Why I Choose to Under-Edit My Photos

I don’t fully participate in the highly edited and curated aspect of social media.

I try to remain my complete authentic self as much as possible in the virtual realm. Which may undoubtedly be affecting my ability to immediately gain a massive following on Instagram or my blog.

But I’m trying out a new approach.

While I admire the big time Instagrammers and bloggers of the current time, I have to say that as a follower, I notice a big gap of raw real honesty. Which is, in part, why I started my own blog. To share the parts of myself that I felt other bloggers weren’t sharing of themselves. It’s been a challenge to create my own path in a digital world of perfect photos and curated feeds, but I’m really trying my hardest to stick with my most authentic self.

This perspective applies most heavily to my photos, but also to every other aspect of my online presence that I’m creating.

I don’t enjoy the thought of having a version of myself out on the internet that isn’t representative of the values and ideals that I hold and who I actually am as a person. It feels wrong to me.

And while I do enjoy the commonalities of some bloggers out there, and how you can figure out just about everyone’s “favorites from Sephora” or what they bought at the Nordstrom anniversary sale, that path just isn’t for me. Even though those are things I care about as a reader, the market for being one of those types of bloggers/creators is heavily saturated.

I don’t think I could force myself to fit the mold of that type of lifestyle blogger/Instagrammer. I’m personally ready for lifestyle bloggers that are more open and honest about their life story. I want to hear about the struggles people have been through, how they moved through it and beyond. How do they heal after trauma and what helps them get through the day now? Surely, there are days where a Nordstrom sale can help damn near anyone. But, honestly, it doesn’t help me with the majority of the day to day issues I face in my boring little life.

My other issue with over-edited and over-curated personas online is that it prevents me from knowing how people tick. I’m a philosopher by nature and I am fascinated by the various ways that people differ from one another. Each of us is so intricate and varied, that I think slapping the same filter over every photo we post is nice, but does it show the real you? Are you displaying who you really are inside?

This is why, personally, I have stuck with the route of relatively unedited photos.

Now let’s be real for a moment – I have absolutely edited photos of mine on Instagram. I have used auto-correct and gotten rid of red eyes or pimples in photos. When I say “unedited” I mean that the photos I post will remain, for the most part, true to the image that was captured. I’m sure in a photographers mind that’s blasphemy because editing is a crucial part of the process, but I’m not a photographer. I’m someone who always prefers to show what my real life looks like.

I’m not a blogger or Instagrammer who cares about competing with others and showing off my life in a condescending way. I want to share what my real experiences are like and what really happened for me. So for me, in this season of life, that means posting less “Insta-worthy” material than I would be advised to by any social media master.

Here’s to hoping my authenticity and realness attract the kind of people who are looking for that in a rapidly changing, perfection-seeking internet reality.