In the past if you wanted a good quality portrait of you taken you would go out and hire a professional photographer. Now, cellphones are slowly catching up. Apple and Samsung are making it easier so that the average Joe can point and shoot. The well-built and quality of the camera is making it so everyone can play photographer. Instagram was first used to post pictures of your lunch and selfies but it has evolved. The small foody app has turned into a massive hub for photography. It grew from sharing your lunch to big names such as Gucci dominating the user base.
Filters are the main reason the app is so successful. Users can snap a picture of a rock and add the Lo-Fi filter to make it more appealing. With the availability of filters and impressive mobile cameras at hand one stops to think, is photography slowly dying?
In this post we talk to Remo, a Southern California based photographer whose daily rock-climbing posts makes me feel tired just by looking at them.
How long have you been a photographer?
- …I’ve developed my photography over the span of 10 years. I can’t believe its even been that long. Obviously I wasn’t very good for the first odd amount of years and progressed with practice and education.
What’s your opinion of Instagram?
- You know I tried to steer away from Instagram for quite some time. This was largely because of the feedback that I got from my fellow photographers. Because of the accessibility of phone cameras and the filters on Instagram, self-proclaimed amateur photographers were popping up everywhere. For photographers that put so much time, effort, dedication, money, and heart into their practice, it devalued the art. And with a lot of self- proclaimed amateur photographers also comes amateur pricing which ultimately damages the industry. But we were all amateurs at some point and many of us went through this. Eventually I caved and made an Instagram because I heard about it’s value in marketing. Since them my view of the app has completely changed! It is a fantastic marketing tool, research tool, a closer window to the beautiful things in the rest if the world, and inspiration tool along with a great way to see what your friends are up to. And as far as the amateur photographer issue many of my friends had qualms with, I don’t see it. Who are we to limit the growth of creativity in this world? If Instagram exposes people to more creative outlets then that is a great thing!
Do you think apps like Instagram make it difficult for photographers to be original?
- I think peoples own limitations will make it difficult for them to be original. Yes, trends reign on Instagram just like everywhere else. And as we connect to the rest of the world more and more we may find that someone else has maybe already thought of the same concept. But there is always always always room for more. There is always room for growth. You can always do something a little different. And ultimately creative limitations come down to the mind and how much you nurture it as the most instrumental tool to your art.
Just like the internet and cellphones brought print down, do you think cellphones and apps like Instagram will do the same to photography?
- I guess to some capacity they already have. Phone cameras have advanced so much in recent years. But they could not replace the quality of a film or DSLR camera so perhaps we are saved because of this cap. What they can do though, and what they have done to an extent, is replace quality with qty and efficiency in the mind of the greater public. The art itself won’t be completely lost. Music technology has advanced changing the industry but music itself prevails.
Have you had any bad encounters with amateur photographers?
- ….You know, I can’t say I’ve had any particularly bad encounters with a developing photographer. Every once in a while you might find someone with an inflated ego and that isn’t exclusive to amateurs. But the people who truly value the art will put in the effort to keep growing and share their experience. Those are the people that will succeed. If you think you are already the best then you are limiting your own growth. Myself included.
Whelp, there you have it folks. You heard it from the artist herself. Professional photographers and Instagram photographers can coexist and live in harmony. The only problem we may experience is the quality of the art. Will photography hit an artistic cul-de-sac or will it grown and evolve like the music scene? Only time will tell.
If you like to see more of the photography posted on this blog PLEASE make sure and check out and support the artist!
Don’t forget to check out her social media profiles!
Photography: @dreamland.remo
Art: @ebg_artcollective
Tech and Change 