You may be surprised to learn that people miss on average 70 percent of their feeds. As Instagram has grown, it’s become harder to keep up with all the photos and videos people share. This means you often don’t see the posts you might care about the most.
To improve your experience, your feed will soon be ordered to show the moments we believe you will care about the most.
The order of photos and videos in your feed will be based on the likelihood you’ll be interested in the content, your relationship with the person posting and the timeliness of the post. As we begin, we’re focusing on optimizing the order — all the posts will still be there, just in a different order.
If your favorite musician shares a video from last night’s concert, it will be waiting for you when you wake up, no matter how many accounts you follow or what time zone you live in. And when your best friend posts a photo of her new puppy, you won’t miss it.
We’re going to take time to get this right and listen to your feedback along the way. You’ll see this new experience in the coming months.
Terrible. I’m so sick of this we’ll-decide-what-you’ll-see algorithm crap.
I’ve been on an eBook kick lately. This one is a product of my 2014 portrait project with the guys from the Central Michigan Model Railroad Club that first appeared on this blog.
Now, it’s a free eBook, available as a PDF download or an Apple iBook.
This is the project that kickstarted my community-focused portrait projects, like Artists In Jackson. It was fun to revisit this project and see the guys again.
Seth Duimstra is a Jackson, Michigan-based photographer, and good creative friend of mine. Seth and I (along with his lovely wife Aynee) have shot together a few times, but what I appreciate about Seth is his good advice.
By the way: that’s me in the first portrait shot above. Part of our fun urbexing trip.
Who are you and what do you do?
I’m Seth Duimstra, a husband, dad-to-be, and I guess I’d consider myself as a “creative” so how’s “creative photographer” sound? Aside from photography, I paint, do graphic design, and recently I’ve been exploring video among other random creations.
How did you get started in photography?
I’ve always enjoyed taking a good pic but I started really messing around after I got out of tattooing. I still needed an artistic outlet and I had a DSLR that i never figured out how to use properly. so I jumped down the proverbial rabbit hole.
What do you like about your photography?
What is there NOT to like about photography? It’s like seeing through other people’s eyes, reliving a memory or a feeling, and so much more. Not to mention the human element in itself just is so interesting to me. People are weird and I love it.
Your work is varied: products, people, landscape, urbex. Where do you get inspiration for your style/ideas?
I feel like a dabble with a little bit of everything. I have my favorites but they all fit into one of two ways for me, documentary or artistic. I think keeping things mixed up keeps me from getting bored. I love product photography because I generally work with local artists; so not only do i get to get a first hand private viewing of some pretty amazing work, but i also get to have a small part in their own success.
Landscape and urbex are all about the adventure to me. I generally do this with other photographers, so not only are we hunting for those great images but I get to document the adventure as well. Street photography is also a blast when I get the opportunity to visit other cities. Portraits/candid photography has to be my favorite though. People in general fascinate me… no two alike (even twins), your personality shows through… not to mention just the random expressions we all make in the moments that are only there for a split second and they’re just oh so wonderful.
What themes do you like to explore with your work?
I just recently started messing around a little more with themed type shoots, Its fun but I’m just getting started so the jury is still out on that. 🙂
Any upcoming projects or shoots you’re working on?
Always pondering something, as of late I’d say testing my newsletter concept. I’m itching to get outside more now that color will be back here in Michigan soon. The best way to know what I’m up to would be follow my Instagram or blog. 🙂
Jamie MacDonald is an everything photographer – the guy just makes and makes. Jamie and I have shot together a few times, and I always respect his sense of experimentation and adventure.
Who are you and what do you do?
My name is Jamie MacDonald and I am a professional photographer for Olympus Imaging North America, podcast host, and workshop leader. My position with Olympus takes me all over the place doing workshops and promoting not only their equipment, but also my work, and my podcast focuses on the world of mirrorless cameras.
How did you get started in photography?
I got started in photography when I decided I needed a camera for a family vacation back in 2007. I had never owned a camera, and thought one of those fancy interchangeable lens cameras was just what I needed. Once I started shooting I realized it wasn’t just the camera that I needed, it was a reconnection to my past life as an artist that I abandoned after high school.
