Has Instagram ruined or helped photography? Like anything, it depends on who you ask. In my case, the question speaks to high quality photography – not the everyday snapshots which abound ad nausea.
It used to be that I could pack up my camera and travel near or far and take original photographs. Even if I was shooting iconic scenes or structures, I could do it in a way that made the image mine.
Now things have changed. Everywhere I go there are people taking pictures with cameras or phones. If I go to a well-known site, there will be 50 or 100 tripods set up in a row. Some of the results will make their way on to Instagram and some of the results will be very good. The one thing I can count on is that if I line up with them, I won’t get anything original anymore.
I found myself getting a bit depressed over this. I wanted the shots I took to be unmistakably mine. I wanted them to convey what I saw and felt at the moment I clicked the shutter. It occurred to me that if that was my intent that first, I needed to identify what I was seeing – how I was seeing it – what I was feeling – and how could I convey that?
Tall order. But it has led me down new paths of photography and has resulted in unique photographs – in fact, the most exciting photographs I have ever taken.
It became all about perspective. Not in the usual terms of perspective – but in new terms which gave different results. Traditionally, perspective in photography is about camera level – is it eye level – ground level – up on a ladder – or?
This perspective was more total in its content. It was about what was happening. What was the atmosphere – motion or still – my intent? Everything around my subject came into play. I found if I introduced camera motion with a long exposure, I would get interesting/exciting results.
Another way to photograph in an urban area was to look at my subject from a reflection. That way I could add altered reality to what I was going to shoot. Framing my subject in a different context allowed me to see it in a whole new way.
A simple street photo became very nontraditional.
Plain windows sharing advertising on a reflecting window across the street take on more interest.
And sometimes, just the reflection itself becomes the subject on its own.
Another interesting perspective is multiple exposure. Taking a good look at a single subject from a few different angles is one way to accomplish it.
Unexpected results occur when you take some random photographs of a specific area and merge them into a single composite. Everything is related but in a unique way.
An unexpected bonus came from this path. I found all kinds of interesting subjects that I had totally ignored in the past. I was busy looking for that perfect shot – you know – the beautiful, breathtaking image. Now I find breathtaking images all over the place. Common sights seen in unexpected ways net fascinating photography.
Here I worked on capturing the Empire State Building into a meaningful image that differs from what I usually see.
When I get one of those shots, it sends me out looking for more – and they are everywhere!
Experimentation has given me new insights in how I might want to capture subjects. It has given me new paths to explore. In the exploration, I have discovered new ways to see things and my own personal horizons have expanded beyond what had become a bit too ordinary for me.
The New York City skyline has been shot and shot and shot. I wanted to shoot it too.
These new horizons have been exhilerating. Every time I think I can’t possibly come up with a new approach, I find myself seeing some of the same old things in unexpectedly new ways and I figure out how to capture them.
What I have outlined above has been part of the journey I have been on with my photography in more recent years. For awhile I felt guilty when I went places and only took these non traditional photographs. But not anymore. I let all those people on Instagram do that.
You can see me there as well ;-) @roxanne_overton_photography
Please visit www.roxanneoverton.com — where you will find more photography and information on my instructional and travel series photography books.
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