Go to squarespace.com/Chelsea & save 10% off your first website or domain with code “Chelsea"

@punkrachmaninoff

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you Tony and Chelsea. Thank you for using your voices to push back against this era of unabashed trash in photography. ENOUGH ALREADY WITH THE LOW PIXEL TRASH.

@thetogtube2

2 жыл бұрын

Only thing IG has ruined is people's self esteem :P

@DesireeDuarteVera

Жыл бұрын

Maybe it's time for two experts and entrepreneurs like you to come out with an idea that can solve this. I'd support you.

@fixthecountryghtv

Жыл бұрын

12:20 who saw the dog walked in the video. Awesome

Social medias actually ruined everything in society. Photography is one big thing as well.

@blackice5649

Жыл бұрын

I agree completely, but that shouldn't stop you from the enjoyment and fulfillment that photography brings. Don't let them stop you from taking pictures!

@bhargavexpress9114

Жыл бұрын

Fully agree with it. Instead of connecting people, it is breaking years old relations.

I really think it is time for Flickr to step up its game and for all of us to migrate there.

@shade599

2 жыл бұрын

agree

@wngimageanddesign9546

2 жыл бұрын

smugmug keeps dropping the ball with flickr. Overcharging PROs. Still plagued by legacy bugs. Lacking features and pro options. So many server crashes, slowing bandwidth access. Now they screwed up Album Downloads with 500 image album limit. Their phone app came too late, they allowed Instagram to take root.

@challiray

2 жыл бұрын

Yahoo’s Flickr???

@grahamfloyd3451

2 жыл бұрын

I tried Flickr years ago but dropped it when I couldn't share my photos at the resolution I wanted and found it difficult to enlarge photos.

@kociasek

2 жыл бұрын

@@wngimageanddesign9546 Plagued by legacy bugs? So many server crashes? LOL, what a load of BS, you probably haven't been to Flickr for a number of years. Stop spreading fake news.

As a professional Photographer I think its absolutely insane that the community has not come together to fund and launch a new app

@brizzle3903

Жыл бұрын

I feel like if someone tried, that robot named Mark Zuckerberg would come along and try to buy the app dangling a few million dollars in front of the app creators just like he did with Instagram

@seerrees

Жыл бұрын

@@brizzle3903 "There is a chance it could fail ... Might as well not even try." Not the mentality I like to live by.

@brizzle3903

Жыл бұрын

@@seerrees people like Zuckerberg don’t want competition they want a monopoly that’s a fact! Also several Instagram like apps have come and gone over the past few years and so far not a single 1 has had a snowballs chance in hell in actually giving Instagram a run for its money they’re either plagued with issues or just flat out suck.

@suzannedeatonphotography3314

Жыл бұрын

Amen!

@Daddy4rime

Жыл бұрын

VERO

Instagram very nearly broke my love of photography. Seriously. It's become so frustrating and depressing not being able to reach an audience that I spent a decade amassing. I have friends who have in the hundreds of thousands of followers and are only getting 40 likes on really stunning photography because IG won't show that content to their audience. And for a content creator like me - who isn't doing this for money, or trying to "grow a brand" - I can't justify paying for paid promotion.

@mutedmutiny9542

2 жыл бұрын

Instagram broke my love of photography while TikTok broke my faith in humanity

@BeaverK1ng

Жыл бұрын

Photograph for yourself, not how many likes you get. I don't even bother to share most photos I take anymore but I still love the process.

@vitorazinheira2195

Жыл бұрын

Don't use it. It;'s all fake

I deleted my social media accounts (aside from KZread, which I use just for viewing videos) nearly 3 years ago, when Facebook became so toxic I could bear it no longer. I never got any traction on Instagram so leaving that platform was even easier. To answer your question about where to go, I went back to the real world. I now set up weekly at a local farmers market, where I am able to interact with my customers and actually see the appreciation on their faces, rather than hoping for a thumbs up emoji to validate my efforts. THIS community feels a lot more real (because it is), I'm having more fun and I'm actually making some money from my photography now.

@liesel.8758

2 жыл бұрын

can i ask what you do/what you offer when you go to the farmer's market? i recently began building my photography business and I would love to try this out at my local market!

@Metal_Vistas

2 жыл бұрын

My work specializes in historical themes, rural scenes and Americana. I'm located in Gettysburg, which is a popular vacation destination, so I am fortunate to have some tourist traffic as well as some local interest in my work. I don't think I would survive with only one or the other. I don't want to be too specific about what products I'm selling, because, frankly, I just don't want to create competition for my niche. I'm sure you'll understand and you'll find your own niche.

I've owned a photography and design company for 11 years and stayed away from Instagram for the majority of those years because I knew this would happen. I did start one up because people kept begging me to join. For a while there I built a nice audience and people seemed to enjoy my content. Then everything changed. I went from hundreds of likes and comments, to like 15 likes per photo (not an exaggeration). Doesn't matter how nice the photo is, 15 likes is the max. So I stopped posting there. It's a waste of time.

@2000sidhupunjab

2 жыл бұрын

You made right decision, you run a business and you were not on IG for validation.

@pineyridge7465

2 жыл бұрын

I use it now for my airbnb business, and stopped bothering posting on my photography account. Instagram is now about selling stuff, sadly.

@aceentertainmnt9249

2 жыл бұрын

Wow that sucks

@smilesfromabroad

2 жыл бұрын

same, i also expected it to happen. Was only waiting for that moment.

