Instagrammers!
There has been a debate about the successful smart phone application, Instagram. Uploading and sharing photographs you have or haven't taken with your phone and then changing the filters (or not) to create something new and interesting whether it took them 1 minute to a whole day. The debate here is that aspiring photographer's and professionals alike have been concerned to whether the app adds value to the photograph or even classifies as "photography". Another debate is to whether people who don't study the subject have become or are oblivious to the skill, creativity and technical aspect to any kind of photography.
I have been using Instagram for quite a while now and it has never really occurred to me whether it changes the value of photography or not. I use it to share my photos with other people, experiment with the filters it gives you and really for a bit of fun and to pass the time! I also enjoy seeing what other people have made and there really is some amazing work.
Instagram has expanded its reputation rapidly in such a short space of time and I don't think people should regard it as competition at all. People can share what ever they like, there are no restrictions and no expectations, some people even share their dinner with us!
I have never thought that anyone was judging me and that's why I have always liked the application itself and to be honest it's quite a buzz when people "like" you photo or even follow you. I agree that there is some amazing photography on there and that's one of the reasons why I use it, however there are many people with 1000's of followers with pictures purely of food, or images uploaded from the internet, so I don't consider the app as a gateway to photography as not everyone is there for that, it's just what ever floats your boat at the time and sharing your experiences with the world.
Another point I will raise is that It encourages the use of mobile photography, and for me this does not effect whether you are good or bad at photography it's "how you use it" that counts. We as students in photography are always encouraged to experiment and explore the different ways and techniques of other equipment other than DSLRs, and I totally agree that you can make some equally as good images.
I have shared some of my images from Instagram. Visit my Instacanvas gallery at:
instacanv.as/rosieknightley
Please share your thoughts and opinions too.
Have some fun with Instagram now!
