On Being a Professional Photographer in the Age of Instagram

Ah, the age of Instagram... 

We are inundated with artsy snapshot after artsy amateur snapshot every day of our lives. Every time we log onto Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. We can't escape art these days it seems, and with all of this instant access to filters and on-phone cameras with more megapixels than my first pro DSLR, there are many who wonder if we've lost sight of the value in a truly well-taken photograph. 

Now, I know what you're probably thinking, or at least what I would be thinking if I were in your shoes... 

"But Sam, I've seen your Instagram feed. Isn't this a bit of the pot calling the kettle black, hmmmm?" *knowing look*

And you're right. I love Instagram and Hipstamatic and all of those other iPhone camera apps as much as the next person. Maybe more. It is because I'm not blameless here that I urge you to consider the following, prior to becoming very annoyed with the prevalence of trendy digital imagery on your social network feeds:

• It's not about you. Or me. Or anyone but the person who took the photograph. The camera clicker in question didn't take the pic with you in mind (or if they did, well that was very nice of them.) They took it because something about that particular coffee cup or that particular building or that particular cat really engaged them. It inspired them. It evoked an emotion. It made them giggle. Most of the time, people snapping away on their camera phones aren't trying to make art, they're trying to tell you the story of their life, what it is, what they want it to be, and how it makes them feel. But, that crap is hard to talk about, so instead, they take a neat photo that reminds them for even five seconds that the world isn't all grey and that there are still beautiful and interesting things out there. 
• It's not the tools, it's how you use them. Yes, you can take a beautiful photograph with an iPhone, or a crappy camera, or with a kit lens, or through a pinhole camera, or with any other number of questionably "unprofessional" devices. I'm not ashamed to admit I actually have an entire show's worth of framed fine art architectural pictures taken via iPhone. And you know what? They're beautiful. But they're not beautiful because they were taken on an iPhone, just like no picture is LAME just because it was taken on one. It's not about the tools... It's how you use them. A good photographer, a good artist, will use whatever means they have at their disposal to create something meaningful to give to the world. Even if that tool is a super sweet Instagram app.

So, let's stop looking at this phenomenon as something that in any way devalues the "art" of photography. There is room for all of us here! Let's instead look at Instagram and Hipstamatic, and all those other fancy camera apps as serving a greater purpose in inspiring both amateur and professional photographers alike to create something personally meaningful, to have a creative outlet (even if you work a desk job), and to share their story with the world, one picture at a time. 

Okay... Maybe more than one at a time.