I love Instagram, but it has ruined me.
I love using X-Pro II and Amaro and Valencia and Lo-Fi. I can do a number of things: Disguise the mediocre. Enhance the mundane. Adulterate a purely fine digital photograph with a filter.
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In November, I strolled around the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, and had forced myself to bring my Nikon so I could snap photographs with “a proper camera” for once. Ever since I’d gotten an iPhone at the beginning of 2012, my Nikon and Canon cameras — and all of my film cameras — have sat on my shelf, collecting dust.
As I walked around the pond and toward the dome, I took photos, but after taking a handful, I felt odd. I used to enjoy this process so much: review shots I’d just snapped on the LCD screen, planning out my next shots, gathering different angles, already growing excited at the thought of sifting through my options later, at my computer.
But that day, I wasn’t doing this, and in fact, got quickly bored. I just took a photograph, but it’s sitting there in my camera, I thought. Filed away on the memory card.
Isn’t it sad?
Surely it wants to be shared.
I strolled underneath the iconic dome and gazed up, put the bulky Nikon around my neck, and reached into my purse for my iPhone to take the shot above me instead. Then I opened Instagram, ran a filter over it, and posted it — to send it off into the world to be liked and viewed for its moment of glory, and to shortly after join the stream of other Instagrams disappearing into our Internet wasteland.
And it felt much more satisfying. So I took the rest of my photos with my phone, sharing several of my favorites on Instagram in the short time it took to walk back to the car.
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I’ve written about this way of photographing and consuming before — about suffering from a bad case of the Facebook Eye and the need to self-document and share. Thankfully over time, as the novelty of a social network has worn, the desire to share has lessened, primarily on Facebook and Twitter. I hate Facebook, but right now it does serve as a functional tool to connect, so I’ve stopped complaining and use it to get in touch when needed. And after dabbling several years ago in Twitter press trips as a travel blogger, I realized I had little desire to share things in such inorganic ways, and to tell everyone where I’m flying and who I’m with and what I’m eating and how the view is totally amazing and blah blah blah.
Yes, I share things that are happening, that I think are cool, that I’m proud of. But I’ve managed to use Facebook and Twitter in ways that make sense to me, in ways that lessen the irritation I once felt while using them. But Instagram? Hmm. Instagram has completely changed my approach to taking photographs, and that’s saying a lot.
In my last post, “On Travel, Time, and (Revisiting) Granada,” I compiled my Instagrammed shots from my recent trip to Spain. In Granada, I also forced myself to take my “real” camera — my Canon this time — out on the streets. As expected, I juggled my camera and my iPhone in my hands, my camera fighting and trying to prove it was still relevant.
So, here I’ve posted additional photographs of this trip, courtesy of my camera. Compared to the gallery in my last post, I honestly don’t like many of these.
Where’s the extreme contrast?
Where are the unnaturally bright colors?
Where’s the fake depth of field?
Where are the borders?
Somehow, unfiltered has become boring. (You won’t see me using the #nofilter tag!) And I find this interesting, and a bit sad. I know social networks and tools and apps come and go, but I do wonder what’s next in my own evolving process in photography.
Note: Thanks for the mention of this post, New York Times!
I like your post a lot. Instagram is, technically speaking, “real” photography. And — disguise the mediocre, enhance the mundane — well, that is basically what art is all about, so, Instagram is both “real” photography and, if you know what you are doing, can be “real” art also. After all, the important thing is the image, not what you used to create it.
Thanks for following NotebookM. Some very interesting work here. Keep it up.
I’m not a photographer and I don’t use Instagram, but I still think your photography is beautiful – keep up the good work!
i use a really simple cellphone as I don’t really use it that much, but i’ve always been just a tad jealous of people who instantly fix and post pics online. i have to bring my camera, usb cord, laptop and have wifi access to do that
Interesting post….I have never used Instagram so I can’t compare. I prefer to continue using my SLR, but I admit I am curious because it seems like something fun to try.
Beautiful photos. I’ll have to get ruined a little more myself. I’m still not into the Instagram thing completely.
