There’s something wonderfully infectious about discovering a new way to share your work with the world. When I first started exploring Substack as a platform and writing The Long View, it felt like opening a door into a room full of like-minded people, photographers, writers, creatives, all gathered together with something genuine to say and the enthusiasm to say it.
And that part? That part was everything I hoped it would be.
Writing articles rather than just posting images pushed me creatively in ways I hadn’t anticipated. It made me think more deeply about my photography, about why I make the images I make, what draws me to a particular scene or moment, and how I might articulate that to someone who wasn’t standing there beside me. There’s real value in that kind of reflection, and Substack gave me the space to do it.
The community side of things was equally rewarding. Finding fellow photographers and creatives whose work genuinely inspired me, exchanging ideas in the comments, feeling part of something a little bigger than just my own corner of the internet. That sense of connection is something I’ll carry with me, and it reminded me why sharing creative work matters in the first place.
But here’s the honest truth that I suspect many of you will recognise: keeping multiple platforms alive, active, and worth visiting takes an enormous amount of time and energy. And time, as we all know, has an annoying habit of being finite. Between shooting, editing, writing, maintaining the website, and everything else that life cheerfully throws into the mix, something had to give.
So I’ve made the decision to consolidate. Everything, the writing, the photography, the behind the scenes thoughts, the articles, lives here at keithtomlinsonphoto.com, and that’s where my energy is going. It feels good to have one home, properly looked after, rather than several that are only half tended.
My Substack isn’t going anywhere though. It’ll stay up, and if you find yourself wandering over there, you’ll find a pointer back here. I’m also not disappearing from Substack entirely as a reader. There are too many brilliant creators there whose work I genuinely love following, and that’s not something I’m walking away from.
What I want to say most of all is thank you. For reading, for subscribing, for the comments and conversations and the occasional kind word that arrived at exactly the right moment. The loyalty and support I’ve received, and the exchange of ideas that came with it, has been one of the more unexpected and genuinely lovely parts of this whole creative journey.
Here’s to the next chapter, and I hope you’ll join me for it.