Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Flickr Favorites

Holga 6 Untitled Untitled Ittoqqortoormiit, Greenland Untitled Untitled
(Click on images to go directly to sources.)

Along with my usual favs, I wanted to address an argument I keep seeing pop up on tech blogs (not that I regularly read tech blogs, but several people I follow on twitter have recently linked to articles on this topic)...that Flickr is no longer relevant now that Instagram is popular. I don't understand why the two sites are even being compared because they are distinctly different entities with different purposes. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Instagram is for anyone with an iphone or android to upload pics of what they're doing/seeing/eating/etc.--it's about real-time sharing. Flickr, on the other hand, is more about serious photography...people experimenting with all types of cameras and editing techniques who have a real passion for the art of photography. If Flickr existed only as a social media platform, then yes, I would agree that Instagram is much more successful. But I've always viewed and used Flickr as something else entirely. What do you think?

Also, on a related topic, if you've never read this essay by Nathan Jurgenson on the rise of faux-vintage photography from a sociologist's point of view, you really should.

10 comments:

  1. I love your post, the photos are fantastic and yes I agree with you about Flikr and Instagram.

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  2. I love your choices from Flickr! I share your opinion about this wonderful site!

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  3. Beautiful images. The books are amazing!
    I agree, that Flickr cannot be compared to Instagram.

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  4. Awesome photographs! I agree, I don't understand the comparison of Flickr to Instagram either...

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  5. I totally agree. Flickr is definitely a useful promotional tool for your best work. Instagram is like a visual Twitter.

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  6. Great selection of photos! I love the books one, so simple but so effective. And I totally agree that Flickr and Instagram are different so no comparison.

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  7. I LOVE that top photo. Incredible.

    I agree that Flickr and Instagram are completely different platforms. There are people on Instagram who are serious photographers and only post their work (either by uploading images taken with their cameras or via 'iPhoneography'), but the majority of it is real time sharing.

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  8. I had no idea people were comparing flickr and instagram - to me that's like comparing chocolate cake to ice cream (in that I need both!)

    for me instagram is all about sharing the instant moments in life. While there is a skill and an art in composing the perfect quick snap, flickr is so much about taking your time, and sharing your best work - it's a totally different thing!

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  9. Instagram and flickr are two very different platforms I agree. What a wonderful collection of images! So enchanting!

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  10. Breath-taking images!

    I agree with the idea of "varnishing" *cough*filtering*cough* the image to tell a story in a poetic, evocative way, even if it has to be through distortion...

    The question "What Will Become of the Faux-Vintage Photo?" saddens me a little: digital photography lacks the permanence of the physical photograph. What if 100 years from now the way of reading media is radically different, and simply viewing these photos we all take so liberally (the nature of digital photography) becomes a technological challenge?

    No one will be finding "old pictures" in mysterious trunks in the attic... If anything, they'll find old broken down hard-drives.

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