Since we’ve had to cancel our popular Members’ Night in May because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re organizing a Virtual Members’ Night through Instagram. We are all confined to our homes, except for the occasional trip to the store or a walk in the park. As photographers, we may feel the need to use our camera to express how this pandemic has affected us personally. The natural world can bring hope and solace in this frightening time – a flowering tree, a bird doing its thing, oblivious to the social upheaval he’s living through. Even our pets, or our house plants, or a view from our window can offer a moment of hope and even joy. And, of course, moments of sadness and loss can be conveyed through photography.
Our Virtual Members’ Night will work like this:
1. Post a photo or video on your Instagram account that relates to any aspect of your experience while confined under the stay-at-home rules. Be creative! For those without an Instagram account, see instructions below.
2. In the caption field, say whatever you’d like about the photo, and, also in the caption field, add the hashtag #sierraphotostayshome. You can also add the hashtag to an existing photo on your Instagram account. Add as many other hashtags as you want.
3. Check out other people’s entries by searching the hashtag #sierraphotostayshome. Our Instagram account https://www.instagram.com/sierraphotonyc has more than 1,000 photos re-posted from the accounts of a wide range of friends and followers, and over 300 photographers are followers.
Instagram is a great way to share your work and to discover other photographers. Instagram users can add photos to their account primarily through their smart phones (either iPhone or Android). Any photo on your phone’s photo gallery can be easily shared to Instagram. For beginners, it might be easiest to post photos taken with your phone.
There are more methods to post your photos. If you use a major photo sharing site (such as Flickr), you can share your photo by using the site’s app on your phone. Another option is to use one of the Photo Transfer Apps which will allow you to move photos from your computer to your phone, where they can then be added to Instagram (the App must be downloaded to both your phone and to your computer). Photo Transfer Apps are available from Apple, Google, and other providers.
There are many Websites that will explain how to create an Instagram account. A visual guide can be found here: https://www.wikihow.com/Set-Up-Instagram.
Instagram’s own instructions and FAQs are at: https://help.instagram.com/155940534568753.
For a helpful YouTube video, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Z4AEDyKGdI
You can begin adding your photos anytime and continue as long as the stay-at-home orders stay in effect.
Happy shooting!
–Donald Cannon
While there are no physical meetings scheduled for May or June, keep current on virtual activities through email or our website: https://sierraphotonyc.com.
Sierra Photo NYC 