03.01.2015

The Age of Instagram: A New Series on Social Photography

03.01.2015

The Age of Instagram: A New Series on Social Photography

I am a photographer, a marketer, a businesswoman, and an educator and above all I am an Instagramer. This is a title that many love to wear and others believe devalues their worth. In today’s competitive field of commercial photography, Instagramers sometimes aren’t taken as seriously as they should be.

1AnInstagramerInCanada

An Instagramer in Canada, the road leads to adventure

You see, what sets an Instagramer apart from a photographer is that we shoot on any format camera we like, from film to iPhone to top of the range dslr’s, and the pictures we take are trickled out to our followers making us not just image creators but potential marketers as well.

2SeasonalBerriesParis

Spring Berries in Paris, seasonal sells

With many Instagramers hooked on travel, photography and adventure we are an ideal fit to promote tourism and adventure brands on our Instagram accounts. I know that many of the things that inspire me have originated from people I follow and hopefully I also inspire people with my many travels.

3InstagramersInAlberta

Adventuring with Instagramers in Alberta

One of the biggest questions I get asked is, how did I get so many followers and this is something that I touched upon in a previous post. There is no easy answer to this but for me personally I think a lot of it stems from my photography and my photography journey.

4PhotographingQuebec

My photography journey takes me to Quebec

My biggest philosophy towards my images is that I want to show people all of the things that make a destination unique, from the small details to the people, animals and landscapes. I always strive to do this using professional camera gear and the correct settings to capture a well exposed and sharply focused shot. I try not to do too much to the image afterwards preferring to get everything right “in camera”.

5SamiPeopleFinland

Traditional Sami of Finland

One of the biggest misconceptions that people have about using a digital camera is that you can just use automatic modes and get everything right. This is definitely not true and especially not true when shooting in tricky lighting situations. Understanding your exposure triangle and your cameras limitations is so important to capturing the best shot you can. Even during the middle of the day I carry a tripod, a set of filters, a remote control and different lenses to ensure that I can always get the shot I’m envisioning.

6DaytimeRoadShots

Daytime tripod use creates more depth of field

With photography practice makes perfect and I’m still right at the beginning of my journey with just three years experience under my belt. A lot of people have been following me on Instagram since the early days when I first picked up a camera, switching from an iPhone 4, and it’s this journey that has been so interesting.

7AShotINeverEnvisioned

A shot I never imagined I would have been able to take, Fraser Coast

I call my photography “social photography” because I always attempt to start a conversation with it. From showcasing indigenous populations to dispelling common misconceptions about certain destinations, I believe that Instagram helps me to share what I learn when traveling. And I believe in travel! I have learned more in the past two years on the road than I ever learned in school, which makes what I do so genuine and organic.

8BreakingMisconceptions

Dispelling misconceptions in the Middle East

As an Instagramer with a large following, currently at 365,000, I take part in sponsored travel. That is, destinations pay me to showcase them to my Instagram followers. Usually there is an agreed upon number of posts but the images themselves, captions and timings remain at my own discretion.

9PromotingVivid

Promoting the Vivid lights festival in Sydney Australia

Through the following three Manfrotto articles I will write I want to talk about some of the coolest experiences I have had, how I approach certain scenes and the break down my settings and how much my business has evolved through the power of Instagram. I hope that you stick around to read them.

10AnimalsMyFavorite

Animals are my favorite!

Lauren Bath

Instagram: @laurenepbath
Facebook: www.facebook.com/LaurenBathServices

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