Brian, as an on camera journalist I have to say I know my onions when it comes to presenting and you are great. Unlike the Americans you are 'focussed' with clear no bullshit delivery and extremely informative. Thank you .
Brian, I'm in the USA and by sheer coincidence i told a mate of mine in London about how much I enjoyed your videos yesterday. It turns out that he took a workshop with you in London this week! I'm considering joining Instagram and this video today just about convinced me I need to join. It's a small world! Many thanks for your excellent videos and today you have gained another fan!
When has a photographer ever put an emoji on their image? 😂 These are some great tips. I always disagree when youtubers say to only stick to one genre on your feed as a part of being consistent in style. Doing this you force yourself into a box which limits your creative exploration. From a perspective of someone who specialises in the psychology of creativity, boxing yourself in is a key contributor to creative burnout. Many photographers have followed this rule of sticking just to cars or just to trees and I know a lot who said they just didn't enjoy photography anymore. Style and genre should be seen as independent of each other. The way I maintain consistency and try to develop creatively at the same time is to alternate subjects and post with purpose. Say every 5th post is wildlife for example. I post slower doing this but there is consistency without being boxed in and burnt out.
I'm one and everything in my style, I'm all over the place and that's so liberating. I post a wide spectrum of pictures genres from scruffy cats and street photography to macro and portraiture and that is exactly why people like to follow me (or at least I like to think that lol). I really enjoy picking my camera and going out on the streets without a hard plan, aiming to capture the unexpected or even the expected... I think people get so wound up about taking pictures for Instagram that the real joy of photography ends up buried in a pile of anxiety. Anyway, that's me, an amateur photographer who just enjoys being spontaneous with my creativity and don't take things too serious.
`My way of thinking is not like yours, I open windows, whilst you close doors. Can you see it,feel it or begin to understand, Caress with your spirit, touch it with your hand. Don't dismiss art just because you don't know, Plant creativity in your soul and let the seeds grow. Begin now to think and work outside the box, Forget the obvious, learn that creativity rocks! Iain C.
yes, I have seen many stories seeking opinions regarding their own works mainly for the purpose of maintaining/boosting engagements. It's good that you want new ideas but not fully rely on it Otherwise you are shooting for them not for yourself which means the social media take control of your own mind That's why I now rarely stick with the local igers instead finding ppl that suits me more make friends, learn and improve between each other.
Interesting info...and app! This has reignited my passion for street photography once more, not that it ever really vanished, just the opportunities to practice diminished due to other work commitments! I'd definately like to attend one of your workshops in the future.
Thanks Ginette. Hopefully it won't be too long before we'll all be out on the streets again. This is a great time to maybe do lots of reading and watching films about street photography so that you'll hit the ground running when we're all released!
Recently discovered your channel and absolutely appreciate your work, your videos and exceptional content. I am retired in Cuenca,Ecuador and fairly new to photography. Since moving to Cuenca from coastal Florida my photography has shifted from mostly a genre of bird photography and sunrise/sunsets to more of a street photography “style”. I am a novice but passionate. I enjoy your channel because even though I cannot relate to your professionalism I do appreciate it. However, I can relate to your passion and find it magnetic. My fixed income will probably prevent me from traveling to the UK to take one of your workshops but if we ever plan a visit there I will try to include it as a highlight of the trip. Thank you for you time and content. It is greatly appreciated.
Over the past two days I have tuned in to your very interesting video's re street photography. I am a retired wedding and portrait photographer dedicated to the Fuji X system and I have to say your video's have been really inspirational. I had been shooting quite a lot of stuff when in London over the past two years, however covid-19 has prevented me getting across as often as I like, which is around 6 tiems a year. The passion for this has been magnified again watching your very frank postings.
I’ve been looking for an app to create a border for instagram so thank you for suggesting whitagram, it’s just what I needed. Excellent tips and a very good and informative video. Thank you!
If you use Lightroom or Photoshop it’s just as easy (and better) to add the borders there - you’ll get more real estate when you post on Instagram (i.e. the images will be bigger) than if you use Whitagram to add the borders.
Thanks for the video Brian. Sound advice. Looking forward to a video when you talk about what's on your bookshelf - keep seeing those books and can't help being curious! Just ordered your Project book on Amazon, so that will be on my book case soon!
Thanks for getting in touch, Paul. Great idea about doing a video about my favourite books - I'll put this one in the mix! Hope you enjoy the '52' book :-)
Thanks this is a really helpful video - all the tips make good sense and reassure me i am on the right track with my efforts so far. A few new things to try too so thank you.
Thanks, Brian! Being organized and focusing on goals are ideas I try to adhere to, but don't always achieve 100%. Your ideas are great building blocks for positive results. Your advice is always highly appreciated.
