I liked Instagram when it first started up, as a place to post mobile phone photographs. I laregely moved away from it though, as I got fed up with the ‘influencer’ nonsense on there. I’ll take another look at it.
Hi Andy, it looks like you have a ton of great candidates! I'd love to be considered when my project finally gets some wings. It may be another year though. Thank you for all you do for the community!
Just dropping a note to thank you for what you are doing for the photography community. Instagram, at least for is the quintessential love/hate relationship - much like I would imagine an "arranged marriage" might be like.
Thank you, David! You have officially made my day. Indeed, I have a love/hate relationship with Instagram and realized a while ago that my relationship with the app is akin to Stockholm syndrome. You might appreciate this: https://www.flakphoto.news/p/the-instagram-gods-are-angry Thanks so much for reading and for the kind words. I'm following your Notes now and look forward to reading your newsletter. Take care!
Hey Andy, I love what you are doing. I caught myself being shy about this but if you like the work I would love you to share what you find most interesting of my own work.
I'm doing a deep dive into slow photography with my 8x10 camera and paper negatives.
It occurred to me that the reason that I love it so much is that the use of the paper negative with its very slow ISO of about three, makes it possible for a single image especially one with a deep depth of field of like F 64 for example, to reveal complex formal and dynamic elements. Objects in the picture plane which are fixed or sharp everywhere but that f-stop. But objects or materials, which are in motion, whether they are people or leaves or water, or whatever , become blurred, or erasing any object crispness that might have made them clearly defined and pinned to a specific moment in time, which is how we tend to think of photography, isn’t it? So there’s not only no decisive moment, but no instant, stopping time so we can return to it via the print, but we get something very different - time is passing, we are living and dying all at once. We experience the joy of being alive, while we face our mortality.
And there’s somethings so satisfying about being able to do it, and what feels like an elegant way in a single photo. I realize I could never make pictures like this with a digital camera. It’s only by going back to the origins of photography that it seems possible. I can tag you in a post or two if that's cool with you.
I don't have any of that work on my website yet only the Gram...
I enjoyed the Five, thanks for posting, I hope this becomes a very regular thing. Lately I spend more time looking at pictures than taking them. I use IG sporadically but less and less. I'm looking for an alternative. In the meantime feel free to check out my pictures on IG @nvanzanten.
Nice to meet you, I just followed you here and on Instagram. I recently went private on Instagram and trying that out for a while, but I do nature and animals photography @westpalmphotog I love the pictures you took during your visit to San Francisco.
Thanks for sharing these beautiful photos and artists. I don't use Instagram much anymore. Uninstalled the app in January and have no plans of getting back to it. It just became too much and using it sucks so I'm good.
I enjoyed this! Love discovering new artists on so thanks for sharing. I have a love-hate relationship with Instagram but it’s still my preferred platform to connect with people. I just use it at my own pace rather than being pressured by the algorithm. Don’t get me started on the push to post reels...😬🙅🏾♀️
I feel like IG could be so much more than it is. It has the potential to be a photo sharing network, a new Twitter, YouTube, tic Tock all rolled into one. They just keep trying to control the conversation instead of letting creatives use the tools in whatever way they want. If they would just focus on making creative tools and not on forcing people to use whatever new tool they make, they would take off organically.
I have a deep hate for what IG has become. Every time I open it, I have to scroll forever before I can find a real picture and not a reel (created only to feed the algorithm so pictures will be more visible) or ad or whatever sponsored post. Most of the times I close it even before I have seen some of the works from the people I follow.
I found in VERO a platform that brought community and pictures back at the core. There is no algorithm there, all is in chronological order and there are no ad. If you like to enjoy content from people you follow, that's the best experience you can ask for. On the other hand, people are too lazy to make the move from one platform to the other. Users who took years to create an audience just won't move over. And for this reason, IG will keep ruling as they wish. Knowing they will always win.
Cian Oba-Smith’s photo is so compelling! I love you sharing highlights here. Wish searching was a little easier on Substack.
I used to use IG for photo challenges and it reminded me of Flickr groups or the short-lived Google+ for a bit.
A wonderfully diverse inaugural selection. These photographers were all new to me, so thanks for the introduction!
Cheers, David. Thanks for signing on as a paid subscriber today!✌️📸
I liked Instagram when it first started up, as a place to post mobile phone photographs. I laregely moved away from it though, as I got fed up with the ‘influencer’ nonsense on there. I’ll take another look at it.
Hi Andy, it looks like you have a ton of great candidates! I'd love to be considered when my project finally gets some wings. It may be another year though. Thank you for all you do for the community!
Thanks for the note, Juliette!
