Oh how Instagram has changed throughout the years!
What used to be a photo diary has became like a gallery instead. Gone are the days I can look back at my feed and remember "good times". I'm not complaining, it is still a joy browsing through Instagram and definitely a great platform which has helped a lot of pretty girls and photographers get noticed! However it saddens me that it isn't as "personal" as it used to be anymore. Well, to many it still is but to many "bloggers" it's not. Especially since many of us are making money from doing ads. Instagram has became our portfolio. I'm one of them, even though my pictures aren't impressive. You can really tell it's not as personal as before anymore. It's getting more fake as time goes by. I know.....
I feel pressured to take good pictures and many times I have to think if a picture is worthy enough to go up on my feed. Sometimes I even have to choose a slightly more expensive place to dine at for lunch or dinner just so I can snap a nice food picture to post. I do have lazy days where I'm like "aiyah whatever la I will just post whatever I want!" Then a few days later regret and take it down. Lol. In the past it was really like, hey let's take a pic, then add a filter then post. Now must QC like F! Oh and also find the correct time to post. Which means saving the pictures In my album and posting it at the "right" time. It's not "real time" for most bloggers anymore. Many times I take a picture on like thur afternoon and reserve it for like say Sunday morning and have to act and say something like "It's a happy morning, have a great Sunday!" Just so I can post it on Sunday when views will be the highest. Even though the pic wasn't even taken on a Sunday and I could've been having the worst hungover morning ever. Lol. AH THERE OUR BLOGGERS SECRET IS OUT! Haha. And some more must make sure it is sharp enough and bright enough. Most bloggers don't even shoot from the iPhone anymore! Almost every blogger has upgraded to a DSLR or at least a semi pro camera (but still not good enough unless you have a good lens).
Many people call themselves bloggers now because of the popularity they gained from Instagram. Which means clients can choose from more people to advertise with which means people like me will lose clients if I don't keep up and my numbers don't go up. It's like you take nice pictures, you can be popular already and can start taking ads and making money. Honestly though, there are a lot of "bloggers" in Singapore who have over 10k followers but a lot of them I hardly remember or know much about besides the fact they "take nice pictures". I'm not saying all bloggers have to display all their private stuff online to be known also la. Being a little more real and personal (slightly candid?) would be nice. Seriously, i don't know what they do or anything about them. Their lives are SO PERFECT it's like a fairytale, it's so unreal. Every ad that they get, it would be full of praises and nothing negative. Then it starts to get fake...because it's too perfect. You know what I mean?
Last time when you ask why a certain blogger is so popular, there'll be an answer, maybe a scandal, or something! Haha. Now it's mostly "because her photos are nice". Wait, actually a great photographer is all one needs to be popular to help them take good pictures. Also they need a good eye also la but got eye but no photographer also no use. Sometimes I feel that the photographer most "bo hua"...doubt the photographer makes as much money as the blogger despite the fact the photographer took all the Chio shots to make the blogger popular.
I'm SO fickle though...I just can't make up my mind on how I want my feed to look like. First I wanted it to be all colorful and happening...then glowy and all pretty (like those TR girls - cus of the casio camera effect lol)...then all white and bright...walao I just can't make up my mind! It's damn hard to keep up with it! How do people do it sooo well!!! Haha. So well, I decided on a style recently and I HOPE I'll stick to it. Let's see how I do in a month...watch my Instagram feed @ohsofickle haha
And again, why can't I just be me you ask? Why must I change? Well, it's just so difficult to "be myself" because of the pressure to improve so I won't be behind everyone around me in the industry. If everyone's followers are increasing rapidly because of their great pictures, if I don't step up my game, I'm just going to fall. My rice bowl is going to get taken away. If I really refuse to upgrade myself and change and insist I have to "be myself" and continue taking random pictures from my phone then good luck to me man. That's just what I feel la. If everyone's pics are so nice and clear, then mine is all grainy and dark, people would say I don't put effort in my work blahblah.
Again, this is my blog and I like to just say what I feel so yeah. TOTALLY RANDOM POST. I just do such posts to let the world hear how I feel and if you feel it has became very pretentious, I also feel it too! But well, that's how it is. And it will still continue to be even after I publish this post but at least you know you're not the only one feeling this way about the industry.