@antosbielli158

2 жыл бұрын

So you stayed away from it by starting one up and building a nice audience ? Or did I read that wrong ?

I worked for more than 6 years to grow a following above 1mio... I can now hardly get above 10000 likes and 30 comments. Even though I regularly post new photos. The Instagram algorithm has completely crushed photo-sharing.

@IceblueParamedic

2 жыл бұрын

I know that you know the things I will write, but your photography is top notch. I really enjoy your style und your videos really are great! The lack of likes isn't your, nor the pictures fault, its just the algorhythm :( Keep shooting! I love it :)

@MSGordon33

2 жыл бұрын

I began pursuing photography seriously within the last year (inspired by great KZread photography shows like yours and Tony&Chelsea) after the algorithm for IG was biased in favor of vertical video. I found it incredibly discouraging that low effort videos would get me over 10x as much engagement as submitting my best photos. Even if making reels were my thing I'm not sure I'd want to start building a big IG following in 2022, I wouldn't trust the platform not to break the algorithm in some other way

@fredriksvard2603

2 жыл бұрын

For a reason. People aren't really interested in photography for photography's sake. Works well as part of something else though.

@fredriksvard2603

2 жыл бұрын

@@MSGordon33 I think instagram is a good lesson for photographers. It's always been true that a bad photo of a pretty girl is infinitely more interesting than a perfect sunset or flower shot. When people do something interesting and take great photos of it, it works anywhere. But people generally don't care about photography for photography's sake.

@manilamartin1001

2 жыл бұрын

Damn you're awesome. New sub.

Our collective desperate need for attention and validation makes us all ripe for exploitation. These social spaces are privately owned factories, so you really can't complain about them. The only thing you can do to battle the Facebooks, Instagrams, Tik Toks etc., is to not need them. To not expect anything from them. People building careers on these platforms is perilous because you control nothing.

@suvradeepbanerjee6801

2 жыл бұрын

True

@Michael-qv7pn

2 жыл бұрын

Thats true, but for many people its just crucial to "get seen" and get attention, its the whole point of marketing And its pretty much the most important advertising platform now. Hobbiests really shouldnt care at all about instagram, for some pros it seems to be a necessity tough

@hans1187

Жыл бұрын

I wonder if a de-centralized platform for content sharing would be possible. Like these file sharing tools in the old days. Ie. being (more) independent of the whims/trend chasings of some corporate board members.

This video is on point! It looks like Instagram is in panic mode since many years. They run after others and never correctly took care of their creators. I started on IG as well and the reach of still pictures is really sad.

Ig is fine for social but it was never great for photography. I use Flickr. Yes Flickr isn't great for social but it's perfect for photography. They don't compress your images like fb, ig, Google. You can upload whatever you want. I upload high quality 45 mp pics from my canon eos r5. People can download whatever resolution they want whether they want the 45 mp original which is like 40MB or a 400kb thumbnail or anything in-between. The website is so fast too. I can share whole albums rather than a few pics here and there. If what you care about is photography Flickr is great. If being an influencer or a social media addict, then ig is still fine. So it's what you want to do.

@daveoutdoors4949

2 жыл бұрын

Agree. I’m been on Flickr for over 10 years with no plans to stop.

@FahadFSA

2 жыл бұрын

I stopped posting on Flickr due to insta, I think I will go back again...

@arunphillips6977

2 жыл бұрын

Is Flikcr free to use?

@SteveAmaon

2 жыл бұрын

@Kenny Yes

@SteveAmaon

2 жыл бұрын

@@arunphillips6977 It can be.

I find it aggravating that Instagram changes the quality when you upload a perfectly well picture.

@jrt2792

2 жыл бұрын

That's the IG crop for you.

@javiera8782

2 жыл бұрын

Export as 1080 on the short side

@adrianvanleeuwen

2 жыл бұрын

Resize the long end of your photo to 2048px which is recommended and save a copy. Quality does not go down then, my images look good and sharp. Also make your crop either 4x5 or 1x1. Best practices.

@craigbrockway652

2 жыл бұрын

I too edit with a 4K monitor, my images look sharp, then instagram muddies them.

2 жыл бұрын

I agree.

I spend more time blocking fakes & frauds on IG than anything.

@JimyOfficial

2 жыл бұрын

Yes

I never liked instagram. Flickr is much more serious in artwork and good pictures.

I love photography. I do it because I enjoy it and it's a medium of personal expression. I was on IG but left the site soon after they decided to exploit the photographers for their personal gain. At the end of the day I take photographs for my own pleasure and don't need anyone to say they 'like' or don't like my work. My work has to stand up to my own scrutiny and criticism.

@billvandermolen5907

2 жыл бұрын

Ehh....I used to say that as well. But I learn so much about composition, quality, etc by looking at work from people better than me. I also don't want to go back to the days of all my stuff just sitting in a shoebox not viewed.

@icexe1

Жыл бұрын

@@billvandermolen5907 the way people just mindlessly scroll through images on social media nowadays, you might as well just leave them in a shoebox. The only way anything gets more than split second of attention is if it has some snarky quote or meme overlaying it.

@billvandermolen5907

Жыл бұрын

@@icexe1 Not the way I see it. I scroll quickly, but stop at images that strike my attention. I also noticed that those who comment on my photos do the same.

I completely agree. IG has gone from bad to worse. Thanks for making these videos, I believe that they are needed by our community.