Hi Brian, firstly thank you for an excellent and informative video, I have learned so much from you, so you have my appreciation. A quick question, and it just might be that my hearing is on the blink but at 13:10, when talking about Lightroom CC you seem to say that "all my images are in Light Line TV" I was just wondering what exactly that is or whether I need to clean my lug holes out :-D Cheers
Hi Steve - your comment made me chuckle! I did say Lightroom CC - but I had just been to the dentist so it probably didn't come out right :-) All the best, Brian
@@StreetSnappers Hi Brian, thank you for the speedy response and yes I do like to provide a little light entertainment. To be honest I had a sneaky feeling that is what you might be saying, however I do confess, to my embarrassment now, to have actually googled ‘LightLine TV’ :-D Hmm, yes a visit to the dentist can indeed result in temporary minor speech impediment but I do hope your vocal lucidity is now back to 100% as your videos are excellent and I, for one, look forward to viewing more. ;-)Cheers
Hello, first of all, I congratulate you on the channel and your Street Photography videos. I live in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and unfortunately we cannot go out to enjoy a photo session, with the risk of being robbed, at least. Something similar happens in your place that can serve as advice (security) for who we live in thes lands?
Hi Brian, very interesting and useful video, as someone who's only in the past couple of month's started doing street photography I seem to find I get too hung up about whether my shots are liked or not, or am I doing something wrong when I lose a follower or two, feeling pressure to post a picture every day (I only get to London twice a week for a couple of hours after work). I've since stopped worrying about it so much and just enjoy the actual process of being out and about..
I put everything on a single account, from my personal life to random pictures of different things. Maybe someday if I have some really quality pictures I will make a "photography" profile, but right now I would be too pretentious doing this.
Hi Ralph, there are several alternatives. I don’t know anything about them but this may be a good starting point for you: www.topbestalternatives.com/whitagram/android/
Hi Brian, Thank you for that-really interesting. One of my bugbears is adding captions though. Shouldn’t art be about the reader interpreting the image? As soon as you add a caption you’ve kind of made their mind up for them, i.e led the jury. I just say the place it’s taken. That’s my take on it anyhow.
Hi Chris, thanks for commenting. I completely agree about captions - especially the cheesy ones which add nothing and, as you say, lead the witness. Like you, mine are simple and usually nothing more than something like 'London, 2017'. All the best, Brian.
I’ve now taken the plunge Brian and set up my insta. Your advice was really beneficial and I especially like the whitagram app. I’ve now got all of 3 followers : )
Hi again Brian, well that didn’t last long! I’ve been blocked from Instagram. I think I got a bit carried away and posted 39 pics in a few days. I met a photographer in the park today who said it happens a lot and is affecting professional photographers from promoting their work. I’ve since uploaded my profile pic (the algorithm thinks it’s spammers otherwise I believe) and I’ll heed your warning and only post 1 or 2 pics a day from now on. I’ve heard the block lasts about 2 days-that seems to be standard. Fingers crossed
I’m not on instagram and have never been on it. Next week I’m doing a street photography workshop in NYC. The leader is requiring that I open an account. I am of the Vivian Maier school. I look at my images at the end of the day and that is it. They either are downloaded onto a laptop or they stay on the memory card to be erased later so I can make other images. On my best day I am average. I don’t care if other people see my images. I’ve shown my images at work to coworkers to polite responses. My intention is to get out of the house. My intention is to get some exercise. I enjoy taking some snap with a camera. When I don’t have a camera on me I take a snap with my mind. It’s fun. I have no illusions about the quality of my work. I have seen great street work. I’ve seen good street work. My images don’t fall into either of those categories. I think I know what good is. I can’t seem to create it. That is OK. I enjoy maybe 2-5% of my images. The rest not so much. I would cry if I was using film. My images could improve. That is part of the intention of taking the workshop. The main reason is the comradery of like minded people doing the same thing, more or less. I’m not a Luddite. I am 70 years old and picking up technological know how is hard for me. As a result I shoot jpeg and don’t post process. My montra is shoot it right so the image doesn’t need to be manipulated using post processing. I suspect after the workshop I will take down the instagram account. Every day a billion images are created. Other than me nobody else appreciates my images. Fair enough. I create my images for myself and my enjoyment. I don’t really care what others think of my work. As I’ve written, I destroy most of my work. When I die the stored images will be deleted from the hard drives they live on of the laptops will be thrown out because they are so old. Carpe diem. Take some pictures. Drink some tea. What else is there? Mask On Nurse Marty
I get what your saying about the street photography. It's the same when you # black and white photography when there are loads of colour ones,which have loads of likes?
Hi Darren, it really depends ion what style appeals to you. Maybe have a look at my Insta and see the people who I follow - that may give you a few ideas - @streetsnappers
Hi Brain, first of all I'd like to say I'm finding your videos very informative, I found this one especially interesting. I've been thinking about using Instagram for a while now, the thing is I've got images I produced a while back I mean some of them over 4 or 5 years, what are yours and anyone's thoughts on uploading those images to Instagram or do you believe it should only be images taken in the recent past say a year or so ago?
Thanks Jim! I honestly don't think it matters when the pics were taken - it's a personal thing. I tend to post pics taken during the past 3-4 years but plenty of people post much older work. Whatever works for you - don't worry about what anyone thinks!!
