Disappointed_Horse
Well-known
I don't care how many Instagram accounts there are. Instagram does not exist to allow photographers to build a following. (And even if it did, it wouldn't matter to me because I'm not trying to build a following or, God forbid, become an "influencer.") Instagram exists to get as much advertising as possible in front of as many eyeballs as possible. That's it.
I have no interest in giving Instagram and its advertisers another set of eyeballs.
I have no interest in giving Instagram and its advertisers another set of eyeballs.
robert blu
quiet photographer
Thanks Mike, I fully agree with your thinking.
aw614
Established
Some of my petpeeves from IG have been the removal of searching by recent hashtags, making it more of a chore to view my friend's posts in chronological order and turning into more video based..
D
Deleted member 65559
Guest
I agree with you about going for a walk. I do though, much prefer seeing random photos than incessant discussion about equipment. A number of photographers (Mike Drew, Todd Korol, Jim Herrington, Eddy Van Wessel, Thomas Crauwels) whom i admire, post their activities there. As far as ads, there are far fewer banners on Instagram than on many websites.
Ororaro
Well-known
I’m dismissing the general “why do I go unnoticed” thing.
About happiness, apparently giving is receiving, and sharing is loving. So… giving and sharing is the way.
Street photographers doing well? Yes, a few get their ego massaged thoroughly, not necessarily related to talent, though. Life is not just.
“Well, the street doesn't know my interests or have hashtags to direct like-minded people to my interests”
Instagram is huge, and the world is huge. Where you dwell is where your world is: this street, that steet, this bus line, that metro station, this restaurant and that grocery store. This is the scope of a normal man’s life. Same for your instagram account, which is defined by who you follow and who follows you.
Suuure, there is the occasional free-Riding technique, aka hashtagging Leica and hoping that their magic rubs off on our photography, but that is mostly equal to yelling “leica” while embarking on the bus and hoping for some magic to happen.
JohnGellings
Well-known
The thread is not about that. It’s about being noticed less than in the past. That’s it. I’m not sure any of us expect to be famous. I would rather photograph than market myself.
I agree.
There is some talent out there for sure. However, yes, I notice that talent is not exactly a prerequisite for being popular on Instagram.
Sure is…
Agreed… but I have met people in person by meeting them first on social media. While there is a lot wrong with Instagram, there are somethings that are ok.
Those guys who post their equipment more than photography do a lot better than most of the famous (and good) photographers. Leica, Fuji, any gear that’s sexy.
Last edited:
agentlossing
Well-known
a) I feel like this goes over the edge into subjectivity, but whatever.
b) Explain? I was looking for input into the actual mechanics and experience of the platform, so this is what I'd rather be talking about.
Mos6502
Well-known
Up until recently you could not upload to instagram from desktop. It only took them a decade (actually, 11 years) to add this extremely basic function to their site. That should have been enough for anybody to not use the site in the first place. It's there now, but they lost me a decade ago.
They make it inconvenient to see your own likes, again something which is easy to do on any well designed website. There was no obvious differentiation between the function of "bookmarks" and "likes" which is a basic failure of interface design. If they gave a single about ease of use, this wouldn't even have been a problem on even the first iteration of the site. Tumblr, flickr, pixiv, deviantart, twitter, youtube, etc. you "like" something, it gets saved into your "likes" and you can easily find everything you "liked". If they've fixed this in the past four or five years, good, but again would never have been an issue in the first place if even one moron at that company had a single clue about how to design a user interface.
Recently they've also changed it so you can't view people's photos without logging in. No thanks, I'll look elsewhere.
I could go on about how the site is visually awful, but I think I've made the point. I just don't want to spend my time and effort on a shoddy site run by people who obviously don't care. I know that for most people who have little value for aesthetic quality or good design, in anything, this is a non-issue. What I can't understand is why people who have a good eye for things, and value design and beauty, would persist in using an unpolished turd like instagram. It is something just a little funny to me that people who can spend countless hours fussing over this or that paper, developer, software, camera models, and do so ad nauseum, would just use something so plainly awful as instagram without complaint.
Last edited by a moderator:
Michael Markey
Veteran
I must admit to being rather naive about some (most) of the issues which have been raised here.
Food for thought though regardless.
I like the site for the variety but don`t like the many adverts ... but hey I guess it has to pay for itself.
I was doubtful about the tagging thing myself and don`t always do it.
Tagging equipment I just regarded as being helpful to people but dubious, I agree .
I`ll rethink that one .
As for the differentiation between liking and bookmarks I admit to err liking this distinction.
What I like and what I might want to save (for whatever reason) are often two distinct things.
I only view it on my desktop . That might be an age thing.
Food for thought though regardless.