What do you like about your photography?
I like that my photography is not subject limited. I like that when I walk out the door the world is my muse and I feel as comfortable shooting an impending storm, as I do a senior portrait session or an eagle in flight.
You take a variety of photos – everything from dramatic landscapes to intimate portraits. Where do you get inspiration for your style/ideas?
That is such a difficult question to answer, but I’ll try my best to put it into words. When it comes to inspiration I guess I should say that I am always in this weird state of wonderment about the world around me. The best way to explain it would be to ask you to remember a fond childhood memory, and when you have one picked out, think about how it makes you feel. I have that same sense of excitement and yearning to drink up life as I did when I was a kid. I even tell people that my soul has not grown up yet. So I guess I try to explore things visually in a way that shows I am still in a state of wonder about the world I live in.
What kinds of themes do you explore with your work?
Life. That is the theme I explore. Life is everything, and comes in every conceivable color and shape and form. I get the same level of excitement discovering a patch of weedy flowers growing through the cement, as I do standing atop a mountain shooting the sun filling the valley below me. I imagine that sounds crazy, but it is a part of who I am and how I see my world.
Any upcoming projects or shoots you’re working on?
I sincerely wish I had a glamorous answer for that question, but I do not. I have never once had a project come to mind, and yet I think I need to do some sort of series of photos as a way to grow myself. But I just haven’t had anything come to mind.
I DO however have a lot going on in the way of photography workshops and events this year. I will be presenting at the Out of Chicago Conference in June. There I will be doing a class titled “The Art of the Dramatic Landscape” where I discuss my approach to landscape photography, with an emphasis on my particular post processing methodology. I am also co-leading an astrophotography workshop in the mountains of Arizona in May, a weekend workshop in Philadelphia, and a few events here in Michigan. It is going to be a busy year!
After a month, my photographer profile project is complete. Almost 20 photographers shooting everything from landscapes to portraits to products to documentary reportage.
I tried to think of one thing I learned doing this project – a consistent theme that ran through all the interviews. Maybe what I learned is that there are all kinds of photographers, with all kinds of backgrounds, and we all get into the hobby or profession in a million potential ways.
It’s these folks, after all, that gives those rebloggers and “”curators”” something to latch on to. It’s these photographers who are making original material. They shoot what interests them. They put stuff out into the world. They’re makers.
Other than a theme, the one thing I learned was that most artists you admire are approachable and friendly, and more than willing to participate in a crazy idea you have. For many of these photographers, I’ve followed them for years on Tumblr, or Flickr, or Instagram, and have always wondered how they got into photography. To learn more, all it took was an email and a proposition.
Love my wolverine print from Andreas Lie (@artbylie). Great double exposure nature photography. How could I resist my state animal? Made for a great Christmas gift.
Check out his Society6 store. Lots of good stuff to choose from, whichever your spirit animal is.
As an urbex photographer, it’s natural for me to check out other abandoned building photographers. The problem is, most of what I find is HDR garbage.
That’s why I love the work of Olli Syrjäkari of Finland. His abandoned work keeps the shadows and mystery of the places he explores. When I first saw Olli’s work, I felt like I met a fellow traveler. It was great to learn more about his photography.
Who are you, where are you, and what do you do?
My name is Olli Syrjäkari and I live in Tampere, Finland. Pencil pusher by day, photographer by night.
How did you get started in photography?
I’m not sure when it started. Probably when I got my first smartphone with a decent camera. Three years back I left my hometown to find my real home. By that time I bought a small interchangeable-lens camera, and it was then that I got serious about photography. Most of my photos are taken with that 100-euro camera. I did eventually upgrade but I went with the philosophy that the camera quality doesn’t matter until you know how to compose and find the light.
What do you like about your photography?
I love how my photographs raise questions and emotions. You could say my motto is “emotion is everything”. Also I think it’s therapeutic that I get to relive those moments that are already gone. I tend to hate most of my earlier work. I think for me that’s essential in order to become better.
You dabble in abandoned photography, and I love your sense of mystery and exploration. You also have a great eye for light and shadow. Where do you get inspiration for your style/ideas?
