As long as we live we never stop learning!
Some people learn from their own mistakes and others from the mistakes of others! And then there are those who don’t learn from mistakes but from questions 🙂
I can openly admit that lately I’ve learned a lot from instagrammers around me. Being around them, photographing together and discussing smartphone photography with them has made me realize even more that on Instagram, you can evolve, stagnate or even vanish.
These are 8 things I’ve learnt from instagrammers around me, things that I hope will be helpful for you as well.
1. Keep your camera lens clean
“Every time I take a picture I clean my camera lens. What good does it do to you if you capture a nice picture if your lens is dirty”
This might be something pretty trivial but let’s be honest, how many of us clean the lens before taking a photo? How long would this take you, 3 seconds? Well … for a clear photo you need a clear lens.
2. Capture the beauty around you
“I only capture the beautiful things around me. Finding the ugly stuff is easy but it’s harder to show people the beauty that surrounds you”
Lavinia was explaining to me why her photos are so positive and why she likes to photograph the beauty around her. And she is right. Of course, everyone chooses what they want to photograph but when you look through Lavinia’s or Lorant’s photographs you sort of get a different perspective on smartphone photography, right?
3. Be spontaneous
Claudiu’s photos constantly show me the spontaneity and the life surrounding us. As if he is always ready and captures those moments that you cannot stage even if you plan them frame by frame. In fact, there’s a reason why Instagram took its name from the word “instant”.
4. Attention to detail
“If you would have straightened the image it would have looked so much better.”
I can remember Liviu’s comments on my photos. Then one day I pulled him aside and asked him to show me how he would edit a photo. And he started working. A little light here, a little contrast here, crop it this way and voila.
It may seem simple but Liviu sometimes spends even up to an hour on a single photo before uploading it on Instagram.
5. An extension of your hand
It was in an evening, and my phone had only 1% battery left. I was with Radu in the car and I asked him the eternal question of the perfect phone for taking pictures. His response was:
“The best camera is the one that is an extension of your hand. For me it’s the camera behind you. Maybe for you it’s the phone in your hand. And what does it matter if it’s not an iPhone, Samsung or LG? If you feel at best with that camera and you think you can best capture the moments around you then that’s your device. You tell me what the extension of your hand is, not the other way around!”
6. Explore
If you get to go with him on a trip, watch him. You’ll see how he can discover even the most fascinating places from where he can get some really great images. And the best thing about Cornel is that he pushes you to discover them yourself!
7. Be constant
Do you follow Alex? Perhaps you do, perhaps you don’t. It does’t matter. It’s your loss if you don’t. And if you follow him then you surely already know about #vacaverde. Yes, it’s a cow he carries with him everywhere he goes. And from the cow, I mean – from Alex, I learned to always be constant in what I do.
8. Have fun
So last but not least it’s about having fun. About feeling good and finding pleasure in what you do. If you don’t like it, then don’t do it. Not everyone has to be an instagrammer. Not everyone has to capture the beautiful things around them, to explore, to be constant. From Cristina I learned that “having fun” is often what Instagram should mean.
And I’m sure this list could go on and on!
By the way, you should check my blog post on 7 things advertisers can learn from professional instagrammers
And make sure you follow me 🙂
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