I like the site for the variety but don`t like the many adverts ... but hey I guess it has to pay for itself.
I was doubtful about the tagging thing myself and don`t always do it.
Tagging equipment I just regarded as being helpful to people but dubious, I agree .
I`ll rethink that one .
As for the differentiation between liking and bookmarks I admit to err liking this distinction.
What I like and what I might want to save (for whatever reason) are often two distinct things.
I only view it on my desktop . That might be an age thing.
Dogman
Veteran
That was my first observation of Instagram as well as several others. I don't like the idea of joining something before I see what it is I'm joining.
quadtones
Established
Hendrix02
Newbie
I agree with you on the idea of going for a walk. However, I personally prefer seeing random photos rather than constant discussions about equipment. Several photographers I admire, such as Mike Drew, Todd Korol, Jim Herrington, Eddy Van Wessel, and Thomas Crauwels, share their work there. Also, compared to many websites, Instagram has fewer ads, which is a plus.
D
Deleted member 65559
Guest
Exactly my short list.... Certainly Instagram is less intrusive than Facebook has become....
& +1 for the absence of gear talk.
JohnGellings
Well-known
You can dismiss Instagram, but no other site gets your work to as many likeminded people that I can think of. I wish there were others that did it better (yes, I know of the alternatives). Maybe soon. There is always a sea change ahead.
Jonathan R
Well-known
I relate to everything you say here, Pan. I was persuaded by my daughter to start an IG account a few years back. Initially it did make me aware of several really admirable photographers. Those people do still post there, but - as you describe - in the stuff that gets fed to me, their posts are now diluted by thousands of irrelevant items, so I frequently miss them. Several seem to post less and less.
For my own photos, I am maddened by the difficulty of getting my 35mm photos to look even half decent on IG. It simply isn't a film-friendly platform. In particular, the difference between portrait and landscape configurations drives me nuts. (To be fair, very few websites of any kind display them the same size.) In the end, I can't be bothered to add in all those hashtags and play the system, just to get more 'likes' for a poor quality version of what I'm trying to do. So I've stopped posting, and will presumably fade from collective consciousness.
Recently I have spent a lot more time here on RFF than on IG or on any other photo forum, because folk here seem more willing to post photos for their own sake and less time trying to be 'influencers'. I really hope it stays this way.
p.giannakis
Pan Giannakis
I know what you mean @Jonathan R
Since January that I made that post, I found myself being less and less engaged with Instagram. I still post there but I am not community-friendly; meaning I don't visit other people's work that much.
I also tried to rekindle my interest in Flickr but that didn't go very far either. So for the time being I will be posting here and in one more photo-forum. I think there is a better sense of community here.
Anyway, over the last few months I've gone done another money sink called "vintage watches". That takes some of my time and money at the moment- so many new things to learn about Swiss watchmaking. But that's another story...
Since January that I made that post, I found myself being less and less engaged with Instagram. I still post there but I am not community-friendly; meaning I don't visit other people's work that much.
I also tried to rekindle my interest in Flickr but that didn't go very far either. So for the time being I will be posting here and in one more photo-forum. I think there is a better sense of community here.
Anyway, over the last few months I've gone done another money sink called "vintage watches". That takes some of my time and money at the moment- so many new things to learn about Swiss watchmaking. But that's another story...
GMOG
Well-known
Did you say watches?
There is an "off-topic" section:
Off Topic
Feel like venting or just passing a joke? If so, do it here. Please keep it clean. Minors do visit this site.
www.rangefinderforum.com
p.giannakis
Pan Giannakis
From time to time I contribute to cameras and watches threadDid you say watches?
There is an "off-topic" section:
Off Topic
Feel like venting or just passing a joke? If so, do it here. Please keep it clean. Minors do visit this site.
Cameras and watches.
I’m Just for fun!!! Analog? Digital? Manual? Automatic? Dress or sports? Sure, for me, I would love a Rolex. Or a Tag Heuer. Or any of dozens of desirable high-end Watches!😂😂😂 But I have always been practical with Seiko watches and I’m even interested somewhat in a few Timex watches. I’m...
www.rangefinderforum.com
D
Deleted member 65559
Guest
There is also a 'non-photography geek' public on Instagram that doesn't exist on photo forums. If i post a photo on Instagram part of the audience is people i may know, well or just peripherally. Photos i post of a person, place or event, may be meaningful or informative to them. Here, Photrio, or the LF Forum....not so much. On a side note I do miss Michael Smith & Paula Chamlee's AZO forum. There's very little conversation anyplace now among people who print.....
Last edited by a moderator:
DownUnder
Nikon Nomad
Oh, so we are all still here... well, why not?