Thank you. When I see great photography, it really inspires me to get to that level. It makes me grab the camera and get out of the house, do something great. In all that abandoned photography I do, with the shadows and the light, I love that contrast. How things can make me happy and sad at the same time.
I recently realized something. All those places I explore, urban decay, homes people left behind, they get certain emotions going on in my head. Like I mentioned – happy and sad, also yearning, wishful, at peace. I also mentioned I left my hometown where I lived almost three decades, and I wasn’t happy, just a walking corpse. In my new hometown I have felt rootless, alone, anxious, scared but also very happy and content, at peace and hopeful. Something those families have felt when they left their rural homes and dying smalltowns in search for a better life. Narcistically, I think I have been photographing myself.
What kinds of themes do you explore with your work?
Sorrow, hope, dark thoughts, rural exodus, abandonment. How shadows can exist while there is light present. How the shadows are eventually winning, light is always just temporary. It needs to be maintained while darkness is the default.
In my nature photography, it’s basically empowerment, conservation, how life finds a way. I love to mix these themes, nature and abandonments. How nature reclaims what we have left behind. What comes after us? How we are temporary here, the light. Nature and entropy are the shadows, but they are the good guys here. We are just visiting and we are very bad guests.
Any upcoming projects or shoots you’re working on?
I am having an exhibition next summer, in Tampere, Finland. It will be free of charge but I am hoping to sell some photos to cover the costs. I am also planning to sell prints and licenses to fund my future explorations and exhibitions. Besides that I’m planning to get more into portraiture and people.
Ι’m Alexia. A writer and photographer living between London and Athens (Greece). I work in magazines and am the managing editor at Makeshift.
How did you get started in photography?
I began photographing with my mother’s camera at the age of 14. It was a Nikon FM3. My first subjects were my school friends. At 16, I photographed my best friend in my first ‘semi nude’ project.
What do you like about your photography?
That what you capture is slightly – or very – different from what you aim for. It’s always a surprise. It keeps me on my toes.
Where do you get inspiration for your style/ideas?
I think I am very influenced by paintings and Japanese art. I also get constantly influenced by other photographers; old and contemporary.
Fill in blank: “For me, a camera is my way to…”
turn reality into fantasy; escape
Your photography has a documentary approach. What kinds of themes do you explore with your work?
It’s both documentary and ‘art’ photography (I don’t like distinguishing things too much, or put labels on them).
My major themes are urban landscapes, flowers, and human bodies. I lately have an obsession with hands.
Any upcoming projects or shoots you’re working on?
I’m planning an exhibition in Greece (Feb-March 2016), and I’m now shooting street, mostly. I now use my phone camera a lot.
I want to shoot nude women again, in the near future.
I’ve become somewhat of a collector of photo books in recent years. My favorite has become Saul Leiter. He only released a few books while he was alive, and it’s my goal to get them all.
This Sunday I watched In No Great Hurry as well. It’s the perfect weekend documentary: quiet, relaxing, and yet entertaining.
I hope that, as the years go by, Saul’s estate releases more of his work in photo book form. Especially the newer stuff – he never stopped shooting. It’d be nice to see some of his modern, digital work, because (and they hint at it in the movie) his style never really changed. Saul Leiter was always Saul Leiter.
You can still get Early Color, though it isn’t the easiest to find. And Early Black and White is a double book that’s a look of fun to see.
Study the masters, gang. Find someone you like and study the hell out of them. Steal and copy. Make it your own. Maybe start with Saul.
Daniel Donnarumma and I have followed each other for a bit now, and I always love to see his landscapes and exploration photos cross my feed. Based out of Rochester, New York, Daniel shares lots of his travel and nature work on his @danieldonnarumma Tumblr blog and Instagram account.
Who are you and what do you do?
My name is Dan Donnarumma. I live in Rochester, NY, but I’m originally from NYC. I’m a photographer, Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai practitioner, adventurer, lover of music, art, and films, as well as animals (especially greyhounds, sloths, and cats), a dreamer, a nerd, and someone that wants to travel the world. For a living, I work at a non-profit that works with employed or unemployed individuals assisting them with finding work or training.