I've just got back into using Instagram after not using it for a long time. I've noticed that some people just randomly like a block of my photo's, say 5 at a time. They leave no comments, don't follow. Even liking videos I've posted but the view number doesn't even increase on the video. So I think they must just search for a keyword and then randomly like loads of photo's to draw attention to themselves. If I like someones work I'll generally make a comment on it about why I like it and then follow them if I actually like their work. I don't want to get into the whole likes game. I hope to find people's profiles that I find inspiring.
The same thing happens to me - big blocks of likes from the same person (probably a bot). I feel the same as you about the 'likes' game and refuse to play it. It's a shame - this stuff lets Instagram down.
Tbh, and this is just from my perspective, sometimes if I'm stalking someone's page I'll like all the photos I like, or whatever, but I won't comment because either I don't know them personally, or they're too big of an account for me to be bothered, because they've plenty of comments already
Do you keep track of the images that you post on Instagram so that a month, a year from now you will not post the same image? What is you practice of keep track?
Hi Al, interesting question. I think I'm ok at remembering what I've posted previously; there may be occasional duplication but I don't think it's a big deal.
The hashtag #streetphotography, has been abuse a lot. I'm a Street Photographer in Mexico City, Mexico, that made my art in Black and White. I have seen that people just use the Instagram's hashtags, just because the tag is popular and not because they do what the hashtag is related for. I've seen a lot of hashtags wrongly used and it freaked me out. I wish Instagram can curate those hashtags, just with the real pictures, that belong to them and I wish that AI (Artificial Intelligence) can ban you, if you are using a hashtag that is not related to your business. But this is something that won't happen. Greetings from Mexico City, Mexico
Yes, it's abused here too - and all over the world - such a bad thing. How are things in Mexico with the virus situation? Is it still bad or is the situation improving? We hear on the TV news that Mexico is having a very tough time....
@@StreetSnappers We are on the high part of the epidemic and the government wants us to open no matter what. People are dying every day and the pandemic, if this continues, can be over on October, due to numbers and 0 response of the government. They can say what they want, but doctors have other things to say. The reality is what a doctor can say to you, not the government. It's hard. Now that public transportation is open, people are getting there the Covid 19 and people is still scare of using public transportation due to that fact. So we continue in quarantine at least until the Covid 19 decreases a bit
@@StreetSnappers Besides this, I will like an objective view of my Instagram profile. instagram.com/57piixels so as to see if I can grow more and how. But organic, I don't like the thinks like like by like or so. I want to get more exposure, because of my quality
Instagram has become less and less relevant for me as a platform as has all social media. In fact I ONLY have Instagram left as a digital platform. The hashtags have been so abused and the images associated with them exemplifies the very thing you speak about that I'm no longer really posting. As photojournalist David Burnett said in an interview, "You have dump trucks backing up dumping bad to mediocre images and you have to try and navigate them to find the really good ones." I couldn't agree more. I've had to prune whom I follow down by over a third and I'm still pruning. Call me grumpy, but I remember once upon a time when there was this thing called integrity in what one created and in ones general actions. Seems that's dying an ugly death for the sake of instant gratification (IG) Now that's there's some semblance of normalcy returning to our lives, I'm returning to the roots of my 30+ years as a photojournalist, documentary & street photographic career to old school physical printed pieces sent via post, email marketing and phone calls.
@@StreetSnappers Yes, sir, and I've never had a Facebook account and am reluctant to entrust them with my data, including my photos. It's an interesting video, nonetheless.
@@williambolton5679 VSCO is good too, more flexible with aspect ratios compared to Instagram, great in-app editing if you don't have the time / money / effort to edit in lightroom on a laptop or PC. No likes or anything either, the biggest account in the world looks just as popular as the smallest account. The owner can see their own likes in their notifications (but not in the feed), but nobody else can see likes or followers.
@@okok72277 Thanks for this information. I post on Flickr, but it seems to me that most people on that platform look at how many likes a photo has and then decide if they will like it or not. A similar problem is with the "Discover" page. One man has made himself the arbiter of good photography by selecting photos and elevating them to "discovered" status. Because of this, in my case at least, my most liked photographs are mediocre. Interesting from a psychological perspective but frustrating. And the paid "Pro" benefits seem to include either much greater exposure or bought "likes". I'll look into VSCO.
Hi Robert. Wow, that's one big question and I could do a whole video about it (which I'll definitely do at some point). But my personal view is that B+W is fine as long as it's used with a sense of purpose - with a deliberate aesthetic in mind - rather than to try to rescue an image that doesn't look right in colour. I prefer to use colour for 80-90% of my work but each to his own - I don't think I could say that one is 'better' than the other.
@@StreetSnappers Hello again, one reason I asked about B&W Street Photography is I have been told I am Red, Green, Brown deficit in my Vision, I do see color but it May not be the same others see.!!
