Do you remember the early days of Instagram? I was looking back in my photo archives the other day and reminiscing about the excitement of getting my first iPhone and joining the Instagram community. I was a year late to the party, but luckily the party was still in full swing.
Remember the first filters and frames you used (or maybe you were a #nofilter type), and the apps you combined with IG? I used Camera+, Hipstamatic, Snapseed, SquareReady, Plastic Bullet, and a few others. I got an Olloclip lens attachment and excitedly explored the world of marco and wide-angle iPhoneograpy.
Often, my use of filters and effects was over the top, but never mind. That was part of the fun, along with the sense of immediacy and the rich community.
I’m still an active member of the Instagram community, but like all good things, once the first blush of excitement wears off, it’s hard to get it back. I still enjoy sharing images and seeing what others are sharing, but it’s not quite the same now that algorithms and advertisements have gotten in the way. But I plan to stick with it until the bitter end. Maybe there’s a new photography community waiting just around the corner … if you’ve found it, let us know!
Have you visited your early Instagram archives lately? Share the link to some of your favorite images in the comments, or repost them on IG and tag them #viewfindersio and #instagram. We’d love to travel down memory lane with you!
See you soon.
—lucy
3 Comments
Comments are closed.
So true! I look at my early instagram images and particularly love the interactions with others. All of that has been destroyed by the new algorithm. It’s such a shame.
oh how I miss the early days of IG…
I’m still active on IG but it’s definitely different. I miss the days where experimenting and posting less-than-perfectly-curated photos was not only acceptable, but encouraged! Now I feel less inclined to experiment and more likely to post images that “work” in my current gallery.