Instagram is a dying platform for photographers.
Still shocking to me, I’ve gotten a lot of followers on the Fuji X Weekly Instagram account over the last two years: over 25K right now! I topped 10K followers on May 11, 2021, and 25K on July 9, 2022—it has grown 150% in roughly 14 months. That’s amazing, and all thanks goes to you! I never thought that was possible.
When I reached 10K followers I signed up for a business account. While it certainly has its benefits, it also has one huge negative: Instagram wants me to pay them money to show you, my followers, my posts. They purposefully hide your content from your own followers—if someone seeks it out they will find it, but it won’t show up in their feed—unless you pay Instagram a fee. My engagement dropped in half the instant I signed up for the business account. You might think that engagement—likes, comments, shares, etc.—would have grown at the same rate as the followers, but not so. The average post at 25K has a similar engagement as a post at 10K prior to signing up for a business account. While my followers have increased by 150%, my engagement has only increased by 100%—back to where it was before Instagram cut it in half.
Instagram is a great place to feed your envy. There are people whose pictures suck that have 100K or more followers and are basically earning an income from Instagram. There are people who capture amazing pictures who have less than two hundred followers. I’ve seen both of those circumstances personally, and maybe you have, too. Now I’m not the world’s greatest photographer by any means. I see many, many photographers who are more talented than I who have fewer followers, and I also see the opposite, too. Nobody’s self-worth should come from Instagram, and the followers and engagement (or lack of it) don’t actually mean anything. Unfortunately, it’s more of a popularity contest than anything else; however, Instagram is a good way to connect with others across the world.
Once upon a time Instagram was the place to see wonderful photographs. You could find a lot of inspiration. It still is, but less so now. Why? Instagram (which is owned by Facebook/Meta) recently claimed that engagement in still photographs is down nearly 50% over the last two years, so that’s why they’re focusing on video. I call B.S. on this.
I know two things: Instagram will hide your content if they want to, and Instagram (Meta, actually) doesn’t like competition. Whenever a new social media app comes along that Meta perceives as a threat, they buy it; if they can’t buy it, they make their own version of it to incorporate into their own apps. Right now that competition is TikTok, and since Meta can’t buy it (I’m sure they tried at one point), they’re becoming “TikTok” in order to win—at the expense of you, the photographer.
I believe that Instagram has put into place algorithms to suppress still photography and simultaneously push video content (Reels, as they call it). Then they say that still photography is dying and video is booming, so they need to be video-centric. They’re paying people money to publish videos. I’m not a video guy myself, but by far my most popular post on Instagram is a Reel, with triple the engagement of my most popular still-photography post. Is it because you all are more interested videos, or because Instagram wants you to be more interested in video? In my opinion they’re trying to transform their app into TikTok, which means that photography needs to take a back seat.
You can still be successful on Instagram as a photographer. Since Instagram is pushing Reels so hard, you might consider using those to show your pictures (instead of a traditional post, or in addition to it). I’m personally not a fan of what Instagram is becoming, but that doesn’t mean it’s not useful. A lot of people have discovered my Film Simulation Recipes through Instagram. I’ve made a lot of connections (I get about 50 DMs on IG each day!), and even made some friends. There are definitely still some positives.
I do think the time is ripe for an Instagram-alternative for photographers. I know that many have tried, and no one has really succeeded. I don’t know what its unique shtick should be, but there has to be something that sets it apart. Money is obviously an obstacle, because everyone wants a free app, but an app like that would be expensive to produce and maintain. I don’t have the solution, but I do know that an opportunity exists right now for someone who thinks that they might have the solution.
Now it’s your turn! Do you like or dislike how Instagram is evolving? Would you try an Instagram alternative if there was a good one? Is there a current app that you prefer to Instagram and why? Let me know in the comments!
I would love (a return to) a venue that’s dedicated to still images (or a series of still images).
I just wish I knew what that was. Maybe it’s already out there and I just haven’t found it yet. Thanks for the input!
Thanks for writing about this, Ritchie. Sometimes, I do a google search with the phrase “instagram alternative”. In return, I still see Flickr (!), EyeEm, 500px as some of the choices. Perhaps, I’ll give Flickr and 500px another look, but the blush of those first blooms have long faded.
Looooong faded, lol!
