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Michael Howard is trying to change the relationship between social media and photographers. He wants photographers to be able to see and share work without ads, videos, strange audio, or unnecessary additions. Images only, please, and if the app can be a gateway for building a community online and IRL then, well, fantastic! Foto, the app he co-founded and launched in February this year, hopes to address a very real need: to bring the focus back to the photographic image, and cultivate a social network that is actually social, and — maybe? — friendly.
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The feed is chronological, and the team rolls out updates after receiving community sourced feedback. New pro features will be added behind a paywall in the future, yet the free version will continue to be available for all. In addition, they began organizing events IRL, specifically, a global photowalk that took place in a number of cities.
I have been really interested in Foto’s model, which is devoid of ads, and the generous way in which Howard utilizes the Substack chat to garner feedback, suggestions and comments from actual Foto users. It feels sincere and, who knows, it might help shift how we orient ourselves online. In other words, Foto might carve out a space on social media that focuses on people as contributors and members rather than users.
Tune in to listen/hear us talk about Foto’s origin story, its mission, where it’s headed, and Howard’s thoughts on the conflicted meeting point between photographers and AI.
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