@@Triplebuc50 With JPG shooting, the camera usually gets it right. And use of auto-correct in photo editing is pretty good. B&W, and in some cases Sepia Tone is very good. I shoot JPG, and usually in color. For the street, I like color as in many cases the color just works well within the scene. I can always change it to B&W if the color doesn't work out well. Sure, you can change back and forth while on the street, but I hate to do that fearing that I will lose something which just happened while changing between. If you decide on B&W, I am thinking orange filter for the cameras JPG setting within the camera.
I hate instagram the reason is this app is focusing on algoritms not photos You can put amazing stuff but if u use bad hashtags too smmall or too big and to less or too much Yor photo just gone Its hard to be consytency if you know that everything care abut algoritms not about your photo
100% agree - Only been doing it a few months but I put myself under so much pressure to come up with something everyday I ended up losing sight of why I was actually doing it - have since recablibrated my expectations of IG and am just enjoying the actual being out and about
Good advice. Personally though, I bore of Instagram or Flickr accounts that just post the same type of photo's continually. I like variety and range, as long as the images are pleasing. I post different things myself and don't care about numbers. If I wish to see loads of the same thing I search a hashtag. I was hoping to delve into street photography more this year, but Covid-19 stopped that. I'm instead making notes on my phone of ideas for shots, and now have an exciting list.. Best wishes. Hopefully we can all be stalking the streets again before long. 👍 Instagram - onioki69
Hi, thanks for getting in touch. I agree with your take on Instagram - it's pretty much how I feel. I think there's a herd mentality where people follow trends and all post the same stuff - and it's very evident in street photography. Good luck with getting out shooting - hopefully it won't be too long now. I've just followed you on Instagram by the way. All the best, Brian
I appreciate your opinion here but I think you have it a little wrong. Instagram is not a portfolio. It’s a mixture of BTS and work. People buy from people and if it doesn’t feel authentic and personal, it won’t be as effective. Also I found only posting your best work ultimately paralysed my creativity as it ‘didn’t fit my feed’.
Hi Thomas, thanks for commenting. I kind of agree and I would fully agree if Instagram was being used to promote a ‘working’ or pro photographer. However, my video was made with street photographers in mind, 99% of whom are amateur photographers and don’t have any BTS material or work to promote. Cheers, Brian.
Brian, as an on camera journalist I have to say I know my onions when it comes to presenting and you are great. Unlike the Americans you are 'focussed' with clear no bullshit delivery and extremely informative. Thank you .
That's really kind of you to say so, Mike. Thank you :-)
I couldn't agree more Mike
Brian, I'm in the USA and by sheer coincidence i told a mate of mine in London about how much I enjoyed your videos yesterday. It turns out that he took a workshop with you in London this week! I'm considering joining Instagram and this video today just about convinced me I need to join. It's a small world! Many thanks for your excellent videos and today you have gained another fan!
Thanks very much for the feedback, Alex - and it is indeed a small world!
When has a photographer ever put an emoji on their image? 😂
These are some great tips. I always disagree when youtubers say to only stick to one genre on your feed as a part of being consistent in style. Doing this you force yourself into a box which limits your creative exploration. From a perspective of someone who specialises in the psychology of creativity, boxing yourself in is a key contributor to creative burnout. Many photographers have followed this rule of sticking just to cars or just to trees and I know a lot who said they just didn't enjoy photography anymore. Style and genre should be seen as independent of each other. The way I maintain consistency and try to develop creatively at the same time is to alternate subjects and post with purpose. Say every 5th post is wildlife for example. I post slower doing this but there is consistency without being boxed in and burnt out.
Thanks very much for the feedback :-)
I'm one and everything in my style, I'm all over the place and that's so liberating. I post a wide spectrum of pictures genres from scruffy cats and street photography to macro and portraiture and that is exactly why people like to follow me (or at least I like to think that lol). I really enjoy picking my camera and going out on the streets without a hard plan, aiming to capture the unexpected or even the expected... I think people get so wound up about taking pictures for Instagram that the real joy of photography ends up buried in a pile of anxiety. Anyway, that's me, an amateur photographer who just enjoys being spontaneous with my creativity and don't take things too serious.
`My way of thinking is not like yours,
I open windows, whilst you close doors.
Can you see it,feel it or begin to understand,
Caress with your spirit, touch it with your hand.
Don't dismiss art just because you don't know,
Plant creativity in your soul and let the seeds grow.
Begin now to think and work outside the box,
Forget the obvious, learn that creativity rocks!
Iain C.
yes, I have seen many stories seeking opinions regarding their own works
mainly for the purpose of maintaining/boosting engagements.
It's good that you want new ideas but not fully rely on it
Otherwise you are shooting for them not for yourself
which means the social media take control of your own mind
That's why I now rarely stick with the local igers
instead finding ppl that suits me more
make friends, learn and improve between each other.
Thanks for very helpful advices! ❤️🙏🏼
Interesting info...and app! This has reignited my passion for street photography once more, not that it ever really vanished, just the opportunities to practice diminished due to other work commitments! I'd definately like to attend one of your workshops in the future.