Hi, Ritchie. This came across my line of sight, and what an indictment of Instagram! And also from its own chief! At the end of the article, the author issues a simple request which seems to be “universal”.
https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/26/23279815/instagram-feed-kardashians-criticism-fuck-it-im-out
That was a good read. Thanks for sharing!
I’m also a writer, so I’m doing Substack with a foto. At the early stages so not sure how many pics I can add. But I hate Instagram, always have. I’m pretty convinced that smartphones are the worst way to show your work.
I’m also thinking of doing a static site as a portfolio. I don’t really care about comments…
Well of course I do! But I’d rather images looked good.
Definitely social media apps are the “worst” way to display your pictures, no doubt about it. Ideally it would be prints in an exhibit, or maybe even a book, but that’s not practical for most. Doing a newsletter and (possibly) website like you are planning might be a happy medium. You’ve got to do what works best for you, and there are many options to consider. Thanks for the comment!
I am currently working on making my site rather static with a portfolio of each years best pics and a side blog for more random ramblings.
That’s a great idea! Be your own “social media” that you own and control.
I’ve been on Instagram for about 2 years. I’d love to go somewhere I could simply look at and post photographs. Video should be on a different app. I’m tired of Instagram adding unwanted creators to my feed. Videos are nothing but time wasters. I do follow
Other photographers but it’s easy to see that still photographers is not what Instagram wants. Tumblr was hard to navigate and quirky. Photographers could use a dedicated site that does not include cell phone photos.
It never occurred to me that Instagram would hide your feed from your own followers. That alone explains everything about it. No thanks
Glass Photography is a such app
http://www.glass.photo/sooc
I would second Glass as an alternative. It prioritizes your photos, no metrics (count of likes, followers etc) and a thriving community. Glass is about to open for web and android soon.
I think it “needs” to be available for Android (because that is what half of the world is using), but it will be a flop on Android because Android users don’t generally pay for apps. If they had a free version, that might do ok on Android, but premium apps very rarely are successful there. I think they’d almost be better off being Apple-only if they’re going to stay premium. I appreciate the input!
Instagram has become frustrating for so many photographers. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a mass exodus. I just think people don’t know where else to go right now. I appreciate your input!
This post is about things I’ve been thinking about myself for a long time. I’ve been using Instagram for years. I have small but loyal followers. The photos I uploaded before would get a minimum of 200 and a maximum of 350 likes.
But since Instagram’s ridiculous algorithm and photo-sharing app ceased to exist, it has dropped to 45-50 likes. I don’t feel like sharing any photos anymore. Even my own followers can’t see my posts. I wish Instagram would go back to its founding purpose. Thank you again for this article.
They’re definitely trying to push photographers out, or really hoping they’ll jump aboard the video train. I think people might jump ship in large numbers soon, but many don’t believe there’s a good alternative. I personally wish I knew of one. Thanks for the input!
Well, Flickr does have a focus on photographs, photographers, it’s expensive but their image quality algorithms are second to none. They have their discussion forums but people abuse it. Some don’t. Seems like Flickr after many years has held to their purpose. Photo.net does too, but if your set on seeing your image depicted as developed, you are SOL. L’est forget, some of this is on the client, the contributor, the author of the image. Some of the responsibility that goes with all this is abused. It’s evolving for the better, but slowly. Photographic social media I’m referring to. I’m not exactly content with what’s available, but from what I’m hearing here, Flickr is a solution to the sentiments of this thread. I also know that Flickr has taken some undue shots.
The problems I think with Flickr as a social-media platform are that it is computer-based (their app is ok, but nothing special); their “recommended” pictures, which is what my “feed” is made up of for some reason, is only the most popular accounts and not anything that I’m actually interested in seeing (subpar algorithm, I guess); the public feed of my pictures isn’t at all what I would want it to be (it should be more curate-able); 75% of the content interactions I receive are “add your photo to our group” so I guess that’s how you use it as social-media: belong to Flickr groups, which is kind of like being in photo forums…
This is nothing against Flickr. I use Flickr. I pay them money. It plays an important roll in my Fuji X Weekly workflow. I just don’t see Flickr as a legitimate alternative to Instagram, unless they make some significant improvements/changes, which maybe they’ll do, the time is right to revamp. But as of right now, it just feels so 2008….
I appreciate your input!