Just got an iPhone, I hope it doesnt ruin me!
i haven’t joined the instagram wagon yet, for fear of losing my “real” photography skills. honestly, i’m not sure ’til when i can hold out. haha.
it’s not that instagram makes your photos better or more interesting–it’s really that feeling of satisfaction you get when people “like” the photos you share on instagram or on social networks that makes you want to use instagram more and more. it’s now easier to show the world your vision, and easier for the world to acknowledge you.
love your post and the non-filtered photos you took.
Haha! I totally enjoyed reading your blog and the title made me chuckle. This is actually a completely different perspective on #whatinstagrammeanstome that I haven’t heard and it’s nice to read something different
When you mentioned this blog in another blog about how to embed IG images I thought your photographic experience in general had morphed the way you experienced life. That is a part I have “struggled” with as I’ve gotten more and more into the IG artist community and I seem to not be able to go ANYWHERE without taking a camera or my phone and I’m wondering if I’m really appreciating where I am as I’m trying to snag the next shot. Then during a walk along the rocky cliff in Goa, I looked down and saw all the incredible textures and naturally occurring lines and circles made by erosion or whatever makes things they way they are and I was SO excited. I recently started a 2nd IG account dedicated to minimalism and at that moment, I realized, had I not started to photograph they way I have, I may not have ever really noticed, let alone been excited about lines in rock! I’m a nerd.
I’ll be honest, I haven’t touched an IG filter in ages and just use other apps in post processing to get whatever I’m wanting to accomplish with each image. While I’m absolutely fascinated with my friends who truly take an image and make graphic design art out of it, my own style is still very much “National Geographic” for the most part. I’ll snap the pic, select my fave for the day, tune it in Snapseed, maybe in PS Touch to play w/ the color curve and then post. BUT that being said, following the amazing artists that I do has allowed my photography and the way I confront an image to shift and grow over time. I just had a super heavy contrast B&W phase… I had a phase!! I never had artistic phases before and now, I do and it’s all because of IG. The thing I still “struggle” with is being able to leave the house empty handed, go on a walk, see an INCREDIBLE sight and be totally ok with just letting that sight be what it is, in that moment, enjoy it, in that moment, and not get twitchy because I don’t have my camera to snap that moment and share it with others later
Happy snappin girl… remember, the best camera is the one you’re carrying.
Cheers
I can relate to your post – I’m not a professional photographer, but I love taking photos and capturing moments, taking photos of the everyday and the not so everyday. I don’t have a DSLR (I have a Sony point and shoot with 14 mps), but sometimes I’ll use instagram and look back over my photos and think – why didn’t I take that photo with my point and shoot? There would have been more detail, more texture and better resolution. I read a comment in this feed that encapsulates how I feel about it – the photographer makes the decision about what to photograph, the angle and the position, close up or not. These decisions are what make our photos unique, whether we choose to take them by DSLR, point and shoot or on an iPhone. When I look at people’s instagram feeds, I find that most people have their own style of photography and their own obsessions, and I find that interesting, and often inspiring. It’s different – I don’t think it’s better or worse than taking photos with a better camera.
I made a conscious decision not to use Instagram. The photos usual tell me nothing except ‘hey look at this clever trick’. Forget the filters, I want to really see your photo to really see the moment, not what a person thinks other people want to see.
These days we’re groomed to value appearance over content – hence the love-affair with all things Instagrammed!
I really enjoy your blog tremendously. What a talented soul you must be!!!! Keep it up.
Smartphones have a way of changing alot of conventional phenomena. From emails, IM, push, marketing, board meetings etc. At a point in time around my continent, smartphones are seen as luxury but right now if you are a public person and need connection, you must go the smartphone way principally to interact socially. I love instagram, but functioning only on iPhones & a few selected android platforms is sickly. Around here, iPhone don’t function optimally while blackberry which still dominate the market is not an Instagram carrier & the struggling android phones are very selective. so far I got to put my love for photography on hold.