Instagram made photography more relevant and needed than ever. That's what makes their recent changes so devastating to small businesses and creators.

Flickr is the one I like the most for photography. I can post large files of any dimension. I can discover a lot of new photographers from all over the world.

IG has always been abusive to its creators.

I upload hasselblad pictures to my Instagram, and they compress and muddy my pictures all day

Better if Square Space build the app promoting photography and its community. Maybe this is the perfect opportunity for them.

This talk is amazing, getting this perspective is so nice. Thank you guys for being so honest !

Twitter is now the best platform for creators to meet and share their work. Full control of whatever picture you want to share too, so it's amazing

I guess I fall into the "I like taking photos, I'll share them on Insta" group, and although my 'followers' number less than 100, I can hardly be bothered now, because at least 23-30 people used to see and like my photos, (OK, not a huge number but I did feel like I was part of a community of sorts) now it seems like the algorithm just ignores all my stuff.

I love these real talk about photography!!! I need to hear more of you guys like this!!

It seems the social media companies are more interested in selling addictions to social media instead of the actual content. TikTok Instagram is all about addiction now. The videos can be addictive to small minds while photography requires thought. I'm also annoyed with Instagram. It sucks now.

After a number of years on IG’s their insistence on my date of birth to continue using the app so they could bring me a “better experience” was the last straw for me , I’m out, ridiculous. Flickr is the place for thinking photogs.

For sure they ruined photography... Image quality was never their concern and now they don't deliver our content. If you don't do reels and videos they put you in a limbo. I'm having better results on twitter with a fraction of followers.

@ChuyGl89

2 жыл бұрын

What's your @?

@tactical_sandwich_

2 жыл бұрын

Twitter has way better image quality anyhow

@xwhite2020

2 жыл бұрын

What do you mean put you in limbo? I'm completely missing what's going on here.

@ChuyGl89

2 жыл бұрын

@@xwhite2020 as in you don't have the same exposure as people that upload reels. Even Instagram has stated that reels have preference over other media uploads (long video, short video, stories and normal pictures)

@xwhite2020

2 жыл бұрын

@@ChuyGl89 i thought that (unless you pay) only your personal followers and hashtags gets your posts in their feeds. Seems fair and reasonable to me.

Thanks for making this video. I completely agree with your sentiments re Instagram. They seem to have not even the slightest understanding of the photography community and they care even less. Every single aspect of IG is designed to do nothing else but increase their profit. I use it but hate it. The problem is it has mass following. When I am taking pictures on the streets or chatting to someone about my photography, the first thing they ask is "Are you on Instagram?" Once they follow me, I can easily send them images I've taken of them on the streets, as a way of saying thank-you. That simplicity is hard to give up if I switch to another platform. But the desperate desire is there for an IG replacement; from hundreds of thousands of photographers, if not more.

Im just waiting for right moment to delete my instagram. This app pisses me of soo hard, its incredible. With implementation of stories they really started to just focus on getting people to stay as long as possible inside the app so they can sell more ads

@boutthere3374

2 жыл бұрын

I wouldn't delete. Just let it die. The idleness will mess them up.

@grumbazor

2 жыл бұрын

just leave. delete your content (they wont delete it anyway but you remove some visible content from the platform) and leave. just leave. Its not worth the time and induced emotion als they are mostly negative

Instagram turned photography into: "Not what you know, but who you know"

I totally agree with the two of you you are spot on it’s a shame that instagram has become terrible for sharing photos and getting seen

its turned into a pretty toxic place, with ads on every other post & moving into being like tik tok & basically the same format as fb now. I went back to flickr. High res images which you can view properly & it basically acts as good place to backup photos at full res. I dont wont anything to do with what insta has become. People seem to desperate for likes on their. Its full of cringe.

@carlosmcse

2 жыл бұрын

I just use it to keep in touch with like minded folks. I post a picture every now and then and I get maybe a dozen good quality likes.

@PeteTaylorPTI

2 жыл бұрын

Toxic is the perfect word.

@carlosmcse

2 жыл бұрын

The problem with Flickr is that I want people to actually see my pictures. At least about a couple dozen people on Instagram see them and comment sometimes. On Flickr nobody will see them and probably just download those hi res images and steal them.

@carlosmcse

2 жыл бұрын

@@PeteTaylorPTI I don’t find it toxic at all. As a matter of fact, I was just having a very nice conversation with Alan Burles. Nice guy.