The issues you cited to Flickr is the reason why I moved to Instagram, so somewhere in the fog most of us are on the same page.
I think so. It’s just so foggy right now!
I too (@redellapasta) am more and more disappointed with Instagram every day. Find a right solution? Probably rather difficult. In time, an opportunity will arise. Patience is rewarded. Now I will follow you first.
That’s wisdom: patience is rewarded. Thanks for the comment!
I have two Instagram alternatives in focus, EyEm & Vero. However, there is a big problem, all (most) friends and followers are not there, you start from scratch!
Cheers Torsten
I had to Google these two because I had never heard of them, so I can see the problem of nobody being there. One can create a great platform, but if no one comes, it won’t be a great experience. Of those two, which one is your preference for photography?
It’s best to get along with EyEm. There you can also provide and sell images in high resolution. I know people who finance their hobby from it.
Another problem is operating a new platform. Over the years, a practical & fast workflow has been developed for Instagram. But this only works there, you know.
Torsten
It’s my understanding (having never used EyeEm) is that it is basically a micro-stock platform. Is this correct? That turns me off to it personally, but maybe I should take a closer look?
eyeem was a social but also an selling agency, it worked. eyeem was a great platform for photographers. I made thousands of dollars with them selling pictures on news papers while having 700 followers on Instagram in the same time. Then it is gone bankruptcy (long history here) and I deleted my portfolio but now they are back. They focus of on photography but is less social then Instagram, it is more a photo agency like 500px
I left that years ago
You got out at a good time, I guess. What social media do you currently upload pictures to and view other people’s pictures on?
You are correct Ritchie. Instagram is not what it used to be. I was never one to worry about “likes” because I post what I like and if no one else likes it, so be it. I was always on it to discover and connect with other photographers and to that end I too have made friends because of Instagram. But now, engagement is not what it used to be. I get more views when I post the same photo that I post as a “story”. The number of views compared to the likes triples. For the past year I’ve been trying the Fujifilm Reddit sites. There are a few dedicate to Fujifilm cameras. I’m still quite new to that site so I don’t know all of the nuances. But it is somewhat diluted because there is a Fuji Reddit for almost every camera Fuji makes. So one’s engagement there depends on which Reddit site you post on. For instance you could post on the X100V section and only those people who join that site would see your photo. So it gets kind of watered down if you know what I mean. Would I be interested in another site totally dedicated to still photographers? Yes absolutely.
I’d definitely be interested in that, too. I just wish I knew what that was! Thanks for the input!
I hate Instagram and I am trying Glass. Take a look on it.
Agreed. I have used Glass ever since it launched in August. It’s a very different experience from a typical social network – zero push for numbers and “user engagement”. And the artistic value is generally quite high. Totally worth 30 bucks or whatever they charge right now.
My question is this: what do you get out of it? (I mean that personally). Is it viewing other’s pictures (inspiration)? Is it others viewing your pictures (promotion/engagement)? Both? Neither? I’d love some insight before dropping $30.
I’ve heard of Glass. I believe it’s Apple-only and has a fee. What do you think if it so far?
High quality images on full screen, exif data, no advertising, no algorithms, no videos, no stories or something like that, minimalist interface, just your photos and the photos of people you follow in publication order. The bad thing: not much people by now. Anyway, you have a free trial week.
Thanks!
I’ve been contemplating quitting social media altogether as there’s nothing like a photographic print. What’s the point of all this in the first place? The camera and the results of it brings me joy. A print brings me joy. Looking at friends toasting themselves repeatedly with booze doesn’t impress me. I do remember the days of instagram and the single photograph. It seems like eons ago. Food for thought. Thanks Ritchie.
Maybe the real Instagram alternative needs to be focused on the photographic print and not a tiny digital display. Thanks for the input!
Flickr has always been my favorite and probably always will be. Lots of great photography at high resolution, no “social” nonsense.
I use Flickr (and have for years and even pay them money each year), but not for social-media. The social-media aspect of it is actually my least-favorite part. Maybe I should re-evaluate it….
I was lucky enough to build up a ton of followers on IG, and in the days before they got annoyed by TikTok, I would get a great response. I never took the business account route, but I saw the same huge cuts in engagement as the algorithms changed. So, I’m not sure it’s the account type, but a wholesale change in the system.
