Instagram is seemingly the perfect platform for photographers, with it being one of the few platforms where photos are set as the focus. As you may expect, this gives photographers a few key advantages that were not available to them before Instagram’s inception; but that’s not to say there aren’t any negatives.
In fact, after digesting all of the knowledge we give you in this article, you may even come to find that Instagram has done more harm than good when it comes to amateur photographers who are seeking a career. Let’s dive right into it and take a look at whether or not Instagram has helped photographers make a career.
Having An Online Portfolio Is Incredibly Beneficial
One of the most glaring obvious advantages that Instagram gives to prospective photographers is that of acting as an online portfolio. Having your full portfolio on display for the whole world to see can be incredibly beneficial if you are looking to make it in the photography business, and many photographers have got their start from doing just this alone.
Promoting your photos through Instagram is absolutely free and takes mere minutes, and the potential returns you could see from your efforts are truly unfathomable. Not only does Instagram allow you to amass a following because of your incredible photography, but it can also serve as a way for potential employers to scout you out, and these two factors combined make Instagram a must-have for anyone looking to get into the photography business.
In fact, with the help of technology like that which creates an Instagram photo book, your online portfolio could also double as an in-person portfolio, with it opening up the possibility of you being able to take all your photos from Instagram and convert them into a real-world photo display – it’s just that easy.
Instagram can be incredibly useful, and when looked at in this light, it has undoubtedly helped innumerable photographers make a career because of its multiple benefits.
Higher Competition
It has to be said: Instagram isn’t perfect. While it certainly has its benefits, it also has its fair share of drawbacks, with heightened competition being chief among them. Everyone nowadays fancies themselves as a professional photographer, and even the average account is likely going to feature a few photos that could easily be housed in an up-and-coming photographer’s portfolio.
This means that getting into the industry has been made much harder as a direct result of this, and in reality, any positives that Instagram does bring are likely going to be negated by the overwhelming increase in competition.
To bring things back full circle; Instagram has had a massive impact on amateur photographers, and it has given many people an avenue to go down to achieve their dreams. However, that’s not to say that Instagram has allowed more photographers to make a career.
In fact, the exact opposite is likely the case, with Instagram creating more competition than ever before. Do with this information what you will, but if you are looking to become an amateur photographer, relying on Instagram alone is not likely to suffice. Good luck.