Food. Because Instagram.
I’m going to take a break from my regular stream of photos and tell a story. A couple of months ago, I showed this very blog to one of my friends, who replied, “Wow, you would have a really cool Instagram”. To this I instantly scoffed (in my head, of course, because I’m not rude). Instagram is just cats and dogs and food. Right?
Slowly, over the coming weeks, it got me thinking. Why have I been so instinctively against the idea of using Instagram to share my photos? I suppose I’ve always thought that it was the wrong demographic and that Instagram photos were somehow an inferior version of photography. I must’ve been very put off by the fact that it has such a heavy smartphone camera focus, what with all the heavy preset filters and all. Plus, Instagram didn’t even have a web interface for a long time, if I remember correctly.
Then, my partner Tiff started to show me some amazing photos on Instagram and it really opened my eyes. I honestly had no idea that professional photographers were using Instagram – and to great effect, too! Now, I’m not saying I’m anywhere near the level of a pro photographer (a budding enthusiast at best), but it was really interesting to find out that people were uploading their DSLR/Mirorless photos to Instagram.
At the end of the day, I guess it’s really just another avenue to reach out to more people. All of the nonsense of me dismissing the entire network was really just my stubbornness and arrogance showing through, I think. What I love about photography is that it doesn’t discriminate and it breaks down barriers. A powerful image can convey a range of themes and feelings, without a single word, and that’s something that can be achieved with any equipment and through any outlet.
I guess the next question is how it’s going to work alongside this blog. I have no idea, but I just signed up with the handle @blinded_by_light, and I suppose it’ll be a mix of photos I’ll feature here, alongside others I didn’t think were good enough for WordPress.
Maybe along with some dog photos. Because everyone loves animal photos, right?
blinded by light 