Working for a newspaper, as a humor columnist and sports writer/photog, I find that my Nikon has essentially become a tool used primarily for photographing things most phone cameras can’t — speed and action. Utilizing all the options at my disposal in regard to shutter speed, aperture, ISO, etc, I can capture things I could never get with an iPhone. Shooting in the rain, under poor light conditions, or in the middle of a scrimmage on the court and using my large zoom to get the look on players’ faces… not going to happen with a phone. That said, when it comes to creative or feature images, like for my column where I’m shooting something stationary and all about composition, my Nikon is getting a run for its money. However, using different lenses — wide angle or fisheye, for example — is adds an element of creativity I can’t get with a phone camera. In short, I expect my Nikon will be slung over my shoulder a while longer — but I’m sure the Nikon is looking over its shoulder as well
Instagram is so addictive! I love it. You have some beautiful shots there
I enjoy your blog greatly–and so I have nominated you for a Very Inspirational Blogger Award! If you choose to accept this award, please see my post on same for the rules that go along with the award. If you decline, best regards as well.
Gone are the days when you need super-high-mega-pixel cameras to take beautiful high resolution photos that you eventually print. Because, after all, who really prints their photos much these days? That’s a relic of film and SLR cameras that need to print their images to enjoy them.
These days, iPhones take great images and you can quickly share and enjoy with your friends on social platforms (Facebook/Instagram) or other devices (iPads/Apple TVs) at home or wherever you are.
Sure it’s nice to have a good lens so you can frame your subject in a different way, but you’d be sacrificing the ability to fit your camera in your pocket. And why bother getting a snap-and-shoot cam? Are you really getting that much better of an image for your eventual use? No.
I compare what’s happening in photography today to what happened in film when the large cameras used in studios by the likes of Edison were replaced by smaller nimble film cameras. “Phone-photography” is giving us a fresh, natural perspective that is candid and very immediate. Interesting times I say.
Oh and you don’t need filters either.
You should look into an Eye-Fi memory card for your main camera. With it you can stream photos you take to your phone. Then you get the best of both worlds — high quality photos from a real camera and the ability to instantly share them on the web.
Oh dear, you know what’s sad? I think have one of those memory cards. It’s in a drawer somewhere, and I’ve never used it. Good idea, and thanks!
unfortunately, Instagram makes everyone feel professional photographers. You give a “Like” on a photo awaiting the return of kindness to another “like”. I’ve seen popular people with horrible photos and full of “likes”
I always had a passion for this, but never had any spare time to do what you do. Thanks for enlightening me. I get bored easily, so this helps me keep my mind occupied. Keep up the good work — I must say you have a pretty awesome blog here.
you can always send me all your dslrs gathering dust. i’d be more than happy to use them everyday
Your post says everything I have been feeling in the last year.
I’ve been using less and less of my DSLR – a Nikon D90 which I bought 2 years ago as an attempt to learn more about photography – ever since I got my iPhone 4S last year. I have struggled with the guilt for using less of the DSLR. I wasn’t sure what it was, initially thinking it was me being lazy to carry the bulky Nikon. I mean, the iPhone was less intrusive and so portable with great quality pictures (even when printed, though I know they will never beat the DSLR quality).
But after a while, like you, I realised, that it’s also the instant gratification of sharing your experience to the world. There is a thrill of say, showing off how beautiful where you live to the rest of the world, or sharing a spot in Indonesia where even the locals have never heard of.
In the last year, I too have had moments when I take my DSLR, have photos taken with it, only to later take the same ones with the iPhone so I can share them to the world. Then I’d go home, and almost never looked at the ones on my DSLR. Sad, I must say.
I still feel guilty for letting the DSLR sit there mostly to gather dust, and for the fact that my photography technical skills are probably not improving. I have been thinking whether I should get rid of my Nikon gear, but then, I’m afraid I might want it at a later date and it will be expensive to get a new set. So, it still sits gathering dust…sigh.
So yes, like you, I think Instagram has also ruined me. Great post, Cheri, it’s always a pleasure reading your posts.
Great post. Maybe these Instagramesque actions can help you rekindle the love with your cameras
http://dbox.tumblr.com/post/5426249009/instagram-filters-as-photoshop-actions
I usually like to use my camera when I’m out traveling, but back home here in NYC, my camera does tend to collect dust. Who needs SLR when my iphone5 camera captures great images! The biggest pro – it doesn’t weigh anything or take up too much space in my bag! Beautiful photos of Alhambra btw!
