I’m in a bit of a unique situation and would love some insights or thoughts from fellow photographers. During the Bernie Sanders 2020 Presidential campaign, I had the incredible opportunity to be the Director of Photography. As a result, I’m sitting on over a terabyte of Bernie Sanders imagery, arguably the world’s largest collection of photos of the Senator.
Post-campaign, I’ve been grappling with the idea of what to do with these images. Initially, I considered compiling them into a book, but as time has passed, I’m unsure if there’s still interest or relevancy in such a project. Given the nature of the content and the emotional journey that accompanied it, these images hold significant personal and historical value.
Inspired by a fellow Redditor’s post about the challenges of what to do with their photos in the era of changing social media algorithms, I find myself at a crossroads. They mentioned the idea of creating a virtual gallery or a blog as a repository for their work, which got me thinking.
Is there merit in pursuing a book or digital gallery for this extensive collection of campaign imagery? Or have I missed the window of opportunity where these photos would have had the most impact and relevance?
I’m curious to hear your thoughts or if anyone here has faced a similar dilemma with their photography work. How do you decide the fate of your photos, especially those tied to significant events or periods in your life?
Sorry if this feels a bit open-ended, but I guess I’m trying to navigate through a mix of creative uncertainty and the desire to do justice to a pivotal time in my career.
Thanks for any insights or suggestions you might have!
I think the value of whatever you decide to do will be correlated to the effort you put in. Dumping a bunch of photos online, whether it be Flickr, Instagram, or another photo sharing site probably won’t generate as much attention or be as fulfilling as a well thought out, but ultimately more time consuming, venture.
Off the top of my head, I would imagine a story or narrative combined with the images may be the most obvious use. A year on the road with a politician is probably plenty of material for something like that. My take is that I don’t think photos alone of a politician at work is enticing enough. It might have worked for a more exciting individual or profession (athlete, film director, etc.) but I have no idea of the photo content.