Everyone’s a photographer

by Maciejka Gorzelnik

 

Whether you use a smartphone or a top-of-the-line DSLR camera, if it’s a snapshot or a highly orchestrated photo shoot, if you’re a professional well schooled in photography or an amateur who just picked up their first camera, you are a photographer. In a world dominated by social media, Instagram is the community where any kind of photographer can go to showcase their work.

Everything is documented instantly from the mundane to the surreal. According to Bree Gaudette, owner and photographer at Love Bree Photography, this is a big part of Instagram’s appeal.

“It’s refreshing,” said Gaudette. “When I wake up, I know I have beautiful recent shots of the ocean in another part of the world waiting for me on Instagram.”

As of early September, Instagram has 100 million users averaging 7.3 million active users per day. Part of this is due to the numerous filters that can be used on photos. Brian Dawes, owner and photographer at Brian Dawes Photography said the filters allow people to improve or stylize their photos and often times “breathe some life into an otherwise mundane, lifeless and possibly poorly shot image.” Dawes said one of his main issues with these filters is they are not used properly.

“It not only looks horribly fake but is typically not appropriate for most of the content it’s used on,” said Dawes.

An app like Instagram can be used by photographers as a marketing platform. Even with the filters and the trends, Gaudette said it shows off the talent that you already have.

“You can’t fake,” said Gaudette. “You can edit it but that’s still in the realms of acceptability.”

Sometimes, this “fake” look is exactly what the artist is looking for. Getty Images has been experimenting with the use of Instagram photos since early 2012. As a part of their New York Fashion Week coverage, they put together a gallery of vintage-looking Instagram photos for sale to media outlets.

As markets for smartphone and Instagram-style photos grow, it would be easy to deduce that the need for trained photographers and expensive DSLR cameras is shrinking. Yet, the opposite appears to be true. A smartphone is a good option for day-to-day photography but according to Reuters, key moments in peoples’ lives require, at the very least, a better camera if not an actual photographer to capture those moments.

Dawes said he is confident the human element will always be required in the photography process. “You can word it however you like,” said Dawes. “Style, emotion, personal connection with a subject or just plain human error; some things simply can’t be created with ones and zeros.”

Anyone can take a snapshot. Anyone can use an Instagram filter. Creativity, relevance and passion will help you stay ahead and put yourself away from the crowd even if you do follow the trends.