I no longer see photos from the majority of the people I follow, but when I look at their profiles, they’ve been posting images I really like. I’m sure the reverse is true, where most of my followers never see mine either.
I’ve looked at some of the alternatives, and the thought of starting all over again puts me off, so I have diverted my energy into making film recipes instead.
Not taking the business route was probably a good call. One thing I know: wherever you put your energy, you have success (you personally). So keep it up!
Thanks Ritchie. I really appreciate that.
I wrote about this on my blog today as well. I think it’s over, and we should all move on. What we move into depends on the person, but the IG ship has sailed.
Thanks for the input! Very wonderfully-written article, BTW. Here it is for those who might be looking for it:
https://dave.online/writings/we-all-hate-instagram-so-heres-what-you-can-do
Ugh. For any enterprising souls out there… this is truly a vacuum for social media and photography. In the past 10 years, we’ve watched the rise and fall of Flickr, Tumblr, Facebook, and now Instagram for still photos. It’s a shame. Everything you describe is spot-on. Unsurprisingly, Instagram is going down the same sad route as Facebook. Apple isn’t falling far from the adopted tree.
Can’t believe that I used to run a photography business solely from Facebook. And then business accounts rolled around. In an attempt to find a photo platform, I found an open source IG-like site, but never signed on. In the meantime, I’ll probably be sort-of on Flickr, sort-of on Instagram, but mostly waiting for the next Big Thing.
Try Glass then.
I hope the next “big thing” comes soon. I think that there are enough people who want it and would be willing to try it, whatever it is. Thanks for the comment!
I’m one of your new fans. Though I’m “old” to photography, I’m a new to Fuji and beginning to explore your wonderful film simulations. Photography is what I’m passionate about. And while I appreciate videos, and learn through YouTube videos, I care NOTHING about FB Reels or Stories that I would remove from my fb page if I could.
I appreciate what you’re doing and will continue to follow your still-ness. 🙂
Thanks so much for your input! I appreciate your kindness and encouragement!
I was an early user of Instagram, only posting pictures taken on my mobile. And I continue to do so. I stopped caring about followers and engagement at one point and stopped to use #s.
For my photographs I use WordPress. You can also just share a photo without text. Once you build a user base you get a lot of comments where yoh have the feeling that people have actually looked at your work and not wrote something in the hope the network shows their own post to more people.
Plus, you can use it as a website so people don’t need to sign up to see your pictures. So I can really recommend WordPress. And Ritchie, you’re already using it. 😀
Yeah, that’s a great point. Believe it or not, the epiphany of having my own website came many years ago from Ken Rockwell. He said something to the effect of: Social media and photography forums are profiting off of your content, so why not profit off of it yourself with your own website? I think it’s important to keep expectations in check, but otherwise, having your own platform that belongs to you is a great alternative to social media. Thanks for the comment!
Yes. That is exactly my experience. Creating once own platform was a good choice for me.
Never been a fan of Instagram, and this is not where I go look at photos.
*Instagram == show off place.* The only reason I see one would publish photos there is not to trigger conversation about a photo, but much more to search for engagement. That’s 2 different things. And fo me, one shouldn’t rely on IG for engagement because these are futile ones, not the same quality as engagements earned through blogs, Youtube videos, or servcies like you do (Fim Simulations).
*Flickr == real photo sharing platform*: it contains all the photo details, how they were taken, also different image sizes, copyright handling, etc. There are even quite relevant conversations on Flickr and groups. Most fo all, considering the huge database Flickr accumulated over the years, this is a more reliable place to expose photos than anything else. I strongly prefer following someone’s Flickr account so I have meaning full info about a shot than some show-off platforms.
*Facebook Groups == discussion channel*: right now, there is no place better than FB groups for anyone to ask questions, search for answers or even share shots and ask for review, or even ask help on some app.
*Youtube for videos*
The problem with all the other platforms is that they dilute the possible engagements and IMO are not reliable / stable / mature enough / relevant / to persist a long time. They don’t have enough DATA to become more relevant. I.e I won’t follow anyone on Glass because to me this is yet another platform that will die at one point and I don’t want to add another one in my list. Even is Glass is beautiful. It is beautiful to attract content creators. But beauty does not male people engage.
