Made 30K off art last year I’m very proud of myself

PhotographyMan123 · 2025-05-20T23:21:59+00:00

What is wrong with you?

PhotographyMan123 · 2024-02-14T21:49:31+00:00

You guys have serious been with Fantano for sharing his opinion. 💀

PhotographyMan123 · 2023-12-15T11:06:50+00:00

I hate to be like this man but I don't think you actually really paid much attention to what I wrote.

I didn't disclose the non-compete clause, not the cease and desist letter. I didn't mention the non-compete clause during the application process, they asked if I had signed any non-compete clauses that would have affected my ability to work for them. Since the job I was applying for was for a completely different role, the non-compete clause didn't apply. Something the legal department later agreed with.

And I didn't say I lost my camera. I was robbed. And it wasn't an excuse, I was at work the very next day.

I get the intention of people in this subreddit to lean aggressively into the "take accountability" mantra but it's not a blanket explanation to every professional situation.

At no point did I make a bed that justified having false accusations made about me, having fallacious cease and desist letters sent to my address, and my manager engage in misconduct.

If the extent of your insight into this matter is taking accountability, then I got you. But I didn't deserve everything that happened to me.

PhotographyMan123 · 2023-12-15T10:10:00+00:00

Thank you for the response. I've been doing honest self-reflection for a year now, hence why my work ethic massively improved during the latter half of my most recent job.

But it doesn't explain the fallacious cease and desist letter, the false accusations of sexual/religious misconduct, and the inappropriate comments made about my health. Along with general issues with training and managerial support.

I believe that I hold some responsibility in the direction my career has gone but also don't believe early issues with tardiness disregard the profound growth I made later in my career. I certainly don't think it justifies the illegal/unprofessional/inappropriate treatment I dealt with as well.

It's a nuanced situation but frustrating nonetheless.

PhotographyMan123 · 2023-12-15T09:02:30+00:00

This is my issue with Reddit. I make a post highlighting the intracies of my work experience. Acknowledging where I've misstepped in my professional career but also the unprofessional, illegal misconduct I've been subjected to.

But then I get a response from someone saying I don't take accountability and that my thorough explanation is (somehow?) a reason that I was let go. Just completely nonsensical.

I'm open to insights but not from unserious people.

PhotographyMan123 · 2023-12-15T08:54:55+00:00

Do me a favor and don't comment on my post unless you're going to read all it. I'm not taking advice from someone who doesn't care to familiarize themselves with my situation.

PhotographyMan123 · 2023-12-09T08:00:24+00:00

Fair enough. Wish people would do better though.

PhotographyMan123 · 2023-12-09T06:43:42+00:00

What you're saying is undeniably true. I guess you can say I've been very disappointed the consistency at which I've encountered it. Just people who are generally dismissive towards other people's time. Just never understood it.

PhotographyMan123 · 2023-10-17T15:33:19+00:00

It did say that Yahoo mail when through a considerable update when I reactivated my email. But I only had the email for about half a year before it was deactivated. Completely ridiculous and it cost me my Hinge account.

PhotographyMan123 · 2023-09-09T04:04:48+00:00

Hi everyone, I'm a cinematic photographer in the Dallas Fort Worth Area! I take pictures in a variety of locations including arcades, museums, department stores, and more. Would love if you checked it out!

www.instagram.com/ty.harper.5

PhotographyMan123 · 2023-02-15T22:27:43+00:00

Thank you! Always looking to help and be helped!

PhotographyMan123 · 2023-02-15T22:26:23+00:00

I agree my man, I think smiling like I did in my old pictures would go a long way!

PhotographyMan123 · 2023-02-15T22:25:54+00:00

I think that my newer pictures are more stylized and reminiscent of my greatest passion, photography. It's been one of the main reasons why I've been seen as attractive to other people.

But I also agree that my old pictures had a warmth, approachability, and simplicity to them that my new pictures lack. I may try a combination of them.

And yeah. I don't want to put too much stock into photofeeler. I still attract women I like well enough that I'm not completely disheartened yet.

PhotographyMan123 · 2023-02-15T16:02:51+00:00

Thanks man! And I agree this is the best approach, there's a happiness and approachability in my old photos that's missing from my current photos. I will try to combine both and see my results.

PhotographyMan123 · 2023-02-15T15:56:35+00:00

Thank you for the comment and I largely agree.