Thanks Ginette. Hopefully it won't be too long before we'll all be out on the streets again. This is a great time to maybe do lots of reading and watching films about street photography so that you'll hit the ground running when we're all released!
Recently discovered your channel and absolutely appreciate your work, your videos and exceptional content. I am retired in Cuenca,Ecuador and fairly new to photography. Since moving to Cuenca from coastal Florida my photography has shifted from mostly a genre of bird photography and sunrise/sunsets to more of a street photography “style”. I am a novice but passionate. I enjoy your channel because even though I cannot relate to your professionalism I do appreciate it. However, I can relate to your passion and find it magnetic. My fixed income will probably prevent me from traveling to the UK to take one of your workshops but if we ever plan a visit there I will try to include it as a highlight of the trip. Thank you for you time and content. It is greatly appreciated.
Over the past two days I have tuned in to your very interesting video's re street photography. I am a retired wedding and portrait photographer dedicated to the Fuji X system and I have to say your video's have been really inspirational. I had been shooting quite a lot of stuff when in London over the past two years, however covid-19 has prevented me getting across as often as I like, which is around 6 tiems a year. The passion for this has been magnified again watching your very frank postings.
Hi Denis, thanks so much for the kind comments - much appreciated :-)
Very comprehensive and informative. If you're just getting started with Instagram, this information is invaluable. Thanks, Brian!
Thanks for the kind comments, Pat. I hope all's well with you :-)
Great job love your lesson🥰🥰🥰🥰👏👏👏👏
Thank you very much! You provided loads of very useful and valuable information.
My pleasure, Felix, glad it was helpful.
Thanks for sharing. Love your channel!
The Prisoner Thanks very much - stay tuned for lots more to come!
Great tips, thanks .... new follower on IG and YT.
Thanks very much - good to have you aboard! Please don't hesitate to shout if you have any questions :-)
Thank you for your tips! Very useful
My pleasure, Jorge - thanks for watching :-)
I’ve been looking for an app to create a border for instagram so thank you for suggesting whitagram, it’s just what I needed. Excellent tips and a very good and informative video. Thank you!
Thanks very much Heath! Please stay tuned for lots more videos about street photography :-)
You can count on it 👍🏻
If you use Lightroom or Photoshop it’s just as easy (and better) to add the borders there - you’ll get more real estate when you post on Instagram (i.e. the images will be bigger) than if you use Whitagram to add the borders.
@@tdc_2021 Do you use a specific template size for this?
Thanks for the video Brian. Sound advice. Looking forward to a video when you talk about what's on your bookshelf - keep seeing those books and can't help being curious! Just ordered your Project book on Amazon, so that will be on my book case soon!
Thanks for getting in touch, Paul. Great idea about doing a video about my favourite books - I'll put this one in the mix! Hope you enjoy the '52' book :-)
Really helpful advice and clearly delivered. Subscribed as a result. Great book by the way (mastering street photography). 👌
Thanks very much for the feedback - good to have you aboard :-)
Thanks this is a really helpful video - all the tips make good sense and reassure me i am on the right track with my efforts so far. A few new things to try too so thank you.
Chloe Sastry Thanks Chloe - glad it’s useful - do yell if you have any questions!
Thanks, Brian! Being organized and focusing on goals are ideas I try to adhere to, but don't always achieve 100%. Your ideas are great building blocks for positive results. Your advice is always highly appreciated.
Thanks for the feedback, John, and keep shooting!
Great tips, thank you very much
My pleasure, thanks for your support :-)
Hi Brian, firstly thank you for an excellent and informative video, I have learned so much from you, so you have my appreciation. A quick question, and it just might be that my hearing is on the blink but at 13:10, when talking about Lightroom CC you seem to say that "all my images are in Light Line TV" I was just wondering what exactly that is or whether I need to clean my lug holes out :-D Cheers
Hi Steve - your comment made me chuckle! I did say Lightroom CC - but I had just been to the dentist so it probably didn't come out right :-) All the best, Brian
@@StreetSnappers Hi Brian, thank you for the speedy response and yes I do like to provide a little light entertainment. To be honest I had a sneaky feeling that is what you might be saying, however I do confess, to my embarrassment now, to have actually googled ‘LightLine TV’ :-D
Hmm, yes a visit to the dentist can indeed result in temporary minor speech impediment but I do hope your vocal lucidity is now back to 100% as your videos are excellent and I, for one, look forward to viewing more. ;-)Cheers
Some great tips and useful info on Instagram. I'm certainly going to give some of them a go. Thanks for sharing. 👍
Thanks Mike - glad it was helpful :-)
Really loving the videos
That's nice to know - thank you!
Hello, first of all, I congratulate you on the channel and your Street Photography videos. I live in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and unfortunately we cannot go out to enjoy a photo session, with the risk of being robbed, at least. Something similar happens in your place that can serve as advice (security) for who we live in thes lands?