Instagram is a show-off place, or it was. My personal use of it was to promote Film Simulation Recipes (get the word out) and engage with the community. I think it was successful on both accounts, but not nearly as successful as it could have been if Instagram didn’t hide my posts, which is frustrating.
I have been a Flickr customer for years. It’s essential to me, and I gladly pay them money. But I’ve never liked the social-media aspect of it. Perhaps I should re-evaluate that?
Don’t get me started on Facebook, lol! I don’t like FB.
YouTube is great for video content, especially to learn things.
I might try Glass, but I’m doubtful that it will replace what I’m using Instagram for.
Thanks so much for the input!
Instagram was not born for photographers, it was designed for pictures taking and viewing on phones.
Interestingly, Instagram was a copycat of Chase Jarvis’ The Best Camera app, which failed because he hired the wrong people to create and maintain it (a fascinating story).
https://www.chasejarvis.com/blog/my-biggest-failure-the-story-i-was-too-ashamed-to-tell/
Interesting people are equating Instagram’s userbase with showing off or toasting themselves with drinks. The only thing I see on it these days is people complaining about how unhappy they are.
I’ve been on there 5 years. I have 200 followers, 90% fellow photographers. Half of them haven’t posted in three years and are just ‘zombie’ accounts. At best my photos got 50-60 likes. Now they get literally one or two. Posting is simply
waste of time.
Having been using the internet for thirty years i can say something for sure – when these articles appear and the comments are sad and tired rather than angry and ragey the platform in question is as good as dead.
I think it is as good-as-dead, at least for photographers. I think the only thing keeping people from leaving in droves is that they don’t know where else to go. Thanks for the comment!
Definitely resonating with what you’re saying. I used to find instagram a great place for finding other photographers. Like you I haven’t found as much engagement on instagram but I’m not sure what other platform to share and engage in photography. Twitter is something I’m trying to getting into as I’m hearing from other photographers that it’s a good platform to connect with others but I haven’t found a rhythm with it. any thoughts on other platforms that is interesting for photographers? What do you think about Twitter?
What do you think about Twitter? – ask MAGA about it.
Twitter is moderated with liberal-nazi censorship
You liked your own comment .-.
I’m not a fan of Twitter personally because it just seems awkward to use.
I tried Twitter a couple of years ago and found it awkward to use. I don’t currently use it. I might try Glass, but I’m not sure it will be a good fit for what I want to get out of a photo-social-media-app. I don’t have a good solution, but I’m sure there is one out there or on the cusp of being out there. Thanks for the input!
This is interesting – never heard of most of these self-hosted portfolio web solutions.
https://medevel.com/os-photo-collection-self-hosted/
I haven’t heard of most of them , either. Might have to look more closely at a few. Thanks for sharing!
I definitely agree with this article and each of every comment (so far as I’ve read in this thread). I never heard about Glass though & would like to explore it. Out of curiosity as well. I even decided to open my Vero account to see how its like now than it INITIALLY was when it started. Cause I had a thought lingering in my head after observing fb, twitter, ig, youtube, (main platforms) and how they work now while it constantly evolves… I’ve questioned myself… where can I post AGAIN for the JOY of it on Photos? cause i too truly MISS it. Its kinda a PRACTICE for me back when IG was fun with Stills and just constantly posting for the practice, feedback, was really fun back then. Now, I’m experimenting with the REELS on IG but the thing is like… IS THIS the REALITY of it now? I don’t like it but I like it… neutral perhaps? And I just miss that simple feeling of just Photos.
I would like to try Glass… give it a go… and look into Vero too. IG is kind of “envious-Show off” place I definitely agree… and to some point (sorry for my words if it may sound too graphic) but “soft-porn” kinda ish. I’m sure we all can SEE it as we also CONSUME most of it sadly. I try my best to hold on image or video and “not interested” tap on IG but the amount of data in there is inevitable. Sure, Its my fault for looking into it in the first place… just also a food of thought that I’m opening up to ya’ll.
Lastly, THANK YOU Ritchie for having this website open to all and sharing your thoughts too. As we all too feel the same and observed QUITE alot of the algorithm, how it is now, and just what to do now. Its refreshing to be RE-AFFIRMED that my/OUR thoughts are not just us alone feeling it… but everyone all around. I mean, for us here esp. seeking visual art with Practice & the latter.