This reflects so many of my own thoughts on the various uses of photography: mindful presence, creativity, art, instant gratification, communication… I have Instagram guilt too: It feels very good, like eating something you’re not supposed to, and then – much like eating something you’re not supposed to – the guilt kicks in and you feel bad that you can’t like broccoli the same way you like your treat of choice. There is something about the connectivity of Instagram, as Nick commented earlier, that makes it appealing — and something about its rosiness and borders that makes it insincere. You have articulated all of that so beautifully, putting words to many of our troubled snaps.
You articulated much of what I said/wanted to say in your comment! Love the analogy to broccoli and one’s treat of choice — perfect.
Instant gratification indeed.
I can relate greatly to the challenge of “mindful presence.” In one hand, I feel almost MORE present, or at least aware, because I’m completely fascinated with the smallest of details now that surround me, thanks to how my photography has morphed and shifted due to my IG inspirations. On the other, it’s almost like I’m always looking for my next shot and not just BEING in that space and enjoying it for what it is.
I was flipping between my droid and my hybrid camera the other day at a Hindu festival and snapping like a crazy fool that I think the festival management thought I was someone official so they let me INTO the drum/horn pit. I snapped pictures like crazy but at times had to just close my eyes and listen to the drums and feel them shake my body without trying to snap a shot… both aspects of the experience were powerful beyond belief.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts lady!
Cheers!
“Disguise the mediocre. Enhance the mundane. Adulterate a purely fine digital photograph with a filter.’ This brilliantly sums up the characteristics of a life where appearances rule over the essence.
Ah, well said. Thanks for reading and commenting — appreciate it.
I can so relate. I just went on a trip to Sedona and often found myself taking the EXACT same photo with both my Nikon and my iPhone. I was determined to break out my dslr and take “real” pics again. Of course, I ended up posting mostly instagram pics to my blog once I returned. They just seem to work so much better in collages and they have more of a “pop” than traditional photos, a “look at me” factor that almost seems necessary now that we’re being bombarded with so many images all of the time.
But I do wonder if this trend will fade and we’ll wish we had some clear, high resolution photos to look at when it’s all said and done. Instagram is fun and easy, so I won’t give it up. But I hope to strike a balance–I love shooting manually and don’t want to get too rusty. For what it’s worth, I love the photos you posted here. The color and clarity are gorgeous!
Yep, it seems to be about balance at the moment — I love both modes of taking photos, and that’s fine, but yes, I do wonder if I will be wishing later that I had better-quality pics of, say, my trip to Istanbul or recent trip to England/Scotland or — gasp! — my wedding ceremony last summer. (It was quick and easy, and there was no photographer, and all I’ve posted from that lovely day have been Instagram pics…)
Thanks for visiting and commenting.
Instagram give you instant gratification. You take a picture add the filter and you can see the result and average pictures can look more interesting. I use instagram when i am out and about but if I was going somewhere i would still take my camera.
For me Instagram has had the opposite effect actually helping me move forward with my photography as i am taking more pictures and as many have said I don’t post as much as I did when it was all new and shiny.
It’s like shooting video in 25fps after having tried 24fps. 25fps just has this “home video” feel and doesn’t feel “movie” enough. Those vignetting and color balance effects do give photos a more “movie” feel, don’t they?
I for one love your camera-accessed photos. There asre so many textures, natural colors, enticing forms–a sense of being in the moment in your real world. To each her own, but I do hope you will keep posting camera-driven pictures, as they draw me is just as well, if not better.
This post is so true! I used to carry my Canon DSLR with me everywhere, but I am spoiled by the iPhone and Instagram. I know I need to get motivated to get my big camera out and get snapping, but Instagram is just so much fun (and easy). Beautiful pictures, by the way!
I love Instagram and I hate it. It’s convenient and compelling the same way that fast food is convenient and compelling. Instagram works best for me when I want speedy documentation; it’s mostly a superficial act. When I want to be more deliberate and creative, I use the Nikon. All things in moderation.
I quit Instagram, but now you made me want it back
I have fond memories of that visit, walking and wondering and talking about photography whilst snapping. I think “ruined” is an interesting choice of words, and seems to contain within it an implicit value judgement. “Changed”, yes.