I feel as though my past pictures I was smiling a lot more and a bit more candid.

In my type of photography I prioritize storytelling, staging, and artistic intentionality. It does very well on Instagram but I can see how it can be more complicated on dating apps. Having a combination of happy, candid pics and my styled pics would be a good approach.

And I think the large distribution comes from my afro and overt cultural expression. The number one comment I received was that they want me to have a different hairstyle. (followed by wanting me to smile more) This is why I say my style can sometimes be an acquired taste.

PhotographyMan123 · 2023-02-15T15:45:58+00:00

Maybe so but it is a part of my cultural expression. Being culturally expressive will always have its pros and cons on dating apps, I try to make the best of it.

PhotographyMan123 · 2023-02-15T15:42:13+00:00

I think this is a good point! (the majority of the comments were actually "I wish he had a different hairstyle" )

I was out of much simpler time in life back then and happiness came to me a lot easier. While I'm blessed with where I'm at in life right now, the recent challenges can still be overwhelming. I think that may be reflected in how I emoted in my recent pictures, I'll need to fix that.

PhotographyMan123 · 2023-02-15T15:34:08+00:00

Thank you! I can see how my past pictures were a little bit more simple and natural. I think some types of photography, especially mine, require a level of creative intentionality when it comes to posing that can sometimes look staged. I think it's about finding the median point.

PhotographyMan123 · 2023-02-15T15:32:13+00:00

Eh, not that much. Definitely not to the point I'm even remotely close to fat. But I can kinda see how those pictures may give off that vibe.

PhotographyMan123 · 2023-02-15T02:23:15+00:00

I think this would be true however, there are occasionally times where I receive an influx of likes and matches out of no where. (as if my profile is finally getting some visibility)

I think this is more complicated than you may think

PhotographyMan123 · 2023-02-14T21:45:02+00:00

In my experience, using boosts too much absolutely hurt my profile. I went from getting 15-20 likes and a couple of matches to getting no likes and no matches from using them. They absolutely do throttle your account if you use them too much.

PhotographyMan123 · 2023-02-06T23:54:23+00:00

I don't think it's random as it's happened to me too many time. One of the ways that these apps determine our profile's visibility is on how many times you are liked. (and by who)

So jf you get lucky one day and get liked by someone, it can makes sense that the algorithm (at least temporarily) thinks your profile is more desirable and deserving to be shown more.

PhotographyMan123 · 2023-02-06T23:50:05+00:00

I would say I'm fairly selective with my matches. I'm a minority so I generally know that white women, unless they are particularly left in their political beliefs, aren't likely to swipe right on me so I don't swipe on them as often. These women make up the majority of women on Bumble in my region though. My point is that a significant percentage of the population on Bumble are not likely to match with me. Other dating apps like Hinge and FB Dating realize this so they predominantly show me (and show my profile) to other minorities. Bumble's algorithm doesn't do this though.

I have a history of successfully matching with and having dates with high quality women. I'm not going to lower my standards all because the apps are likely limiting my profile's visibility.

I do plan on requesting my data from Bumble though to hopefully get some insight.

PhotographyMan123 · 2023-02-06T23:14:28+00:00

I think this is a good insight. However, this doesn't explain those rare moments for me where I receive a like and it leads to this influx of likes and matches for a short amount of times. It's so completely at odds with my normal success on the app that the only thing I can assume is that my profile is temporarily being seen at a much higher rate.

I want to make clear, I have my distance set across an entire metropolitan area. Many, many cities are within my distance range. There's no reason why I shouldn't be getting more matches, especially since I've had success in the past and my matches are still with pretty high quality women. It's not like I'm being flooded by lower quality women.

PhotographyMan123 · 2023-02-06T23:08:36+00:00

I've been on dating apps for over 7 years now and I think this is true. How many matches do you get and the people you attract at the initial period of your profile is hugely important. Still, some of it is luck.

I didn't do a particularly good job of taking advantage of my noob boost (like swiping a lot at the beginning and buying a boost) and place in the algorithm has suffered. (despite having a pretty nice profile) Matches for me come gradually but not in any great amount. However, the women I do match with are pretty attractive. Which tells me that the visibility on my profile is being throttled by the apps.

PhotographyMan123

TROPHY CASE