Keep shooting regardless. We cannot let the love for photography be defied by the masses of “what should be” & life is too precious to even contemplate on it. Cheers everyone!
Skippy Gustilo
Good point: we should definitely not allow the frustrations of Instagram to cause us to shoot less. Maybe it should even motivate us to shoot more! Thanks for the comment!
Instagram has tools to hide stories and unfollow people that abuses reels and stories, or posts that we don’t want to see in followed hashtags. I watch and prefer photos, but I understand Instagram has a point, Flickr is from the time of computers; Instagram in the time of funny images with filters and not much data; tik tok (which I don’t use) takes advantages of modern smartphones and much more data for streaming. I mean, as much as I don’t like it I do believe it is the current times were many would want to be influencers and vbloggers.
Instagram shadow-banned me for having an opinion, I was okay with the drop in views and engagement, but seemed a bit harsh to disappear my comments from and to my friends there. Nevertheless at least Instagram doesn’t try to be too political as Reddit and Twitter do. But Reddit is dishonest, all are superlative compliments or otherwise they are banned for being conflictive. Twitter is said to have better engagement but I don’t notice it, I think the artists mean more customers. I tried Telegram but it is a place that has no control and although that could generate creativity instead renders futile to share anything as it get lost with too many other things. So in the end Instagram still is the best IMHO.
About the business accounts I feel Instagram feeds those accounts with bots, which gives an illusion of more followers. I don’t have one, but I follow one person that does (besides you) and comments to her feed are bots saying “promot it in —->” and that’s all. Not that different from Google counting even a fraction of second scrolling as a view.
I get a few of those bots, and I usually delete their comments. I’ve never once paid for views or followers, so I think that helps avoid the bots.
Something that has made Instagram more bearable for me is the “following” feature. It allows you to see posts from only those you follow.
Before discovering this feature, I would seriously have to scroll for ages to get caught up with my feed, as 60-80% of my feed was made up of posts by accounts I don’t follow. It was easy to miss posts by those I actually follow.
To access the follow feature, simply tap on the Instagram logo in the upper left corner of the app and select “following”. Game changer!
That’s a neat trick! I wish that you could set that as the default view when you open the app. Thanks for the input!
Give me an app that’s, not Meta and I’m in! I would even pay for it. But even the great god google has changed their business page to a map listings.
It seems like the best alternative I have seen so far is Glass. I might give the free trial a go and see if I like it or not.
I only ever use the web app with an adblocker. I recently installed the app and the amount of videos and ads is nauseating. Also I don’t want to have “creators i might like” shoved down my throat. IG feels like like a drug pusher to me 😉
I still use it to follow some local photographers but I’d rather be somewhere else…alas there really isn’t any good alternative. I am not really averse to looking at photos on a phone … I just hate videos and “stories”.
Lol! It is a drug pusher, for sure!
I’m surprised that no one, unless I missed it, has mentioned Vero yet. ( https://vero.co/ ) It’s a relatively small (so far) but very supportive community, particularly beneficial to photographers.
I never got involved in Facebook/Instagram – I was put off by the unethical business practices that drive it’s manipulative algorithms. Thankfully Vero has none; their values statement is here – https://vero.co/values – and is refreshing for a social media company.
For photographers, I particularly like the fact that photos are uploaded at full resolution, so that if you want to zoom in to a picture it doesn’t just get pixelated, but holds resolution as you zoom.
But mostly I like that I don’t feel like I am being exploited on or by the platform, so that’s a good start to a creative community.
I hadn’t heard of Vero before, even though apparently it’s been around for awhile. I do like that you aren’t exploited (with Meta and others, you are the product that’s being sold). It just doesn’t seem like many are on there, which is the trouble with trying to make a social media app: nobody wants to be there unless everyone else is there, too, and it’s very difficult to get huge numbers of people to try. I appreciate the input!
It depends on what you are looking for; if you are looking for as many eyes on your photos as possible to establish/grow your brand then Vero probably isn’t it. However if, as I do, you just want somewhere supportive post and share your images then a smaller platform is more accessible and personal.
In fact there has been a notable influx of new members on Vero in the last month, which is no doubt good for the platform as a whole, but it worries me that it will change the character of the place. (Hey, you youngsters, get off my lawn! 🙂 🙂 )
I bet there is an influx… people looking for something better than IG. Hopefully the app keeps its charm.