Just dropping a note to thank you for what you are doing for the photography community. Instagram, at least for is the quintessential love/hate relationship - much like I would imagine an "arranged marriage" might be like.
Thank you, David! You have officially made my day. Indeed, I have a love/hate relationship with Instagram and realized a while ago that my relationship with the app is akin to Stockholm syndrome. You might appreciate this: https://www.flakphoto.news/p/the-instagram-gods-are-angry Thanks so much for reading and for the kind words. I'm following your Notes now and look forward to reading your newsletter. Take care!
I will take a look at the link you sent in the morning.. thank you!
Love your newsletter.
I've been posting on Instagram for almost 10 years now, but I still have less than 300 subscribers.
Everyone seems to like my photos, yet not that much, I guess.
I continue to post, though, and follow you on Instagram!
Cheers,
ak
Hey Andy, I love what you are doing. I caught myself being shy about this but if you like the work I would love you to share what you find most interesting of my own work.
I'm doing a deep dive into slow photography with my 8x10 camera and paper negatives.
It occurred to me that the reason that I love it so much is that the use of the paper negative with its very slow ISO of about three, makes it possible for a single image especially one with a deep depth of field of like F 64 for example, to reveal complex formal and dynamic elements. Objects in the picture plane which are fixed or sharp everywhere but that f-stop. But objects or materials, which are in motion, whether they are people or leaves or water, or whatever , become blurred, or erasing any object crispness that might have made them clearly defined and pinned to a specific moment in time, which is how we tend to think of photography, isn’t it? So there’s not only no decisive moment, but no instant, stopping time so we can return to it via the print, but we get something very different - time is passing, we are living and dying all at once. We experience the joy of being alive, while we face our mortality.
And there’s somethings so satisfying about being able to do it, and what feels like an elegant way in a single photo. I realize I could never make pictures like this with a digital camera. It’s only by going back to the origins of photography that it seems possible. I can tag you in a post or two if that's cool with you.
I don't have any of that work on my website yet only the Gram...
Cheers,
Hillary
Andy, just found your please email link. So maybe it is better that I scan my images and email a couple to you? Thanks! and happy weekend! H
Sure! Email anytime. Cheers, Hillary✌️📸
Thank you!
I enjoyed the Five, thanks for posting, I hope this becomes a very regular thing. Lately I spend more time looking at pictures than taking them. I use IG sporadically but less and less. I'm looking for an alternative. In the meantime feel free to check out my pictures on IG @nvanzanten.
Cheers, Nick. Thanks for looking! I'll make The FlakPhoto Five a recurring feature. Stay tuned!
Nice to meet you, I just followed you here and on Instagram. I recently went private on Instagram and trying that out for a while, but I do nature and animals photography @westpalmphotog I love the pictures you took during your visit to San Francisco.
Good to meet you, Lara! Thanks for checking me out.
Thanks for your article. I’m not over Instagram but know if I didn’t have a business I wouldn’t be on it. I would spend more time on Substack.
Such a great selection and I love that some people don’t have a big following yet. Followed all!
Awesome! That's the idea — Getting their work seen. Thanks for looking, Mia!
Thanks for sharing these beautiful photos and artists. I don't use Instagram much anymore. Uninstalled the app in January and have no plans of getting back to it. It just became too much and using it sucks so I'm good.
Such wonderful photographs! Thank you for sharing.
I enjoyed this! Love discovering new artists on so thanks for sharing. I have a love-hate relationship with Instagram but it’s still my preferred platform to connect with people. I just use it at my own pace rather than being pressured by the algorithm. Don’t get me started on the push to post reels...😬🙅🏾♀️
I feel like IG could be so much more than it is. It has the potential to be a photo sharing network, a new Twitter, YouTube, tic Tock all rolled into one. They just keep trying to control the conversation instead of letting creatives use the tools in whatever way they want. If they would just focus on making creative tools and not on forcing people to use whatever new tool they make, they would take off organically.
Unfortunately FB is all about controlling their audience. Ted Gioia wrote an excellent newsletter about this problem.
https://open.substack.com/pub/tedgioia/p/how-web-platforms-collapse-the-facebook?r=5613c&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
I have a deep hate for what IG has become. Every time I open it, I have to scroll forever before I can find a real picture and not a reel (created only to feed the algorithm so pictures will be more visible) or ad or whatever sponsored post. Most of the times I close it even before I have seen some of the works from the people I follow.
I found in VERO a platform that brought community and pictures back at the core. There is no algorithm there, all is in chronological order and there are no ad. If you like to enjoy content from people you follow, that's the best experience you can ask for. On the other hand, people are too lazy to make the move from one platform to the other. Users who took years to create an audience just won't move over. And for this reason, IG will keep ruling as they wish. Knowing they will always win.