Photo of the Month (September 2025 edition): Reconnecting

It’s been almost half a year since I uninstalled the Instagram app, and only very rarely do I log onto the site from my computer to check messages. In fact, some things can only be seen clearly when you step away. And by stepping away from Instagram, I realized I could use that spare time to reconnect with conscious studies of art and photography. I also became certain that Instagram had long ceased to be a space for studying photography, as it had been my intention when I joined the network eight years ago.

One of the curious effects over these months was that, by no longer seeing so many great photos all the time (some even rather questionable), I began to pay more attention to my own photos, to the styles I like, and to my photographic identity. Moreover, I’ve become much more intentional about the photos and artists I look at, because I now seek out, calmly and actively, works and places that inspire me, something impossible under the algorithmic passivity of images that last only a few seconds in front of your eyes.

Indirectly, this disconnection from digital networks gave me the push I needed to resume paused projects and to begin a beautiful and challenging new long-term project. This photo of the month has nothing to do with these projects, but it represents the connection with what matters and the motivation to venture down new paths. If I am to be faced with an overwhelming amount of information before my eyes, let it be conscious, organic, and, preferably, let it be the millions of stars in a clear sky to contemplate.