Excellent article. You have RitchieCam, what not make your own RitchieGram alternative to IG where Fuji shooters can go to share their pics and make new friends?
I switched to a business account a few months back and now my posts seemingly get half the engagement they used to. But one thing remains a constant on IG, and that’s all the local photographers I have become friends with. So as long as my friends are there I will be too. I didn’t like reels at first but it’s just another way to grow and be creative. Mixing stills, Timelapse and video into a reel can be pretty fun if you give it a chance.
That’s the issue: people want to be only where other people—especially their friends and family—are. A social media app will only be successful if you can convince lots and lots of people to join. I did have the thought of creating a Fujifilm community photo-sharing app of some sort; however, it would be expensive and difficult to make and would most likely flop, or barely limp along. I would really have to think hard about that one. I appreciate the input!
A lot of photographers have migrated to Twitter citing their irritation with Insta’s business model and focus on videos.
I have heard this. I tried Twitter a couple of years ago, and didn’t really like it. Maybe I should look at it again? Thanks for the input!
I am new here and a new user of XE-4. A new user of insta too. Heard this too in some of fujifilm XPPH (Philippines) to switch to an app or a web site where we can post photo no cellphone cam shot. And many suggest squarespace, now that I do not know??? Anybody who can enlighten me on this as I check it . It is paid app or web site…but quite confusing to use
Even though I completely disagree with what Instagram is doing, there isn’t a good alternative out there… one problem being that “everyone” is on Instagram and “no one” is on the other platforms… yet. I think it is because the “right” one hasn’t come along, and the ones that are currently available aren’t it. But the time is right for it to happen, so we’ll see.
Great post and I too would love to earn cash via INSTAGRAM👏
Honestly, I haven’t really figured out how people make money on IG (or other platforms)… I know they do, so I know it’s possible.
Hi, just found your post will trying to search if that “tumblr” microblogging site would be the place to go to now. I started a test blog several years ago but stopped posting as felt I was thin on the ground. Had own site, 500px presence, FB, IG and twitter.
500px seemed good to start with and then felt “like me-like you” setup. Plus selling on site seemed like race to lowest price.
Used Twitter but mainly when the 24 Hour Project comes around every year and if I take part.
Tumblr also not in a good place at the moment corporate wise if what I read is accurate and not sure how you grow followers really. Also it does feel that I say more when making a post.
It is always nice to get a “like” but it is not everything. Comments I feel are best as you can respond.
It is late and I am drifting of the point, which is, where can photographers post, be seen and see the work want to see. Wish I had an answer.
I wish I had the answer, too. There doesn’t currently seem to be a good option. Lots of options—yes; but good one? I haven’t personally found it. Thanks for your comment!
Try Vero app. It’s like the old Instagram where you can post photos and videos and there’s no ads and no algorithm. Hopefully Instagram won’t notice them and take them over.
I hate to sound pessimistic but I’ve noticed that the platform is catering less to actual photography and instead more to funny videos or things alike. Maybe it might have to take another buyout to have some serious change happen, because I appreciate solid photography and think that real photographers should be spotlighted on such a visual app.
It’s not for photographers anymore, unfortunately. Still a lot of photographers on there, though.
I concur with the Instagram issue. It’s mostly kids toasting with their cocktails in a circle, over and over again. I get more fish with Facebook believe it or not. Still a fan of Flickr because my images are technically portrayed on screen the way I intended them to be and Flickr still has an educated, seasoned group of photographers. Maybe not as much percentage wise as it used to be, but one can still learn something from Flickr ascetically if not technically. Its reels that ruined instagram and it’s obvious enough for the powers that be there to do something about it to honor the people that got them there.
The problem with Instagram—and really Meta—is that it peaked already. In order to survive, they either buy up the competition, or, if that’s not possible, they copy the competition. Reels is Tiktok but not “as good.” Threads is Twitter but not “as good.” Instagram should be Instagram, and the best Instagram possible, but the focus is instead on the other platforms and not internally, which cheapens the experience. Unfortunately, creating a successful social media platform is like catching lightening in a jar. Eventually Instagram and Facebook will disappear like MySpace and Vine did, but it will not be for a long time, and not until some significant lightening is caught in a jar by someone else.