Every so often, Bob takes a look at his Flickr stats. I don’t mean I sit there refreshing the page — but you know how it goes. You upload a few photos, and then the stats chart pops up like, “Hey Bob, check out this roller coaster of yours.”
One day the graph hits 1,000+ views, the next day it’s down around 200. Up, down, zig-zag, like a GO train trying to switch tracks.
But here’s the part that really matters:
Bob doesn’t take photos for views.
And Bob definitely doesn’t take photos for camera clubs.
The Stats Can’t Tell My Story
That little blue line doesn’t know anything about what my camera actually saw.
It doesn’t know the chaos and beauty of the Line 5 trains twisting through a jungle of wires at Mount Dennis.
It doesn’t know the laughter from the Blue Jays fans who handed me a warm smile with their warm coffees.
It doesn’t know the quiet moment of a cadet standing guard on Remembrance Day, steady and respectful.
It doesn’t know about adding another lane way to my long-running lane way project — cracked concrete and character everywhere.
It doesn’t know that I joined a 60-person photo walk through Union Station, shutter clicks echoing like a marching band.
And it doesn’t know about the time I stopped by the hot dog supplier before a big baseball weekend.
Al, the guy who runs it, had a whole cart full of sausages and buns ready to go. He told me he’d be selling over 10,000 hot dogs on game day. You don’t see that kind of story in a camera club competition — but Bob loves that stuff. Real people, real work, real Toronto.
The graph doesn’t know any of that.
But the photos do.
Some of My Best Photos Don’t Get Views
Some of the shots I’m most proud of barely get 40 views.
The woman behind the curtain of soft fabric at Profusion.
The quiet lane way no one pays attention to.
The train yard only transit fans appreciate.
A cart full of hot dogs that says more about Toronto than any postcard.
Those photos tell the truth.
And truth doesn’t always trend.
Bob Doesn’t Shoot for Camera Clubs
Camera clubs love the perfectly edited photo.
Sharpened.
Softened.
Colour-corrected to death.
“No shadows allowed.”
“No grain allowed.”
“No real life allowed.”
But Bob?
I like the real stuff.
If a photo is crooked but the moment is honest — I’ll take it.
If the colours are a little wild because the city lights were wild — I’ll take it.
If the shot doesn’t fit into some judge’s idea of “first place,” well…
Good. Bob wasn’t aiming for that anyway.
Why Bob Keeps Posting
Views come and go.
Algorithms change.
Flickr graphs go up and down like the Gardiner at rush hour.
But the stories stay.
I remember every place I stood.
Every conversation I had.
Every strange and wonderful corner of Toronto I wandered into.
That’s why I keep posting photos.
Not for the views.
Not for the awards.
Not for the fancy club judges.
I post because this is my Toronto — and these are Bob’s stories.
If lots of people see them, great.
If a few people see them, also great.
Bob’s here for the adventure, the people, the walk, and the moment.
Everything else is just numbers.
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