One of my favorite bloggers is photographer Carl Rytterfalk, whose voice silenced several years ago. But in a post overnight (in my time zone) he asks: “Am I back?” That’s a good question, which answer is complicated.
“In February 2013 my life changed dramatically with the early birth of my son who was born with the rare and somewhat difficult chromosome disorder named Trisomy 9 mosaic”, he writes about his absence. “Since William was born I’ve been using Facebook instead of rytterfalk.com and I think it should be the other way around. So I’m trying to convince myself that it’s ok for a while to post more from life and when ready—about photography, too”.
This morning I commented on his post, shared below:
“Yes, please, come back. I still subscribe via RSS, even though your feed has been quiet and I often wondered where you went. I’m so glad to see you post, but I didn’t know about your son or family situation because of not following your Facebook.
“I purchased Sigma cameras because of your influence, but in your absence use Fuji now. The new Sigma compact’s design intimidates me, I must say.
“Some encouragement, if I may. Few weeks back, I realized that most of my oldest posts—the majority I had forgotten about—were saved as a text export from TypePad. So I started restoring them, as originally written, with updated links and art, and the 2004-06 dates and timestamps. I blogged often a decade ago, and there is content meaningful to me, my family, and to the public. The process got me to rethinking my social media presence.
“MySpace was the big social network, now it’s nothing. Many social sites or dot-coms linked to then are gone now, with spammers or malware spreaders in their place. The Internet changes, and who knows where or what Facebook will be in five years.
“So I decided to pull back from social media and make my blog the hub for my online writing, like in the past. It’s a process just a few weeks old. Much of my interaction, including comments, still takes place in the social sphere. But the content always starts from my blog, which I control and what defines my online identity.
“The photos of your son as he grows, the stories you tell about him, are in your control and preserved on your site. I know from looking back 10 years at what I posted about my daughter (now 20). Facebook is a great place to socialize around content, particularly with close friends and family, but I suggest starting from rytterfalk.com, which also establishes your brand identity.
“Your family situation is unique. Sharing about your son can inspire others. Sharing about photography inspires others. When you look back later on what you shared, you will inspire yourself too.
“I wrote about you in 2009 on my personal site:
Among my favorite follows is Carl Rytterfalk, who tells great stories using a camera. I tell stories with words. Others do better with photos or movies. Carl might not define himself as storyteller, but he is one through the people photographed.
“Storytellers are a rare breed. In 2014, the Internet floods with content, the majority repetitive and useless. But good stories endear us and define us and give meaning to what the World Wide Web promised to be 20 years ago. We missed you, and clearly from this post you have some amazing stories to tell”.
Photo Credit: Jill Clardy