A little lateral thinking from me today.
Basically, my 'beef' with Flickr et al, is I do not like giving a third party any uncontrolled control over my photography or my thoughts. They are uniquely mine, I take responsibility for them - and I prefer to retain my ownership to them.
I never considered Flickr or almost all the 'business' image sites. A few I seriously considered, but decided no. As ko-fe has so aptly written, almost all were (and still are) 'dumpsters' for bad photography. Nobody I know (including me) has ever made a sale from anything they posted on Flickr, it's too much of a rubbish tip of mostly bad photography. Some good, very little of it is, all lost in the mass of dross.
A few decades ago I did one of the early photo sites - no name, it's the one named after an item many fishermen use. Same problem. Too many photos posted, too much crap. Buyers didn't like it and stayed away from the site.
For six years I had my own small stock photo web site. I 'specialise' in a some areas of photography not many do, so I had (still have) markets for my images. The $$ was okay, not enough to live on, but not pocket money either, as so many amateurs I know make with $5 or even 50 cent bottom-feed sales.
I took the basic precaution of making my site password-protected, login only. This was not easy back then. I searched until I found an ISP offering this. To view my folders you had to email me, reply to a (brief) questionnaire and give one reference, usually a web site if you or your company had one.
Nine out of ten queries were from browsers who made the mistake of listing all the sites where they had posted work. Having identified them as time-wasters, I declined their request. A few turned nasty. Most disappeared.
The remaining one in ten was a legitimate publisher/media agency who came, browsed and often bought an image or even a series. All paid promptly and I got repeat sales over the years. Nice and easy, it was.
Not really. For all success it was a lot of work. In the 'mid-10s stock markets declined as amateurs desperate to see their work published flooded the 'net with free photos. I saw the inevitable happening, bowed out of the scene and closed my site.
To me Flickr, Instagram and the like are places mostly for the socially needy who want little pats on the head. Ego-gratification is not a strong motivation for me, so I pass.
My partner now and then logs into IG and Facebook. I sigh and bite my tongue. Last week I had my attention drawn to one "communication" there. "Hi, how are you?" "Oh, I'm home tonight, cutting my toenails."
Back to photography.
What all this boils down to is that it really all depends on what one wants to get from posting one's images, and just as important, how much time effort one is prepared to commit to get it.
That's all from me. Much too long a post, as usual. Anyway.
A little lateral thinking from me today.
Basically, my 'beef' with Flickr et al, is I do not like giving a third party any uncontrolled control over my photography or my thoughts. They are uniquely mine, I take responsibility for them - and I prefer to retain my ownership to them.
I never considered Flickr or almost all the 'business' image sites. A few I seriously considered, but decided no. As ko-fe has so aptly written, almost all were (and still are) 'dumpsters' for bad photography. Nobody I know (including me) has ever made a sale from anything they posted on Flickr, it's too much of a rubbish tip of mostly bad photography. Some good, very little of it is, all lost in the mass of dross.
A few decades ago I did one of the early photo sites - no name, it's the one named after an item many fishermen use. Same problem. Too many photos posted, too much crap. Buyers didn't like it and stayed away from the site.
For six years I had my own small stock photo web site. I 'specialise' in a some areas of photography not many do, so I had (still have) markets for my images. The $$ was okay, not enough to live on, but not pocket money either, as so many amateurs I know make with $5 or even 50 cent bottom-feed sales.
I took the basic precaution of making my site password-protected, login only. This was not easy back then. I searched until I found an ISP offering this. To view my folders you had to email me, reply to a (brief) questionnaire and give one reference, usually a web site if you or your company had one.
Nine out of ten queries were from browsers who made the mistake of listing all the sites where they had posted work. Having identified them as time-wasters, I declined their request. A few turned nasty. Most disappeared.
The remaining one in ten was a legitimate publisher/media agency who came, browsed and often bought an image or even a series. All paid promptly and I got repeat sales over the years. Nice and easy, it was.
Not really. For all success it was a lot of work. In the 'mid-10s stock markets declined as amateurs desperate to see their work published flooded the 'net with free photos. I saw the inevitable happening, bowed out of the scene and closed my site.
To me Flickr, Instagram and the like are places mostly for the socially needy who want little pats on the head. Ego-gratification is not a strong motivation for me, so I pass.
My partner now and then logs into IG and Facebook. I sigh and bite my tongue. Last week I had my attention drawn to one "communication" there. "Hi, how are you?" "Oh, I'm home tonight, cutting my toenails."
Back to photography.
What all this boils down to is that it really all depends on what one wants to get from posting one's images, and just as important, how much time effort one is prepared to commit to get it.
That's all from me. Much too long a post, as usual. Anyway.