Instagram Isn’t Great for Photographs

It’s a bit ironic: Instagram was built around photography, yet it’s not a very good place to look at photographs.

Over the years, the platform has shifted its focus from still images to short videos, stories, and endless reels. Photos are compressed, cropped, and squeezed into a format that rarely does them justice. The experience is fast, noisy, and driven by algorithms that reward attention rather than appreciation.

As photographers, we spend time thinking about light, composition, and meaning — the subtle details that can’t always compete with the quick, eye-catching visuals that fill a feed. A photo that invites reflection might get lost in the scroll, while something loud and flashy gets all the likes.

Many of us have started to look elsewhere. Some have built their own websites; others share their work on more photography-centered platforms like Flickr, Glass, 500px, or Foto App. These places may not have the same reach as Instagram, but they offer something more important: space to breathe, to look, and to connect with others who care about the craft of photography.

That’s also why I keep my own website — a quieter corner where I can show my work as I intended it, without compression or distraction.

If you have your own website or gallery outside of Instagram, please share it — I’d love to explore your photography and discover new work beyond the algorithm.

Photography deserves time, attention, and real connection — things that don’t always fit inside an app.