Great tips😉
Thanks Matthew :-)
Great video as usual, Thank you for the tips
Thank you Omar - my pleasure sir!
Hi Brian, very interesting and useful video, as someone who's only in the past couple of month's started doing street photography I seem to find I get too hung up about whether my shots are liked or not, or am I doing something wrong when I lose a follower or two, feeling pressure to post a picture every day (I only get to London twice a week for a couple of hours after work). I've since stopped worrying about it so much and just enjoy the actual process of being out and about..
Very helpful and honest advice
Thanks for your support - much appreciated :-)
Nice show, nice information, thank you, Mr. Duckett :-))
My pleasure - thanks for your feedback :-)
Not difficult to transfer directly from PC to Instagram without an app - though editing may be limited
Yes, I know a few people who do this - I think there are several work-arounds.
I love your channel name,
I'm getting started and just bought a Sony A7iii
Clarence Gabriel Thanks Clarence! Good luck with the new camera - it’s a wonderful piece of kit :-)
@@StreetSnappers Thank you so much, looking forward to learning from you
I put everything on a single account, from my personal life to random pictures of different things. Maybe someday if I have some really quality pictures I will make a "photography" profile, but right now I would be too pretentious doing this.
Always do what feels right :-)
Brilliant video 👍👍
Steve Brassington Kind of you to say to - thanks Steve!
Another helpful video Brian! Thank you 👍🏼
Robbie Barnes Thanks Robbie!
thanks very much. I am confused about the use of Lightroom, because I use a Fujifilm Camera. Also Lightroom CC confuses me. 🤣
great advice and info, thank you.
Rich Rizzo Thanks again Rich:-)
You have a good point ✌️✌️✌️
Thanks Stefano :-)
@@StreetSnappers 😏😏😎😎✌️✌️✌️
This is awesome. Thanks for sharing❤️👍🇸🇽
Alexander Merc Thanks Alexander - glad you like it - stay tuned for more!
@@StreetSnappers if you could subscribe to my channel, as well that would be great...th-cam.com/users/Alexandermerc18
@@StreetSnappers if you could subscribe to my channel, as well that would be great...th-cam.com/users/Alexandermerc18
@@AlexanderMerc18 Done :-)
Does anyone know a Whitagram equivalent app for Android users?
Hi Ralph, there are several alternatives. I don’t know anything about them but this may be a good starting point for you: www.topbestalternatives.com/whitagram/android/
Hi Brian,
Thank you for that-really interesting. One of my bugbears is adding captions though. Shouldn’t art be about the reader interpreting the image? As soon as you add a caption you’ve kind of made their mind up for them, i.e led the jury. I just say the place it’s taken. That’s my take on it anyhow.
Hi Chris, thanks for commenting. I completely agree about captions - especially the cheesy ones which add nothing and, as you say, lead the witness. Like you, mine are simple and usually nothing more than something like 'London, 2017'. All the best, Brian.
I’ve now taken the plunge Brian and set up my insta. Your advice was really beneficial and I especially like the whitagram app. I’ve now got all of 3 followers : )
Hi again Brian, well that didn’t last long! I’ve been blocked from Instagram. I think I got a bit carried away and posted 39 pics in a few days. I met a photographer in the park today who said it happens a lot and is affecting professional photographers from promoting their work. I’ve since uploaded my profile pic (the algorithm thinks it’s spammers otherwise I believe) and I’ll heed your warning and only post 1 or 2 pics a day from now on. I’ve heard the block lasts about 2 days-that seems to be standard. Fingers crossed
I’m not on instagram and have never been on it.
Next week I’m doing a street photography workshop in NYC. The leader is requiring that I open an account. I am of the Vivian Maier school. I look at my images at the end of the day and that is it. They either are downloaded onto a laptop or they stay on the memory card to be erased later so I can make other images.
On my best day I am average. I don’t care if other people see my images. I’ve shown my images at work to coworkers to polite responses. My intention is to get out of the house. My intention is to get some exercise. I enjoy taking some snap with a camera. When I don’t have a camera on me I take a snap with my mind. It’s fun.
I have no illusions about the quality of my work. I have seen great street work. I’ve seen good street work. My images don’t fall into either of those categories. I think I know what good is. I can’t seem to create it. That is OK. I enjoy maybe 2-5% of my images. The rest not so much. I would cry if I was using film. My images could improve. That is part of the intention of taking the workshop. The main reason is the comradery of like minded people doing the same thing, more or less. I’m not a Luddite. I am 70 years old and picking up technological know how is hard for me. As a result I shoot jpeg and don’t post process. My montra is shoot it right so the image doesn’t need to be manipulated using post processing.
I suspect after the workshop I will take down the instagram account. Every day a billion images are created. Other than me nobody else appreciates my images. Fair enough. I create my images for myself and my enjoyment. I don’t really care what others think of my work. As I’ve written, I destroy most of my work. When I die the stored images will be deleted from the hard drives they live on of the laptops will be thrown out because they are so old. Carpe diem. Take some pictures. Drink some tea. What else is there?
