Facebook's purchase of the Instagram application for iphone's brought a resurgence of debate about the value it does or does not add to photography. Perhaps even more importantly it questioned the very value/contribution to photography that the application makes through its use.
If you use any social networking it is hard to avoid Instagram. But what does an ongoing plethora of images that show peoples meals throughout the day shrouded by a vignette to give it a 'retro' look mean in terms of photography as an art form? Should we seriously be looking at these images and giving them the same consideration we give to photography in an art gallery made with a camera rather than a mobile phone?
The top 10 instagram 'photographers' of 2012 consisted entirely of celebrities and not a single actual photographer made the list
http://www.petapixel.com/2012/05/01/the-10-most-popular-photographers-on-instagram/
This was the starting point for a group online forum that I was set the task of taking part in this past week.
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When being set the task to take part in this forum discussion, it was an interesting new experience for me because I had until doing a bit of research into what Instagram was. Only had a tiny amount of knowledge as to what Instagram was through it clogging up my Facebook through my contacts posts. After doing my share of research, I discovered that the talking point of Instagram being referred to Photography was a highly discussed one across the Internet. A lot of people, including my fellow course peers feel that whilst Instagram is a good thing. There is a line in which the photographs being posted on the website and photographs being produced professionally should be drawn. The term Photographer is thrown around a lot today through how many people believe that taking some form of a photograph through any device (Smartphone's in particular) seems to make you an instant Photographer. Whilst their is a photographic medium in taking a Photograph and adding a funky effect to it. This does not count anyone in any right as a Photographer. If we all said this about any person who owns a camera then it would just be silly.
Below is an example of an Instagram image that I have picked out from Google Images
(all credit goes to who ever it belongs to)
According to our brief, the top 10 Instagram users are Celebrities. People like Justin Bieber due to their popularity would get more views, feedback and likes for their posts over any professional that would host their work on this site. This is one reason in which real Photographers should just avoid posting their professional work on a gimmick website like this and leave Instagram for people who use it as a social networking approach and hobby.
The way I see it, people shouldn't take Instagram to heart as photographic tool. The base of it is not to bring down professional Photographers but rather just as a quirky way for people to combine imagery with Twitter and Facebook. It's interesting to know where people are in the world and what they are doing and eating (Well..... not to me but other who religiously follow famous folk online)
With the ever changing pace of how Photography and the world is changing via technology among other things. It's best to embrace the change as their is nothing we can do about it.
I will finish up this post with my one post from this week's debate....
Also for those of you who are interested.... I found this interesting article during my research of Instagram in which the article covers reasons why Instragam is a good thing.
http://www.petapixel.com/2012/10/15/why-photographers-should-embrace-not-scorn-tools-like-instagram/--
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I have never used Instagram and nor do I ever intend to. I only know about it through Facebook so I can't say that it ever attracts my attention or bothers me.
That being said though, after doing some research into the background behind Instagram, I support Amy's statement regarding how Instagram should be seen as a fun online version of Photoshop rather than something that should be taken so seriously. If Instagram is cutting down the amount of work for freelance Photographers then of course it's a negative thing. That being said though I would say that what that is showing is just a sign of our times. The advancement of photographic technology over the course of the next few years due to things like Smartphones, will most likely continue to effect the workrate for freelance Photographers and change people's perspective of what Photography is. We can't do anything about it though.
What I will say though is that if everyone thinks that creating images with funky effects through Instagram is not original and should not be seen as cool or Photography. What does that say about any images that are processed through Photoshop itself without the need of Instagram. Does that make Photoshop just as bad as Instagram.
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Image source - http://content.photojojo.com/reviews/instagram/
Image source - http://content.photojojo.com/reviews/instagram/
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