I remember thinking that you looked more comfortable taking pictures with your phone, that it was less of an “event”. But perhaps I was projecting.
Instagram has been a godsend for me. I am, as you know, a reluctant photographer, feeling somehow uneasy at taking out a camera and capturing a little of the world in it. I’m less reticent about phone photography; for some reason it feels like a more “natural” action–perhaps because our phones have become extensions of how we interact with the environment.
But for me, the filters are secondary to the network. Part of my issue with photography is that I rarely look at my photos again, and rarely show them to people. Unlike writing – the very process of which can help us sculpt and illuminate our inner world in some way, whether anyone ever reads it or not (and even if we never re-read it) – I feel photography is meant to be enjoyed after the fact. If my photos sit on my camera and are never viewed, they represent nothing more than a short-lived visual whim. But as you so rightly say, with Instagram a photo can be sent “off into the world to be liked and viewed for its moment of glory”. Whether anyone does view it or not is less important to me–the fact that it was *possible* for someone to see it, that there was a sense of dynamism or life injected into the static act of snapping a photo, is what I enjoy, and why I would continue using Instagram with the network but without filters, but possibly not vice-versa. (Incidentally, I know photos can be viewed in FlickrBook+ and wherever, but that involves a second layer of action; I appreciate the ease and immediacy of Instagram sharing.)
Oh, and yeah, I prefer the pics in the last post too! But that might be a kind of confirmation bias, or because the uniform size of the Insta-pics allow for such a pleasingly presented collage.
Nice post as always. Happy snappling!
If you are comfortable with the fact that Instagram can use your photos without your permission, without giving you credit or compensation, in any way they see fit? Well then, by all means carry on. I prefer to have a bit more control over my work and efforts. Instagram no longer resides on my iPhone.
I think many “artists” feel this way about social networking tools. On one hand, they’re great and there’s no use in denying the instant gratification they provide as you share things cool and fun alike. But still, the creative you feels like you’re using a cheat sheet and guilt is the result. I am not a photographer, but I do have friends who are and they live the same dilemma daily. I personally love the simplicity of a real photograph and just received a Nikon as a gift. I love pictures, but a part of me is looking forward to separating myself from the filter-induced, blur-laying Instagram community. Of course, I will always use my iPhone for quick flicks!!!
So interesting comparing your instagram shots to the canon ones. IMHO: The previous collage was really consistent and smooth, like a perfect pattern. It created a unified feeling of texture and colour. These ‘real’ photographs are more distinct, they work harder individually and give a sense of the reality of the place. In short, I think we can instagram an experience in a satisfying and impulsive way…. but the high resolution unfiltered image works harder and won’t look dated in a few years.
Your photos are beautiful! All of them. I think we should embrace both types of “mediums”. They work for different purposes and they both have very distinctive aesthetics. It is not the camera making the decisions and the great photographs, it’s the photographer behind the camera who decides what to shoot and how to shoot it.
I’m the opposite… I find that over time my idea of what a great photo is can change. I’m going through archives from my retired Canon (my first serious point and shoot) I recently upgraded to a mid-range Canon and couldn’t be happier. For me photography is about letting myself feel a moment while also capturing a memory. I walk around having a personal connection with my surroundings and my camera. Yes, sometimes those photos are still lost and forgotten on memory cards or in folders on my desktop but they have also be rediscovered and appreciated years after they were taken
I think the shots you got on your Canon are lovely by the way but you should do what makes you happiest. The important thing is that you like what you’re producing. I find that my tastes and habits change as I try new things because I’m constantly trying to improve 
Great post!
Love Instagram. Use it all the time (Android) and have done several posts on Diary of an Internet Nobody with it.
Don’t see why it should be considered three poor relation to “proper” cameras. It’s a good tool.
Say it with me : “I LOVE INSTAGRAM, AND I’M PROUD!”
I’m not a photographer, but I think I can relate to your feelings of Instagram ruining you. I don’t post on Instagram nearly as often as I used to. In the beginning, I was sharing pics like crazy, trying every filter. Now, I mainly use the same two or three filters and sometimes i get bored with them.
i still like Instagram and I try to use my pics as prompts for my real passion which is writing.