Mask On Nurse Marty
I get what your saying about the street photography. It's the same when you # black and white photography when there are loads of colour ones,which have loads of likes?
Watching your videos they are very informative thank you, who would you recommend following on Instagram to gain inspiration from.
Hi Darren, it really depends ion what style appeals to you. Maybe have a look at my Insta and see the people who I follow - that may give you a few ideas - @streetsnappers
Feel free to follow me @tomfreerphotography
@@TomFreer87 Done.
@@StreetSnappers that’s Brian appreciate it 🙂
Hi Brain, first of all I'd like to say I'm finding your videos very informative, I found this one especially interesting. I've been thinking about using Instagram for a while now, the thing is I've got images I produced a while back I mean some of them over 4 or 5 years, what are yours and anyone's thoughts on uploading those images to Instagram or do you believe it should only be images taken in the recent past say a year or so ago?
Thanks Jim! I honestly don't think it matters when the pics were taken - it's a personal thing. I tend to post pics taken during the past 3-4 years but plenty of people post much older work. Whatever works for you - don't worry about what anyone thinks!!
I've just got back into using Instagram after not using it for a long time. I've noticed that some people just randomly like a block of my photo's, say 5 at a time. They leave no comments, don't follow. Even liking videos I've posted but the view number doesn't even increase on the video. So I think they must just search for a keyword and then randomly like loads of photo's to draw attention to themselves. If I like someones work I'll generally make a comment on it about why I like it and then follow them if I actually like their work. I don't want to get into the whole likes game. I hope to find people's profiles that I find inspiring.
The same thing happens to me - big blocks of likes from the same person (probably a bot). I feel the same as you about the 'likes' game and refuse to play it. It's a shame - this stuff lets Instagram down.
Tbh, and this is just from my perspective, sometimes if I'm stalking someone's page I'll like all the photos I like, or whatever, but I won't comment because either I don't know them personally, or they're too big of an account for me to be bothered, because they've plenty of comments already
In social media, the quality of the images also matters a lot.
Hi Brian! I found you on TH-cam and I bought your book 52 assignments street photography, its so cool cant wait to get stated. Thank you 😊😊
Thanks very much! I hope you find the book useful - try to do one assignment every week ;-)
Great video Sir thank you so much for this may Allah bless you.
Thanks Musa - glad you like it!
Hi Brian, most informative as usual, thank you. Is the app you refer to whitagram or whitogram?
19crossways94 Thanks for your comment. The app is Whitagram and it’s free. I think there’s a version for both Apple and Android.
Do you keep track of the images that you post on Instagram so that a month, a year from now you will not post the same image? What is you practice of keep track?
Hi Al, interesting question. I think I'm ok at remembering what I've posted previously; there may be occasional duplication but I don't think it's a big deal.
whats wrong with the volume? can barely hear you!
It was one of my early videos and I was still learning. I’m no video expert! Hopefully all the more recent ones are fine.
@@StreetSnappers I love the content you are coming up with and i believe your channel is a very promising one. Keep up the good work!
Thanks Ali :-)
The hashtag #streetphotography, has been abuse a lot.
I'm a Street Photographer in Mexico City, Mexico, that made my art in Black and White.
I have seen that people just use the Instagram's hashtags, just because the tag is popular and not because they do what the hashtag is related for.
I've seen a lot of hashtags wrongly used and it freaked me out.
I wish Instagram can curate those hashtags, just with the real pictures, that belong to them and I wish that AI (Artificial Intelligence) can ban you, if you are using a hashtag that is not related to your business.
But this is something that won't happen.
Greetings from Mexico City, Mexico
Yes, it's abused here too - and all over the world - such a bad thing. How are things in Mexico with the virus situation? Is it still bad or is the situation improving? We hear on the TV news that Mexico is having a very tough time....
@@StreetSnappers We are on the high part of the epidemic and the government wants us to open no matter what.
People are dying every day and the pandemic, if this continues, can be over on October, due to numbers and 0 response of the government.
They can say what they want, but doctors have other things to say. The reality is what a doctor can say to you, not the government.
It's hard.
Now that public transportation is open, people are getting there the Covid 19 and people is still scare of using public transportation due to that fact.
So we continue in quarantine at least until the Covid 19 decreases a bit
@@StreetSnappers Besides this, I will like an objective view of my Instagram profile.
instagram.com/57piixels so as to see if I can grow more and how.
But organic, I don't like the thinks like like by like or so. I want to get more exposure, because of my quality
@@uravgmexican9626 Best wishes from the UK - we're thinking of you and hope the worst will soon be over.
Instagram has become less and less relevant for me as a platform as has all social media. In fact I ONLY have Instagram left as a digital platform. The hashtags have been so abused and the images associated with them exemplifies the very thing you speak about that I'm no longer really posting. As photojournalist David Burnett said in an interview, "You have dump trucks backing up dumping bad to mediocre images and you have to try and navigate them to find the really good ones." I couldn't agree more. I've had to prune whom I follow down by over a third and I'm still pruning. Call me grumpy, but I remember once upon a time when there was this thing called integrity in what one created and in ones general actions. Seems that's dying an ugly death for the sake of instant gratification (IG)
Now that's there's some semblance of normalcy returning to our lives, I'm returning to the roots of my 30+ years as a photojournalist, documentary & street photographic career to old school physical printed pieces sent via post, email marketing and phone calls.