@PeteTaylorPTI

2 жыл бұрын

​@@carlosmcse It'll be tough getting orioles to log in but it's worth a shot (just kidding). (I love Orioles, BTW. Live in MD and it’s a nice rare treat if they drop by our yard!) Question is WHO you want to see your photos and what types and for what reason. Advertising? That’s going to be a matter of local marketing, not an international mosh pit where you expect the quality of your work to attract local business. Most people’s personal and professional social networks are NOT on Instagram. If your clients are families and events, no one on IG will give a damn. Wildlife/landscape/macro/real estate/still life? Psht! Not on IG. [And folks, don’t go pointing out exceptions and making them the rule.] The best one can really expect is that for every model you shoot on IG for free, maybe she sends her family and friends your way for non-modeling shoots. Maybe. That’s still nowhere near as good as being recommended by a client who paid. Do you specialize in photographing “hot models” in expensive rented fashion and promoting an unrealistic luxury atmosphere and calling it “lifestyle photography”? Oh yeah, IG is the place for you! LOL That is, if you don’t mind getting 15-75 ‘hearts’ and while the model gets 7,500 even though you both post the same image on your feeds! If you want genuine photographers seeing and sharing appreciation for your photography then Flickr always has and will be the spot. Is Flickr’s phone app underwhelming? Sure. But can you post extremely easily from any computer and not have to agonize over trying to tag major brands for a chance at attention AND post to groups aimed at showcasing your genres. No having to ‘boost’ a post by paying or wasting time on ‘stories’ with bad autotune music. As for theft? Where there’s a screenshot, there’s a way. And you don’t need to post extremely high res on Flickr because Flickr doesn’t destroy or scale down. You determine in your settings whether you want to let viewers click for a super hi-res look or not. Personally, I just export dupes of my images with 2000px for the long end and that’s what goes on flickr. Still plenty large for view but not overly huge. People screen shot from IG like crazy. In fact, there are mirror apps for IG that literally have a download button for images AND video! And you might think “Well, it’s not high res though,” to which I say “If they’re passing it off as their work… on a platform that’s designed solely for small phone screens, it doesn’t matter?” To end this novel (sorry), do google "Social Media Use in 2021 - Pew Research Center". Very good info there on where people actually are.

I agree with you. Instagram was a great place to share photos. It made us to think how to compose a photo to fit into their square. The Snapchat influence : I like scrolling through stories. I find stories a great way to share less curated photos than on my feed. You see something interesting, you can share with your community. What I don't like is the influence of TikTok ; I'm not a big fan of reels. Now when I scroll through my feed to see photos, I wonder why I scroll through so many videos on my feed ... I get bored so I spend less time on IG.

Instagram is now all short videos of dancing and lip syncing hot girls. It’s gone down the toilet. I’m about to dump both Facebook and Instagram. There is a movement of folks going back to Flickr

It's been very demotivating trying to post quality content and trying to find and use the best hashtags available for photography recognition but since the introduction of reels and short videos it's been a downhill from there. I'm considering moving on to Flickr but their interface is really not very intuitive. Plus... lots of people are over at Instagram and we're getting obliterated by video content producers. I got nothing against it, it's just not a leveled playing field anymore. I really don't like producing videos and it is not my intention in the long term... I miss the old Instagram focused on photography at its core.

thanks for making this. Photographers appreciate it :)

@janm2473

2 жыл бұрын

Indeed, thank you, Chelsea and Tony.

quick thought: there are several major groups/reasons for photography: *Commercial: business pays the photographer for needed images *chatter: quick exchange apps on iPhones replaces the Polaroid camera *hobby: just doing my thing as Tony has rightly observed: the iPhone/chatter has taken a big chunk of the market that point-and-shoot cameras used to hold. this doesn't mean us art type hobbyists are out on the ice now; it just means that what has always been a niche piece of the photography market has become somewhat more clearly defined. /gw

Photography is about so much more than showing your photos to an audience. Its real value (to me and countless others) is more about looking at the world in a different way and noticing things that others overlook. Taking those images and turning them into something that pleases you, the photographer. This is one reason I really like "The Photographic Eye" KZread channel - emphasis is placed on self-fulfillment rather than media platforms.

@hameley12

Жыл бұрын

Yes. I found a few photography pages on IG that had shy of one thousand to 30 thousand followers and their work is impressive! I looked them up. Some of the places are near my State. I have visited those places personally and have become acquainted with the creators. And in turn with their permission, I share my experience and destination and their works with a larger group on Facebook, Reddit, and Snapchat. Most people need something or are searching for someone with a unique perspective who can create a special portfolio for them if they wish to become models, or if a new singer/songwriter needs an album cover. The market within Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn has become over-saturated with "expert pro-photographer" and the only thing the beginner knows how to do is simple editing skills. While real years of experience photographers are robbed of having an opportunity to create or work alongside that person.

@marumaruko6512

Жыл бұрын

Thx for sharing great channel

I’ve been playing with an idea of making an Instagram clone but taking it back to photo.

love this talk! You guys nailed it. Social media is not only ruining photography, but society on a whole.

Most of these so called photographers on Instagram are just posting for likes, comments, etc. They always have to validate themselves when 99 percent of their work is copied from other photographers including the preset/LUT, style, etc etc. heck even the hashtags. A true photographer and a good one is original and won't be bothered how many likes or not like their post get.

@carlosmcse

2 жыл бұрын

Basically this. All this video they complain about engagement. So I went to Tony’s page. In 2018 he averages 10-13,000 likes. Now he gets 1-2,000. He said he can’t see the photos of people he follows. But the thing is, when you go on Instagram, you can tap “Instagram” and then tap “Following” and you’ll only see the photos from people you follow. It’s that simple. The problem is, people don’t go to Instagram TO SEE they go there TO BE SEEN.

@gaarax0x

2 жыл бұрын

@@carlosmcse haha exactly my thoughts

Instagram is a cesspool of narcissism. I would not use it at all, except for the connections I have to cultivate and maintain there. Not a great tool, but it’s what I’ve got.

@jrt2792

2 жыл бұрын

It's basically IG "models", gurus of fitness/finances/life, people flexin', over fake a$$ people.

Its still mindboggeling to me how there is still no alternative to flickr to this day.. they are the only photography centric service that offers you full image quality and doesnt bother with other crippeling compromises(like that its a hussle to upload photos from your computer to instagram..). why does every "new trendy app" feel like a step backwards in terms of quality of life features?

