1/ Recently I've been collecting more and more photography. I felt underexposed from a portfolio perspective, but I also think it's highly undervalued. My hunch is that as the market matures, we'll see 📸 become a top medium on SOL (as it is on ETH). A few thoughts on why...

2/ Photography as a medium has struggled to gain notoriety in fine art since its inception. Many didn't believe that simply releasing a shutter took any skill, that it was the machine doing the work rather than an 'artist' (not too dissimilar from how we see AI today 🤔).

3/ And now, with the advent of the smartphone, everyone over the age of 12 has a camera in their pocket. We see photos every day on social media from our friends and family. The idea that AnYoNe CaN bE a PhOtOgRaPhEr is more pervasive than ever and continues to dilute the medium.

4/ Another hurdle is the commercial side of the practice. Unlike painting or sculpture, photographs are produced to sell real estate, create product advertisements, and document my children on the first day of school. It's hard to justify any of these uses as "art".

5/ Finally, the misconception that a photograph can be produced in just an instant, and that the supply can be seemingly endless, has also led to its devaluation. If you really think it just takes an instant, read this story from @douglasrmccurdy:

6/ I bought a photo recently from @thejomshoots that took YEARS to produce. Why? The 3 pc series represented 3 phases of his life - each image embodying the emotions, nostalgia, and country of a diff life stage. This series wouldn't be possible without years of life experience.

7/ All of these misconceptions, I believe, have led to the underappreciation of photography as an art form in general, and this is only exacerbated in a young art market like SOL. It just takes education for new collectors to appreciate the art form.

8/ I think it's simply a matter of time until we see photography really shine, and I'm accumulating now in preparation for takeoff. I'm not the biggest whale, so my edge is being early. I'm making a bet that photography will have its day soon.

9/ With that, I'd like to unveil my limited edition photography gallery. I realize many people won't make it this far so I will do a separate spotlight on the gallery and artists later this week, but for those who made it here, enjoy!
aether.so/space/b7f9a93f-e736-4f50-a9ce-04ebe2b872ef

10/ PS - I'm still learning a ton myself, and want to give a special thanks to photographers like @dwypto, @IDerech, and @superjimmer for being great teachers, answering all my silly questions, and even providing reading materials.