles and subject matter to really get your creative juices flowing. Try out film or black-and-white photography to see what clicks and what doesn’t.

A huge part of your growth as an artist comes down to your willingness to consistently take (small) risks. It requires enough humility that you’re willing to try and fail, while also having enough self-confidence that you find pride and passion in what you do. As a professional, you have to look for ways to balance your unique style with what the public relates to. You have to make a living somehow, after all.

If all you ever do is take photos that you personally enjoy, but shut yourself away from any and all feedback, you run the risk of alienating your (potential) audience. On the other side of the scale, if all you ever do is try to chase trends and pander to your audience for the sake of popularity, your work might end up being generic, bland, and soulless.

The sweet spot is in the middle, where you embrace and respect your audience while also clearly knowing who you are as a photographer and what values you stand for.

At the end of the day, keeping the lights on and putting food on the table is a priority for any worker. So, your photography has to have at least some commercial value. However, getting paid for your hard work and creativity as an artist isn’t ‘selling out.’ It’s being valued for your labor.

Though, the line where you should maybe rethink your approach to art is if you’re now only doing it for the money and chasing fame, not because you find photography purposeful, meaningful, and a way for you to relate to the world. If you love the idea of being a famous photographer more than you enjoy photography itself, maybe it’s time to slow down.

Focus on having a tad more fun, not just on the business, marketing, and networking side of things.

We’re curious to hear what you think, dear Pandas. Which of the photos that we’re featuring in this list here caught your eye the most?

Which pics were so entrancing that you found it hard to look away? How much do you dabble in photography, and what inspires you?

Let us know in the comments! And if you haven’t done so already, upvote the photos that you liked the most.