Thank you! I so appreciate your honesty and incredible talent.

I wish there was an alternative. Where I can post my photos without my reach limited, without having to worry about content being pulled and shadow banned. Websites are nice, yeah, but they don't have the traffic and audience Instagram has

"Photographer" as a name is becoming subservient to the masses and to the new ways of money. No longer do we need to try to be unique or original. Too many voices exist. The developer who finds a way through this, to satisfy the needs of those who want the older more mature and creative structures will be the hero. It now needs to be a subculture, one that satisfies the soul and restores life. Not this, not this. This will end badly.

@matblack8479

Жыл бұрын

I agree. The term photographer has morphed into content creator which for the most part (or among the 'most popular') has become a repetitive game of depicting the same 'iconic' locations using presets that have an almost identical tone. How that can be defined as creative is beyond me. I think part of it is the quest for popularity and for some reason, that is gained by replicating the narrowly defined online trends. My most 'liked' photos on Instagram aren't my personal favourites, and recognition from strangers on the basis of following trends was never a motivation in ever picking up a camera in the first place, notwithstanding the odd nice feeling from positive feedback on instagram, it's not a healthy or sustainable priority for a photographer IMO

The only thing Instagram cares about sharing is your data.

I’ve lost interest in Instagram because my feed consists of sponsored or suggested posts not what I want to see the people I follow.

Instagram has always been a pain in the butt for non smartphone photography because they don't allow you to post from a computer so you have to transfer it to your phone first. But of course all the top content on there is all done with professional cameras.

@huntstyle

2 жыл бұрын

Create a Facebook "Page" and you'll get Creator Studio where you can upload photos from your computer to Instagram when you connect your account.

@MattiasWirf

2 жыл бұрын

Actually, they do allow you to post from a computer now.

So whats wrong with Flickr? i think it's awesome (and free for up to a 1000 photos)

I’ve noticed lately that the photography section which used to be stills is just full of reels and bad ads…very similar to Facebook 😠

I agree with this. I'm an amateur photographer but I tried very hard for years to grow on Instagram, to show my work and by 2018 I was growing pretty well, I made 2k followers in just a couple of years or even less, had a lot of people interacting with me and I loved that. After that, the new algorithm came out and people stop seeing my photos. It's very frustrating, made me lose my motivation. I still post my photos but the visibility and the engagements, communication, meeting new people, that doesn't seem to exist anymore, people only care about videos like what tiktok is doing and Instagram wants to become tiktok.

Flickr are investing a lot in the past few years to rebuild it as a far more relevant platform aimed purely for the photography community. May be you should check it out. But these platforms will never appeal to people outside of photography so as a business tool getting you out there, well Flickr need to get it out there more

@PeteTaylorPTI

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah I've never left. I don't think it'll ever be a business tool, but that's fine. The only reason I did get on IG was I'd be doing shoots and "younger" folk would ask for my IG. I'd hand out my card and they'd go "that's okay". Many years later, IG hasn't led to a dime in my pocket (word of mouth always has). Flickr is where I post to know that the people who comment and like the photos are legit photographers, not bots or fake people. I fear if flickr tries to do more than that, they'll really go off the rails to justify the investment.

Tony, you’ve got the skills and money to create a legitimate photography app. Do it! I would be a day one download.

@cjredMX

2 жыл бұрын

500px, Eyeem no need to join this saturated market of photography apps

@ndon85

2 жыл бұрын

i would not touch that app with a stick

@Toglander

2 жыл бұрын

@@ndon85 - Your stick is too tiny to reach anyway.

@ElmoRitter

2 жыл бұрын

@@Toglander why you know so much about this dude's stick and nothing about app development?

The color matching on the grid made photographers really, really good at taking ONE picture in slightly different ways.

Great variety discussion. Thank you both!🙏👍

And Flickr is still there, still awesome, still care about the community, still have outstanding talented photographers uploading. No BS trends, no video shorts or stories.

@back40canoe

2 жыл бұрын

I agree! I love Flickr

I agree my Initial idea when I downloaded Instagram was to learn more about photography and get ideas and references, Now it's a weird social media for influencers and people take pics of coffee, food and there lifestyle. No not for me it sad how it changed 😞

I’m done with Instagram. Started building up my posts and then suddenly out the blue they pulled it, stating I breached some condition. Couldn’t find out what I was supposed to have done. What a waste of my time. :) I know others who have had the same experience and they totally relied on it for their business. Like you say Tony if you don’t pay they can pull it at any time. Thanks both for this video.

I agree 100% with Tony and Chelsea! Thanks y'all for putting into words what a lot of us were thinking!

Not photography related but I remember going to a party years ago and someone confronted me about why I wouldn’t like their Instagram posts. As if it was something I had against them. It wasn’t even me. It was the new algorithm change from chronological. It’s honestly sad to see how many of my favorite photographers stopped shooting entirely because of these changes.

@FahadFSA

2 жыл бұрын

Sad lives they must live...xD

@aaronblack5248

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah I miss seeing some of my favorite photographers on IG. They are there, but the content doesn't show up in my feed, and I'm unlikely to go and visit thier personal site just to see what they've now uploaded.

@yourmommashouse

2 жыл бұрын

Oh it doesn’t show you posts in chronological order anymore!? How does it work now, whomever they deem most important and engaging?

