This week we've looked at how some people have successfully used Instagram as a new means of promoting their work.
Punk Rock People at the Speed Skater Show, Cathays Community Centre Cardiff Oct 2017
My personal experience Instagram as a business user and as a person using is that of a love hate relationship. I used to really enjoy Instagram when it first came out as it was inspiring to see what other people are doing different parts of the world etc it seem to be more focused on amateur people using their phones and as times for breasts become used more by professionals and marketers. One of my main problems with Instagram is how it has become a tool in which people look at their lives in comparison with Instagram stars and feel inadequate insert quote here
But with the digital revolution in full swing it's inevitable and there are up sides of it to. I have been very unsuccessful in using Instagram before it became send me successful when using it for small businesses that I won't be there most of the wedding and portrait business and it took time for me to figure out what worked and what didn't work. As my personal account I use that to promote my personal work and my editorial documentary where this has been not very focused and I just use it more of a fleeting journal. I can't quite a few followers but because I haven't been focused on posting particular subject matter or anything I think that's what has stopped it from becoming more successful. It seems the most successful Instagram users have a targeted audience interested in certain things topics or areas of photography period I think my personal practice and my commission work is a little Barry to put on my account hence I struggle with curating it.
I really hope to get some advice and develop my Martin strategies with everyone on the course to really bring it to life. Some interesting people that we lift that this week were……
Artist Eleanor Macnair, play duh
Harley Weir, quote….Weir studied fine art at
Central Saint Martins in London and taught herself photography. She started using Flickr
to showcase her work and soon enough, it was seen by the right people. She was signed
by the agency Mini Title, who discovered her work on a blog.
One potential issue some people have pointed out about Harley Weir was that actor who has published a lot of people copied her style period and this is also made photographers think carefully about what they post and when for this reason. As I mentioned in a previous post in this new digital age it's inevitable things will be shared and reappropriated with or without permission it's so futile to stop it it's a waste of energy I feel.
Where was one of the most sought after photographers around for her intimate style that part of me thinks there were a lot of other photographers I'm just saying standard with the same style and the market in a network connections will probably just as much if not more important in her success.
And the more and more and progressing through this module it's reconsidering thought I already had in there been a successful photographer is very little to do with using a camera and the work you produce.
Not to take away anything from where I just feel that they must have been dozens of other photographers shooting with a similar style and other similar calibre.
Another interesting artists that we looked at was Amalia Ulman with her excellences and perfections project 2014.
She gained 90000 followers with Instagram pictures taken off the phone depicting her life trying to become an IT girl in LA. After about five months she decided to it and her account by posting a picture of the end in words which accompanied her first picture which was just text saying part 1. It was all a hoax and she was almost mocking the culture Instagram has made. She had gained a lot of acclaim from the art world.
I feel that I online with her Outlook on social media in today's Society more so than any of the other people we looked at but I also agree that it's important and that photographers use it so I would not do the same approach.
This week I managed to get out and photograph a show and took some slower portraits at a local show at Cathays community centre in Cardiff. The bands that played were speed skater comma lawndale high, and humanheat. I've been trying to shoot with the intention of the work being predominantly and colour and I feel that it's progressing in the right direction I am feeling slightly overwhelmed the moment I really want to look at producing more work but unfortunately a situation with three nights work is that it's quieter this time of year leaving me less money to work on personal projects then I would have in other parts of yeah I'm paying for the Masters at the same time is very difficult for me. With this in mind I'm trying to approach some of the people that I've met a photograph from local shows with the intention of meeting up with them at home or somewhere else that's not a show. As for social media I've decided that I need to look at at hashtags and also what other people might be interested in my work period a few questions that come up for me are:
Do I need to decide on what I publish on my Instagram account and stick to one subject
Do I look at trying to engage other people if so how do I do that without looking Gez or like a company trying to sell a product
Who am I trying to get looking after my account people or businesses or both