The Raw Society is a unique community of people from every corner of the world, united by a passion for photography. Within this cohort of photographers lies an immense wealth of knowledge on nearly any topic in life. Some members generously share parts of their expertise, experiences, field notes, thoughts, reflections, and photographs on blogs—many of which are hosted on Substack.
For me, this community served as an excellent incentive to finally start blogging myself. Substack seemed like a suitable platform, though I had my reservations. I created an account, subscribed to various members of our community and others, and lurked for a while. I appreciated the blogging aspect but was less enthusiastic about the Twitter-like feed they introduced at some point. When The Guardian published the article Revealed: How Substack makes money from hosting Nazi newsletters, my reservations were confirmed, and I decided to stick with my initial plan: a self-hosted WordPress blog; like in the rare ould times.
After a lengthy discussion with my friend and co-founder of The Raw Society, Jorge Delgado-Ureña, on the topic of blogging, I concluded that I would integrate Substack into my blogging process after all—despite my lingering hesitations. (At some point, I will publish a more detailed post about my stance on the hegemony of proprietary software and hardware, and for-profit companies. For now, I’ll keep it brief.)
A Tandem Approach
The idea is to run a tandem operation: I will publish on both, my self-hosted WordPress blog and Substack. Content related to documentary photography will live on both platforms, while my personal reflections on politics, music, and other miscellaneous topics will remain exclusive to the WordPress blog.
This way, my work remains accessible on a free/libre open-source software (FLOSS) platform that I own and manage—eliminating the risk of my content disappearing if a company folds or disagrees with my personal views. Readers can choose where to follow me: those interested in my documentary photography can do so on Substack, while others can engage with my broader thoughts on my regular blog. It also appears that the audience I am targeting is primarily interested in my documentary photography and related content, rather than my personal musings on the world.
Though this is a compromise, there is also a significant technical advantage: both platforms offer the possibility to subscribe via RSS and email.
Contributing to The Raw Society
Being on Substack is also a small but meaningful way to contribute directly to The Raw Society community. Many members are active there, and bundling our collective knowledge, crafts, experiences, and perspectives on the same platform feels like the right way to support and strengthen our shared mission. If you’re interested, I encourage you to follow and subscribe to The Raw Society’s substack as well.
Starting on the day of the Raw Photo Fest, I will share a weekly blog post every Wednesday—field notes, project updates, and reflections on my work as a documentary photographer. This rhythm is not just about consistency; it it is about creating space to reflect and actively contribute to the dialogue.
(Why Wednesdays? Twenty-seven years ago, my favourite television show aired on Wednesdays. Since then, the day has held a special place in my heart. Life was simpler as a child, wasn’t it?)
A Prelude
Until then, I will share three articles I wrote in recent years, published in a local photography magazine of the Photo-Club Esch. These articles cover my experience with the VII Masterclass 2022/2023 in Arles and my brief encounter and dinner with Lynsey Addario, serving as a prelude to what is to come.
So, I invite you to subscribe—either to my WordPress blog (via e-mail, RSS or Atom feed) or my Substack (via e-mail or RSS).
Read you soon.
Slàinte!