There needs to be a new social media for photos that takes off and is popular

@theastuteangler

2 жыл бұрын

no, we dont need more social media

I hate the stories and reels on Instagram so annoying, I just want to see other people's photos and share mine that's all I want.

So true, great video. Thanks so much guys for making me realise I am not the only photographer that is frustrated that IG :)

instagram sold its soul and all these "pros" started to take basic photos and became famous acting like photog gods. And also peoples perception of photography went way down because "anybody can take photos why are these guys getting paid?" so that also made alot of photogs stay away from insta and didnt have any real support for photogs. Also im going to be honest alot of gear heads even now seem to dominate the platforms and just talk endlessly about gear and not about how to take a basic well composed photo of a subject and even less is to actually enjoy the place you go and enjoy the view not just go to one place for days and then get mad and leave without any photos because nature didnt do what you wanted(some of you will know, if you know you know). Also how people cant just understand we dont take photos the same way and there is NO ONE WAY to take a photo, some people want it overexposed, some want dark ominous photos, some in weird angles and just accept we are all different but hey what do I know been taking photos all my life and dont need a follower count to validate me or really anyone, if you like someones work then thats fine but dont be a photo police because what you may like for others may be trash and what you think is trash is amazing to people. Back to insta...its a zombie app only for advertisement and thats it, pay to win otherwise noones gonna find your stuff except bots. Also I would like if there were a genuine group type community thing people in your close location can all chat and share ideas and meetups... that would be cool..its hard finding people when all they want it clout. Anyways i dont ever leave comments anywhere but just had to say it since instagram has failed the photog community overall. Flickr has no one in its way but still seems plain and lacking features...unfortunately thats the way the world is and best we can do is stick together even if we cant stand each other lmao even the snobs...its that bad lol feels like theres no place for us to go to except flickr but feels like no ones there lol

Like the two of you, I’m very aware that photograpy as I knew it is quickly fading into the horizon where the old school is of no interest to most where the smartphone is what I’m seeing 99% of the time, including National Parks! People are no longer taking photos for their walls or the future, its all about now and “Guess where I am” or “Look what I’m eating” or Hey everyone, look at me!” The culture has shifted from ‘WE’ to ‘ME.’ I need to add, I’ve been shooting photos since the 50’s when I was a kid, but even then, very few were actually into photography as such but rather shooting with the Brownie or any other instant camera. At any event, I only saw a few of us walking around with a DSLR. Now?-even that’s gone as you’ve highlited in this video. Thanks for taking the tme to put this together. I suspect you’re life will be going through some dramatic changes for reasons mentioned here. Take care and wishing both of you the best.

@washingtonradio

2 жыл бұрын

Oddly enough I was at a local state park this last weekend and I saw several people besides me with cameras. Also, I see fewer people taking photos with their phones at the parks. It seems the allure of taking photos with a phone is waning.

@DisneyNuts

2 жыл бұрын

Yes!!!, here around the major theme parks and some of the 'most photographed places in the world' it's no longer common to see people with DSLR's, sad but true .

@mbr5742

2 жыл бұрын

The foto culture was always "ME" not "WE". Any why not, it is MY work not yours or the work of a "collective". If you do not like what people publish - do not consume it. No one is forcing you to look at Instagram or read Harry Potter if you do not like it. What YOU want is "fotographers are special, an elite". THAT thankfully will never happen again. That time has thankfully died. The "ME IMPORTANT" photographer is thankfully on the red list and can go extinct

Great authentic conversation on the changes happening on Instagram!

When I had a color photolab business (started in 1988) I paid $2,000 a month for the rental space. As I grew and moved into the next door my rent doubled. In the end I leased 3 spaces in the complex and wound up paying $6,000 a month. I had 45 employees and we printed large photographs for the commercial industry (malls and storefronts). When the internet happened, I always thought it strange that I could start up any number of profiles and channels on youtube without having to pay anything. So the way I see it, if you are successful via having your "storefront" on Instagram or Facebook, then it is reasonable to pay them for that space. That's why I pay youtube every month. I don't make any money from my channles on youtube, but I do use it everyday. If you take the time and energy to build a business with a very low overhead (like one does on the internet), then you don't have the security of having a brick and mortar business.

@brachlandmusic

Жыл бұрын

you do realize that you do actually pay using these services with you data? They sell your information and still you keep giving them money for promotion. A store does not sell your information to corperations using it to generate advertisement and hanging it into you room cause you might be interested into these products they try to market to you. The internet is not the real life.

@TaiChiBeMe

Жыл бұрын

@@brachlandmusic It can also be said that shoppers at malls also paid for the ads I was paid for to make photographic displays of customers' products. It all comes down to commercialism and how it makes the economy go around. As a business person you can put all the data into a spreadsheet to determine what each of the decisions you make (as a business person) is worth. You have to come up with an idea of how much you are really "saving," as well as the risks involved, by putting your business on the internet. I'm just saying factor it in,

@brachlandmusic

Жыл бұрын

@@TaiChiBeMe sure and I think you're right with advertising. I actually just wanted to point out that social media isn't free as you pay with you data (also privacy and ownership of everything you post on Instagram) If you wish to pay for promotion and it generates ROI for you it very good and I would never say to stop.

I never used instagram for viewing photography. Always seemed like a very poor experience. They don’t even have a tablet version. I wish more people stuck with flickr or 500px, those I use for viewing photos. I think they worth every penny.

Absolutely. Worst thing for photos, starting with that awful square crop.

