Instagram used to be a great place for photographers. You could browse, discover new work, follow photographers whose images you admired and, every now and then, stumble across something completely unexpected.
These days, it feels rather different. Ads, sponsored links, reels and suggested posts seem to make up almost every other thing in your feed. More and more, the algorithm decides what it thinks you want to see, rather than simply showing you the people you have chosen to follow.
It doesn't quite feel like the photographer-friendly app it once was.
There have been plenty of articles asking the question, “Is Instagram dead?” Perhaps that's a little dramatic, but it's fair to say that the experience has changed, particularly if you're there primarily to share and discover photography.
So, where next?
Some photographers have suggested Twitter as an alternative, but did you know there are two relatively new websites, with apps on the way, aimed specifically at the film photography community?
Grainery and Newgrain are both trying to provide a space for people who shoot film to share their photographs and discover the work of others.
There are a few limitations while they're getting established. Grainery currently allows you to post up to 18 images before requiring a subscription, which costs $3 a month. Newgrain currently has a limit of 12 photos.
They're still developing, but it's interesting to see platforms appearing that put photography, and film photography in particular, back at the centre of the experience.
Perhaps it's time to give them a look.
Check them out: https://grainery.app/ and https://newgrain.app/
