24 Comments
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Sean Mitchell's avatar

Good stuff! I'm at the tail end of a 30 day social media (and most of the internet) detox, purposely timed to end after our election. And quite frankly, cutting all that noise has been refreshing and has allowed me to focus more on things that matter. In fact, I don't think I'll be resuming Facebook or Insta, I'm just not missing it at all now.

Great stuff, keep it up! :)

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Kyle McDougall's avatar

Very cool to hear, Sean. I can imagine how impactful a break would be. For me, not really being able to do that, my goal is to find the best way to navigate it and decide where I place my focus. When I do a good job of that, things go smoothly.

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Karen McBride's avatar

Great audio track, thanks. Don’t forget the audio at this end also makes it easier for us to consume as well. I can listen to it while I’m doing the dishes!

I’m in total agreement about the noise which can also come from our own minds. It helps to quiet it all in the pursuit of creativity for sure.

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Kyle McDougall's avatar

Glad you enjoyed this one. The audio versions feel much more natural for me to make. I enjoy the challenge of writing, but it’s nice to hear that people are also enjoying this version. Thanks for listening!

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Nathan Ethier Myette's avatar

Love these! Still planning on releasing the part 2 of the Finland adventure?

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Kyle McDougall's avatar

Yep! Had to push it to this coming Monday. Was having a few issues with YT.

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James Barnes's avatar

Thanks for the encouragement ,

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Brandon Lavoie's avatar

love this one

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Kyle McDougall's avatar

Cheers, Brandon. Thanks for listening.

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Malcolm's avatar

Thanks for such insightful comments Kyle. I've had a recent return to film photography after 30 years lost in the digital wilderness. You've resonated with everything thing that has been spinning in my head and through YT been a great inspiration. Keep up the good works

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Kyle McDougall's avatar

Thanks, Malcolm!

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Micky's avatar

Thanks for this! A great reminder to tune out of the chaos and let your mind focus on creating instead. Also, loving the audio musings, something I can listen and continue working at the same time :)

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Kyle McDougall's avatar

Glad you enjoyed the audio version. I enjoy making them!

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Lin Gregory's avatar

Great audio version Kyle. I started to lose my photography mojo and have taken breaks from social media regularly over the past couple of years - I've not posted on Insta for a long time...in fact I don't think I'll go back! Substack and YT or podcasts that feed creativity and positivity have been more of my focus and given me a chance to rethink how I approach photography and slowly rediscover my love for the medium.

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Kyle McDougall's avatar

That’s great to hear Lin. I love how a change in focus can impact our work in a positive way.

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Jack Carbone's avatar

I liked the piece on your trip to Finland and the Kamera Store.

I spend too much time in my head. I got in a rut. I'd obsess over where I'd go to shoot. What would I shoot. What camera, format, film. Then I usually would just give up and not do anything. So, recently I took my Nikon F and a roll of film, went to town and just took shots of things that looked interesting. I felt free of constraints and expectations. It felt so good I took my F2 out the next week. I just did it and didn't over think it.

I love your channel and the way you deal with what goes on behind the process of making images.

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Kyle McDougall's avatar

Cheers, Jack. We all do that at times. It’s easy to get caught up in overthinking and trying to figure out everything beforehand. Glad you had a good outing last week!

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Nate Diemer's avatar

Some of the best photography noise I’ve found of late have been Alec Soth’s “rambling” talks he starting giving during Covid that he posts to his YT channel - they’re simple and yet challenging conversations as he flips through photobooks to make his point - truly edifying antidotes to the flashy thumbnail-driven content of the day

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Kyle McDougall's avatar

Yep, Soth’s YT is excellent!

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Jeremy's avatar

As a 25 year hobbyist, the amount of stress the internet brings to the profession is terrible. I have a handful of "good noise" youtube channels. It's bizarre to me - human behavior where the internet is involved so often goes into the gutter, it's sad.

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Marty Schnurr's avatar

Loved this and perfect timing for how I was feeling about my own work. Thank you

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Kyle McDougall's avatar

Cheers, Marty! Thanks for listening.

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Justin Tedford's avatar

Right now, I am feeling at my lowest, although I am much better than I had been. I have been off track!

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Larry's avatar

Enjoying these audio based musings, perfect background listening while I work! I totally agree with you on social media and I often remind myself that these platforms are probably deliberately pushing the mire controversial posts on you to try and get you to engage with them. I find myself being more and more tempted to take an extended break from Instagram and concentrate on writing blog posts, even if no ones reading them. There's something almost therapeutic about just throwing words and images out into the ether without worrying about fighting against 'the algorithm'.

Looking forward to hearing/ reading more!

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