What I find surprisingly funny is when you interact with someone to congratulate or comment on their uploaded work, its a shock and they seem not to be able to react with anything more than THX. I have 2 Instagram accounts, one for digital and one for film, and yes the "likes" are nice but to be honest the lack of real interaction makes it a cold place to exist in. SO I leave my insta's to add a fleeting moment of pleasure in their lives and focus more on a couple of GAB groups for Photography that a good conversation is not a weird or strange thing to participate in.

@TheMshanane

2 жыл бұрын

What is a GAB group

@matblack8479

Жыл бұрын

Totally agree. The lack of actual insightful response makes it very shallow.

Instagram just sucks in general now

Don’t give up on KZread, I’ve always enjoyed your content. Keep up the great work!

My friend and I were just talking about how for an app that was made to share pictures it sure does suck at it. We should build something better.

I still use Flickr after all these years! It's the best social for me to share full resolution images

I left IG a year ago and I'm thankful I make that decision, as a wedding photographer (mainly) I start looking other ways to show my work and capture more clients. I think the main mistake we made from the beginning with IG is forgetting that is someone else's business and we are the product, not the other way around. I see a lot of people complaining about the reels and stuff but in the end of the day, is their platform and they will do whatever they want. Instagram is not photography, and photography is not Instagram.

I agree with you completely 👍🏻

Thanks for all the info/content - really enjoy all you post.

Completely agree. I noticed over the past couple of months, when I go on instagram (which was a daily thing), that's it now all videos, hardly any still photos, and those that are, are so heavily edited they look ridiculous.

Vertical videos…ugh. I always assumed those would go away when people learned how to use their smart phones as cameras, but it’s gone the other way. Heck, read a blurb the other day saying a well-known drone maker is now supporting vertical video. I guess pretty soon we can expect to the “digitally remastered 'Star Wars: Vertical Edition’"…

@valdius85

2 жыл бұрын

Look at the content. It’s commonly one person goofing around. Last time I’ve check one person standing is more or a vertical frame than horizontal. Same as you’d say that vertical portraits are bad :)

@TaleOfTwoIdiots

2 жыл бұрын

I see what you’re saying (pun intended), but it just “feels” wrong with video. Perhaps because we have two eyes side by side (landscape) that my brain expects to see moving images in that aspect ratio. The vertical video feels like I’m looking though a window at something rather than looking at it directly.

@paulmckenna5224

2 жыл бұрын

Could you imagine what a drive-in movie screen would be like showing that version of Star Wars! LOL

I'm glad these guys have finally arrived but where have they been? I have always, from day one, seen these problems at every step of the way. I've been screaming this the whole time!! The thing you can see seep in at the end is the sense of exhaustion, abuse, and futility suffered at the whims of a child. We're all allowing our grown up lives to be determined by children who are all following the edicts of a child king. All social media is childish now. It's trivial and unprofessional. In fact, if you behave professionally on these platforms you will fail. The main mode of interaction is banality. The good news is that professionals seem to see the light and have been steadily pulling away from social for work. I used to be told by major industry professionals that if I didn't have 50K to 100K followers on social they wouldn't even talk to me. Now I haven't had a client even mention social media for 6 months. Social media either broke itself or maybe the people of working age have finally matured out of social media relevance and realize they need to get actual work done. Randomly scrolling your feed hopping that a photographer just magically appears can't be the way people work anymore. Why can't somebody put together a proper platform with some simple tools for real professionals to interact with? There are literally none. It's sad to say it but Model Mayhem is still the best and it is terrible. Like, unacceptably bad. But at least a structure of community plus professionals plus booking work is there. There are now countless sites that claim to be doing this but not one of them seem to actually be doing it. They all feel like some sort of scam in the making. Which is really the point. All things internet and app based are now scams. Millenials and Zoomers have 100% bought in on the worst aspects of capitalism to the point where they think legitimate business is a multi level marketing scheme. They've never seen a real economy or actual professional behavior. And here we are, scammers run everything.

Thanks for sharing, I know I’m not alone in my frustration with Instagram.

That’s true. I feel like tied up when shooting and thinking that I gotta go vertical because it looks better in Instagram. I mean cmon, We’re so used to seeing vertical pictures that I look at a wide shot and think. Oh, that’s refreshing

Maybe photographers shot themselves in the foot by abandoning the platforms that were actually built for them. You admit it wasn't originally built 'for' photographers.

@jeffcanar7294

2 жыл бұрын

This. The issue isn't the corporations, who lets be honest, only need to cater to content creators to the extent that it drives traffic to their site. The issus is/was people building a "business" on the back of a "free" service. What the heck do they expect? These companies (FB/Instagram, Google/YT, Snapchat, etc....) have invested a crap-ton of money into infrastructure, that they effectively give away. They built this entire backbone and let people place and curate their stuff online. This infrastructure gave people a vast leap forward than had they had to do this themselves. If you wanted people to see your art (or whatever), build an audience, and make a go at monetizing it even 50 years ago, the barriers to entry were almost insurmountable. Now. It's trivial. People have become so accustomed to everything being "free" on the internet, that they are completely untethered from reality when you see this "outrage".

