The Evolution of Instagram Photography

(All photos featured in the gallery above are taken from Instagram accounts that are open to the public.)

Instagram is thought by many to have the most beautiful photo libraries on social media, but do you know how its photography evolved?

On October 6, 2010, Instagram was officially launched by co-creators Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger. It was created in San Francisco with the initial name of Burbn, which was a simple app used to track a person’s location. The app was later named Instagram, using the portmanteau of “instant camera” and “telegram.”  Today, it is the most famous photo-sharing social media platform in the world.

2010

This was a year for nothing but celebration, because Instagram producers launched their app and iPhone 4s were flooding with pictures in the vintage EarlyBird filter. Even on a small platform and a tiny layout, Instagram was immediately accepted as one of the best photo-sharing apps that could be downloaded in the App Store. Pictures had rounded corner borders or black borders, and the app format was box-like and square.

2011

With the rapid increase of clients, Instagram became a place where simple pictures could be modified and personalized. Users could create an online photo gallery that documented their daily events. While on the journey to further success, Instagram launched Weekend Hashtag Project, a perfect way for Instagram photographers to connect to a broader audience through the shoutout posted by Instagram’s main page.

2012

FACEBOOK HAS CONQUERED. Just after two years of flourishing success and being known as the Number 1 photo-sharing app on the iPhone, Instagram was sold for 1 billion dollars in stock and cash to Facebook. Explore, a way for users to discover other accounts based on the photos they like, the people they follow, and the content they engage in, was introduced in 2012 as a tool for social interaction between Instagrammers. Soon, Instagram became a society that connected people through the beauty of photography.

2013

Tag photos, Instagram videos, Instagram direct… many new features rolled out during 2013. But what people most tend to remember from that year is the most “liked” Instagram photo of the year: the perfect duo of Will Smith and Justin Bieber in a simple snapshot. With celebrities including Rihanna, Zendaya, Kim Kardashian and others joining this colorful utopia of social media, fans began to start their own accounts on Instagram (increasing the user count by millions per year). Reasons for this included 1. users’ bursting curiosity about these celebrities’ enviable lives, 2. the opportunity of beginning fan accounts, 3. the intriguing beauty of emerging “Instagram photography”, 4. wanting a media source to display personal photographs online, and 5. the buildup of a new industry, a new business.

2014

From the revelation of Creepy Paddington Bear to the comic writers killing off Archie Andrews, 2014 couldn’t be off to a worse start. As  cute-and-cuddly started to become a theme that was found through social media, dog-lover and dog-inspired National Geographic photographer Theron Humphrey started gaining fame for his Instagram posts, which all featured his dog Maddie. “Let your dog inspire the shot,” was one of his most simple yet effective quotes, and his page was filled with every aspect of his dog in nearly every possible situation. (see his shot of Maddie in the 2014 section of the slideshow!)

2015

As ISIS attacked three continents and basically made a name for itself in the world, 2015 was a year filled with terror, panic, and deep-rooted, emotional photography on Instagram. Aspiring photographer Devin Allen shot an Instagram photo that made the cover of Time Magazine. The shot was of the Baltimore uprising/protests against Freddie Gray’s death. With black-and-white features and a perfect capture of a man running from a group of policemen, Devin Allen created life inside his photography. Inspired by this, many other Instagram photographers started doing the same.

2016

Compositing, lighting, editing… even the sharpening tool makes Instagram posts from 2016 look like what we’d call “Modern Photography.” When people think Instagram, they think bright colors on a featured landscape, polished leather boots on the streets of European paradise, and photography that has never been more mind-blowing. As Instagram continues to upgrade and evolve, more young adults have started to meddle with their photography, creating pages that are both beautiful and lively.

2017

Everything that is a part of Instagram now was Instagram a year ago. From Instagram Stories, a feature that has surpassed the use of Snapchat, to Instagram Live, a perfect way for fans to connect with their favorite celebrities, this bubbling and wonderland-like social media platform took their photography to the next level. Having access to Photoshop and Lightroom, photos are transformed into insane symmetrical illusions and tones that can be filtered and developed.

2018

“The artist sees what others only catch a glimpse of,” said Leonardo Da Vinci, the spirit behind the eighth wonder that is Mona Lisa. Since modern technology replaced traditional paintings, artists have taken on a new name, becoming what we now know as digital editors. As editors spend tons of times behind their computers tapping on Adobe, their results always appear to be the most fascinating when uploaded to Instagram. With politic-inflated Twitter, China communicator WeChat, the close-knit society of Facebook, the selfie-and-lifestyle-recorder Snapchat, and the modern art gallery Instagram, 2018 has been both the battle of different social media platforms as well as the stepping stone to a new era.

2019… and Beyond

Instagram photography has changed along with the world. Photography itself developed from simple snapshots that were blurry and unfocused to high-quality edits that could capture the mood of any moment. But the message of Instagram remains the same through the years: creators Kevin Systrom and Mike Kreiger want people to record memories and interact with the world through their photographic expression.

As 2018 comes to a close, 2019 is just around the corner. Photography has evolved and will continue to evolve through the future. But in order for this to be set into motion, people will have to take that first step and pick up the camera, foresee the perfect shot, and then snap…

For more information, visit DigitalPhotographySchool.com, Mashable.com, Fortune.com,Wersm.com, CatchUpdates.com, Time.com, RewindAndCapture.com, Inc.com, Medium.com, BusinessInsider.com, NYTimes.com, HopperHq.com, Dealbrook.NYTimes.com, DigitalPhotographySchool.com, and Lohud.com, HuffingtonPost.com