Great post, Cliff, many thanks :-)
Who owns Instagram?
Facebook, as far as I'm aware.
@@StreetSnappers Yes, sir, and I've never had a Facebook account and am reluctant to entrust them with my data, including my photos. It's an interesting video, nonetheless.
@@williambolton5679 VSCO is good too, more flexible with aspect ratios compared to Instagram, great in-app editing if you don't have the time / money / effort to edit in lightroom on a laptop or PC.
No likes or anything either, the biggest account in the world looks just as popular as the smallest account. The owner can see their own likes in their notifications (but not in the feed), but nobody else can see likes or followers.
@@okok72277 Thanks for this information. I post on Flickr, but it seems to me that most people on that platform look at how many likes a photo has and then decide if they will like it or not. A similar problem is with the "Discover" page. One man has made himself the arbiter of good photography by selecting photos and elevating them to "discovered" status. Because of this, in my case at least, my most liked photographs are mediocre. Interesting from a psychological perspective but frustrating. And the paid "Pro" benefits seem to include either much greater exposure or bought "likes". I'll look into VSCO.
B&W Street Photography, Good or Bad?
Hi Robert. Wow, that's one big question and I could do a whole video about it (which I'll definitely do at some point). But my personal view is that B+W is fine as long as it's used with a sense of purpose - with a deliberate aesthetic in mind - rather than to try to rescue an image that doesn't look right in colour. I prefer to use colour for 80-90% of my work but each to his own - I don't think I could say that one is 'better' than the other.
@@StreetSnappers Hello again, one reason I asked about B&W Street Photography is I have been told I am Red, Green, Brown deficit in my Vision, I do see color but it May not be the same others see.!!
@@Triplebuc50 With JPG shooting, the camera usually gets it right. And use of auto-correct in photo editing is pretty good. B&W, and in some cases Sepia Tone is very good. I shoot JPG, and usually in color. For the street, I like color as in many cases the color just works well within the scene. I can always change it to B&W if the color doesn't work out well. Sure, you can change back and forth while on the street, but I hate to do that fearing that I will lose something which just happened while changing between. If you decide on B&W, I am thinking orange filter for the cameras JPG setting within the camera.
I'm a horrible, bad, terrible photographer. Not sure that I should add to the noise...
Haha, I know plenty of those!
I hate instagram the reason is this app is focusing on algoritms not photos You can put amazing stuff but if u use bad hashtags too smmall or too big and to less or too much Yor photo just gone
Its hard to be consytency if you know that everything care abut algoritms not about your photo
Yes, I agree, the algorithms can be really unhelpful.
A very high risk in South Africa with its high crime rate
Instagram is pretty toxic IMO. You shouldn’t feel the need to post daily because you’re losing followers if you don’t. That isn’t photography
Yes, I completely agree.
100% agree - Only been doing it a few months but I put myself under so much pressure to come up with something everyday I ended up losing sight of why I was actually doing it - have since recablibrated my expectations of IG and am just enjoying the actual being out and about
Good advice.
Personally though, I bore of Instagram or Flickr accounts that just post the same type of photo's continually.
I like variety and range, as long as the images are pleasing.
I post different things myself and don't care about numbers.
If I wish to see loads of the same thing I search a hashtag.
I was hoping to delve into street photography more this year, but Covid-19 stopped that.
I'm instead making notes on my phone of ideas for shots, and now have an exciting list..
Best wishes.
Hopefully we can all be stalking the streets again before long. 👍
Instagram - onioki69
Hi, thanks for getting in touch. I agree with your take on Instagram - it's pretty much how I feel. I think there's a herd mentality where people follow trends and all post the same stuff - and it's very evident in street photography. Good luck with getting out shooting - hopefully it won't be too long now. I've just followed you on Instagram by the way. All the best, Brian
@@StreetSnappers
I'm honoured, thank you.
I've followed back.
Thanks for the tips. Some useful. Keep up the good work @knederskovpetersen
You're welcome - thanks Kenneth :-)
I appreciate your opinion here but I think you have it a little wrong. Instagram is not a portfolio. It’s a mixture of BTS and work. People buy from people and if it doesn’t feel authentic and personal, it won’t be as effective.
Also I found only posting your best work ultimately paralysed my creativity as it ‘didn’t fit my feed’.
Hi Thomas, thanks for commenting. I kind of agree and I would fully agree if Instagram was being used to promote a ‘working’ or pro photographer. However, my video was made with street photographers in mind, 99% of whom are amateur photographers and don’t have any BTS material or work to promote. Cheers, Brian.
Instagram is a joke.
Agreed!