Monday, September 21, 2015

To Post or Not to Post -- Revisited

by Terri

If you read my post back in June about whether to post DSLR photos to Instagram or just to post photos captured with your phone, you will know that it elicited a pretty big response from people feeling very strongly one way or the other. I have to admit to having been in the “purist” camp, only posting phone photos to Instagram and reserving my DSLR photos for Facebook and Flickr. Well, here is what I found out: 

  •  I was “two-fisted” shooting a lot of the time so I could have iPhone photos as well as DSLR photos of everything I shot. That got old very fast! In fact, the photos of the pomegranates above were taken at the same time, just one with my iPhone and one with my Canon. 
  • Because it is so easy and always handy and with me, I began shooting more and more with my iPhone until I was barely picking up my big girl camera at all.  
  • Since a big part of the fun of Instagram is the community, the sharing of your photos and commenting on those of others, I was tending to shoot only with my phone so that I could have that community activity that I have come to enjoy so much.
  • But some of the joy of photography was gone. I didn’t feel as creative and before long I wasn’t even shooting much with my phone.
When I’m not shooting, I’m not happy so I knew something had to change. And one day I took a photo that I really loved and I wanted to share it – on more than just Flickr. So against all my self-imposed rules, I posted it to Instagram. And it didn’t feel wrong – it felt good! 


So I’ve dusted off my Canon and am shooting a lot more with it than I have in a long time. I also feel a freedom that I never felt before to post my favorite shots to Instagram. I mean, really, so many people are doing just that. Some of the people I admire most on Instagram are shooting and posting photos from their DSLRs.  Why wouldn’t you want to post your best photos? And more times than not, my best photos are created with my DSLR.


If you haven’t done it and have wanted to try but just don’t know how to go about it, Kat Sloma from kateyestudio.com has a wonderful series of tutorials on transferring photos between devices and it helped me to streamline things. It erased that thought that I was having so often: “Oh, it’s so much trouble. I’ll just shoot with my phone.” Yes, it’s a few extra steps but it has gotten me to pull out my big camera again and I’m really enjoying that creative process.



11 comments:

Lisa Clarke said...

Good for you!
I tend to favor the challenge of using my phone (and it is a challenge - my phone camera is exceedingly unimpressive) but I don't sweat it if I want to use my Canon now and then. I just use a #dslr hashtag when I do.

kelly said...

as amazing as our iphones are at taking photos, there really is no comparison to the dslr. I find myself being 'two-fisted' at times as well which is kind of silly when you think about it. it's a wonderful thing that you're using your canon more...both for your own enjoyment and for the rest of us that have the opportunity to see your beautiful photos. xoxo

Dotti said...

I used to be firmly entrenched in the purist category but no more. I use Camera+ to shoot on my iPhone and love it but at the end of the day, I enjoy using my Big Girl Camera more. I look upon my iPhone as my point-and-shoot, to use when a BGC is just too clunky and intimidating. After all, one of the first 'rules' we learn is to share our best work. So, heck, yeah! Let's post our BGC photos to IG. And I love Lisa's idea of using the dslr hashtag.

Unknown said...

I think it's purity shooters choice. I've chosen to post iPhone only except "otherwise noted"-and that's usually the photo off my blog I post to IG to let peeps know I've blogged.

CarolHart said...

Good for you Terri! I started posting pictures from my DSLR over a year ago and as a result I am using my big girl camera more and more, which means I'm also getting better at taking pictures. It's all good!

Lynn said...

Great article! I used to be an iPhone only girl , I even tagged #iphoneonly , then I learned how to use my dslr and it all changed. I don't want to have to post separately to Flickr and IG and I don't even like Flickr anymore. Instagram is the only place I post now besides a private group I belong to. I don't blog so Instagram is pretty much a micro blog of sorts for me, and I like to post my good photos or my iPhone photos there.

Carol said...

I commented this morning, but I guess it never got here. I find this useful for the opposite reason. I didn't really know how to post a dSLR image on IG, other than using a dropbox connection. SO that means that I am also at times "2 fisted", and that my better pics are not usually on IG. However, Ansel Adams said something to the effect that the best camera is the one you have with you, and that's about the size of it! I use IG to communicate and my BGC to take my best art. Having seen the art that some are able to make with their phone though, blows me away. So, always a child of the 60's, I'll just say "whatever turns you on!"

Jeanne said...

Your shots are great and definitely so much more ability to be creative with your shots with your DSLR. At my age, I feel like what ever feels good is fine.....

Anonymous said...

Terri, you couldn't have said it any better! I too get caught up with the ease and availability of my phone for photos! While the newer phones take great photos...it just doesn't compare to the "big girl camera"! I love my canon and not going to waste anymore precious time with the handy dandy phone lol!
Your photos are outstanding, thanks for sharing!

Sarah Huizenga said...

I agree with so much of what you have said here. I wasn't worried about being a purist, the simplicity of the phone was a great convience. This summer though, I have returned to my Canon, and realized how much I missed it. Now I hardly use my phone. Funny, what goes around comes around.

Liz said...

I personally don't use my phone to take photos that I post to Instagram. When I first joined IG, I occasionally did, but for the last 3 years it's basically been entirely DSLR shots. For me, it's a personal preference to post the shots I love and those that tell a story or evoke a certain emotion. Great post!

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