@chromaticvisuelle

2 жыл бұрын

@@jeffcanar7294 True, but doen'st justify all of their choices as an app

Twitter is growing a lot with photography, not huge but is the onlyplace with great people to share photos

@PhilSledge

2 жыл бұрын

With the new community feature things will be a lot better to share pictures

Social media is like surfing- you better be able to get wiped out - then get back up again on a new 🌊

I tried instagram for the first time last fall after a dive trip as the dive crew wanted me to post pics and clips. It was such a major PITA that I ended up not posting a thing and started a KZread channel instead. It is SO much easier. I'm sure I'm missing something here, but I honestly don't understand how Instagram became a thing considering other platforms. it just seems so limited.

Instagram, and the lack of good alternatives, is one reason I don't shoot much anymore. I was never able to accept Instagram as a platform for my photography.

@danielfortune4283

2 жыл бұрын

Why is your enjoyment of photography based on a social-media platform?

@ericlowenbach5151

2 жыл бұрын

@@danielfortune4283 You don't know me well enough to ask pointed personal questions. In fact, you don't know me well enough to be rude to me at all.

@danielfortune4283

2 жыл бұрын

@@ericlowenbach5151 No problem. I was just wondering. No rudeness intended.

@jameskyler5441

2 жыл бұрын

@@danielfortune4283 Didn't come across as ruse or overly personal but a rather legit question.

@susanmiles5895

2 жыл бұрын

I have not heard your name in a mighty long time. Hope you get back to some photography.

I don't have to watch this to know I agree totally. Instagram is broken, my feed is so full of videos and reels. As a photographer, I hate this change. Maybe we all need to move back to Flickr.

@PeteTaylorPTI

2 жыл бұрын

Oh it's not broken. It's doing exactly what they designed it to do. And what it's designed to do has zero to do with photography, that's for sure.

@tricamel

2 жыл бұрын

@@PeteTaylorPTI Just because that's the design doesn't mean it's not broken 🤣 ... and it definitely is. They should give us all an option to turn off reels and see what the reaction is!

@PeteTaylorPTI

2 жыл бұрын

@@tricamel We can push Flickr like it was GameStop stock!

I agree with everything you guys said. 👍🏼 even with the square space add lol. Hello from Windsor,CT.

Agreed 100% I was on Instagram posting theme park photos since it started and was able to grow to over 200k thanks to being seen and featured by various media outlets, but now like you said they only want influencers posing and people who pay for promotions to be seen, The good days for photography on IG are over. For kicks, I set up a second account to test and I can see night and day how new accounts are pushed more, likes and growing is easier, in fact even seen how using the same hashtag the larger accounts doesn't show up at all. Thankfully, I don't live off my IG account, and don't make any money from it but people have moved on to TikTok for all the reasons you mentioned. And yes, what I used to make on average 10k on photos now make less than 500 likes. I think to soften the blow they allow us the hide the likes but the stats never lie.

Instgrams need to stay alive, focussing on the most crowded kind of users so this is a no surprises. Photographers need to find themself a new platform though.

@trouwfotomakerij

2 жыл бұрын

Instagram has never been for photographers. Tony and Chelsea start to sound like grumpy people, unhappy with the fact that "The Photographer" is no longer all that special for MANY people.

@paultryba7228

2 жыл бұрын

Once You give everyone in the world a camera Instagram is what you get

It's not just photography but every creative community is facing this. Illustrators and writers are just kind of shotgunning on multiple platforms, joining anything new that pops up in hopes it can be sustainable. It's so tragic that sites like Instagram will gain in popularity through the creative communities, then toss them aside for whatever's new. It was over a year ago that Instagram announced they'd be prioritizing videos, influencers, and stores while ignoring traditional images. I have a Master's in communication, years spent learning the algorithms of social media and I don't know a single person that has learned how to use Insta because it's such a dead zone. Sadly, Twitter is the best option right now.

@danielfortune4283

2 жыл бұрын

Twitter is the best option for what?

I couldn't agree more. IG and their aspect ratio alone has changed the way we as photographers composite. And that is not how it should work! I absolutely loath that app.

@ElRealista.

2 жыл бұрын

Tell that to Saul Leiter. The format is the less important thing.

The absolute audacity it takes to call a platform sell outs right before you recommend a platform paying you for advertisement.

"The people who do well when tough times come are those who treat their customers as friends." Tech companies driven by greed always end up shooting themselves in the foot.

Instagram / FaceBook are horrible as a social media platform along with Twitter of course. Don't get caught up in the "need" of social media to get your photos out. As artist we should be picking the ratio of photos not the social media algarots. Use KZread (not that is it much better) to showcase your phots and the behind the scenes the hell with the rest of them.

Instagram "was" my favorite photo site. I didn't mind square (after all, it's mobile only), and I liked it when they updated so you could upload 3x4 aspect ratio photos. Yet, I'm not, never have been, and still don't really care for the portrait (vertical) thingy. I still love landscape best of all. Actually, I now spend more time on Tumblr. A lot of the audience there is not for me, they're mostly young ins' and I am a guy of a certain age. But I have to acknowledge, anything goes there and it always has since their beginnings. So there's consistency! Also I notice a lot of photographers are posting more on Twitter. I no longer trust any platform online these days. They're all addicted to AI and machine learning to best know how to grab my attention, analyze my thoughts, and manipulate my behavior to make (even) more money. I truly miss those frontier days of discovery. Finding talent by searching was like a treasure hunt. When you found something you liked, you followed. And don't get me started on ads... (ha ha) Great post Tony & Chelsea!

This video has amazing quality; like really clear and so pleasant to look at. What camera are you using to film?