How did you get started in photography?
I’ve always had a strong affinity for photography ever since I was little kid. When I was in high school, I’d regularly buy Kodak disposable cameras to basically document my time hanging with friends, going to punk and hardcore shows, and being idiots. I still have a bunch of my photo albums from this time, and it’s always cool to look back on them.
As I got older, and my interest in photography grew, I bought myself a Canon DSLR and eventually figured out how to work it properly. At first, I thought that I’d automatically take amazing photos just because I had a DSLR. When I quickly realized that wasn’t the case, and that I’d have to actually learn how to properly compose a photo, use the camera, etc., I started reading photography books, studying the work of photographers I admire, and teaching myself photography.
What do you like about your photography?
I have to say that this is a really good question, and I really had to stop and think about this for a moment. I’m constantly picking apart my photos and thinking about what I don’t like about them, that I tend to overlook what I do like about them.
One thing that I love about my photos is that they are a way for me to really express my emotions, whether it’s in the actual mood or image of the photo, or in the title of it. For me, that is very important. Photography is an outlet for me to be creative and to share with others the craziness that goes on inside my head, and that is something that I do truly love about my photos and photography in general.
Additionally, I love that my photos are a means to document my experiences, and to be able to share them with others. There’s so much beauty in this world, and my goal is to see as much of it and to share that with others. My photography has forced me to focus more on traveling and doing things that I might have found excuses not to do prior to really getting into photography, and that’s something I’m truly grateful for.
You have a nice variety to your photography subjects: landscape, urban, nature. Where do you get inspiration for your style/ideas?
First and foremost, my biggest source of inspiration is the work of other photographers. There are seriously so many amazing photographers and artists at our fingertips nowadays, that it it’s insane. I spend probably way too much time on Tumblr, but I am able to find so much phenomenal work that it’s nearly impossible not to get inspired to be creative. I’m currently crushing pretty hard on the work of Sebastiao Salgado and Theo Gosselin, and their work makes me want to drop what I’m doing, drive as far as I can, and take tons of photos a long the way.
Secondly, music is a huge source of inspiration for me. When listening to a certain band or song, I tend to get sucked in and ideas, thoughts, emotions just start flowing. I’ve been listening to the bands of Dan Barrett a shit ton lately -Have a Nice Life, Giles Corey, Black Wing – and that has really been inspiring in a way that I haven’t felt in quite sometime.
Traveling is also something that very heavily inspires me. I live in an area that is surrounded by a plethora of lakes and parks, I’m a few hours away from the Adirondacks and Canada, so it’s hard not to think about wanting to see everything this area has to offer and not want to photograph all of it.
Fill in blank: “For me, a camera is my way to…”
Express my thoughts and emotions, and an outlet to share my experiences with others.
What kinds of themes do you explore with your work?
Lately, especially with some of the titles of my photos, I’ve tended to focus on more sullen or melancholy emotions. Those are emotions that I sometimes struggle with, and I tend to find myself drawing on that with my photos. Additionally, I do try to instill a sense of yearning or a desire to just adventure and experience life, because that’s something that I still really aspire to do, and it’s something that has exponentially become important to me as I’ve gotten older. Ultimately, though, if a photo of mine is able to elicit any kind of emotion in someone who’s viewing it, than that to me is the icing on the cake.
Any upcoming projects or shoots you’re working on?
As of right now, I’m planning on traveling through the Midwest for a month this coming summer, and I can’t even begin to express my excitement. I’m really looking forward to documenting those travels, as well as just getting to spend some time in the national parks out there.
I’ve recently started to explore a few projects that I’m really excited about. Both projects involve my fiancee, because she’s awesome and puts up with being my model for me. The first one is my attempt to focus on the freedom that travel provides, the lasting memories that they create, and how that may affect us. Secondly, I’ve started taking more portraits of my fiancee and I, since she’s my partner in crime, and I can’t imagine traveling without her. My photos, more often than not, tended to focus on places that I had experienced, but very rarely on the people that I got to experience them with. Since she’s practically always my travel buddy, I want to focus more on how she and I get to experience new places together.
