I am not an Instagram heter, but the social app owned by the meta is undergoing a period of change, which has exceeded some people, I have been included. In view of Instagram changes, an app has made some promises from photographers and creatives that are very enticing to ignore. It is called photo, and after months of being in private beta, it is now available to all on Android and iOS.
Here is why you should try it, why do I like it, but also why it scared me seriously.
What are the promises of the photo?
Instagram is no longer about photography. It is about social clouts, videos, reels, influencers, advertisements and – if my hidden DM is anything – scammers selling fake watches. It has developed greatly over time, and lost me when it took “inspiration” from the apps that I do not want to use like Snapchat and Tikok. Even the social aspect where I could quickly connect with friends, have taken a backseat, and the algorithm does not promote them much anymore.
I do not hate it, I do not really use it. But I know that some changes have inspired some more intestinal reactions, especially to switch to a forced 4: 5 aspect ratio, and a hard push for the creative to embrace the video purely for the algorithm. Instagram is a business competing in a packed space, so changes over time are indispensable, and which once had a platform for still, has become something else, which is not for all. This means that apps like Foto have a chance to get disillusioned and romance.
The photo promises to post a “chronological, advertising and un-cut” feed and enjoy photography. This is only for stills, and does not support the video. According to a press release, it is also for those who “give importance to the power of images to divide stories and bridges. Unlike other platforms, Foto does not emphasize the calculation or choice of followers, which reduces the social comparison that comes with traditional social media. ,
How is this?
Foto is very high-Istagram, but what will happen next Instagram, at least for something? By shining most of the characteristics connecting people with any social network, can it engage new people effectively so that they can stick them? Apps like Berell have also tried to do the same, and while it has clearly found its place after 15 minutes of fame many years ago, it has not become “next”, but its own thing. After Twitter’s death and Instagram corruption, I am looking for a new online house. Can I find this photo in this photo?
The app is simple. It is still a vertical scrolling feed of photos, such as to share a count or button, but you can double-tap to add a heart if you see what you see. It takes (well, a screen tap) to see, to see who has posted the photo, and another tap to see the photographer’s profile and a follow button. This is a gallery app, until you go in search of them, with less emphasis on the artist than most social apps. Your personal feed is presented a lot like Instagram, but without any applied formatting.
Foto considers its users like adults
Discovery is interesting. You can find a user name and filter photo by the theme, but cannot find for your interpretation of those keywords. For example, you can filter the results for viewing automotive photography, but not for photos of a specific brand or vehicle. Another striking difference that you notice immediately because you browse, is a more liberal approach to sensorship than Instagram. Photos with nudity become blurred until you tap on them to reveal the entire image. This gives a lot of creative freedom to portrait and beauty photographers, and I think it shows that Foto behaves its users like adults.
Who uses Foto, and why?
Foto is still a very young platform, so who is already using it, and how do they rate the experience? I asked Wildlife and Nature photographer Lindon Chalance, who shows its impressive portfolio of work on both Foto and Instagram about it.
“I have been photography for two years. I am still in a hurry to my journey but photography calms my soul. This is a passion and hobby for now, but perhaps it will be more, ”they told me by email.
“I like the app is simple compared to Instagram,” he continued, “and love that (feed) is a chronological. I don’t feel like my exposure and rely on an algorithm, and that for photography and stills. When I realized that I was not forced into a vertical crop, I backfluted.”
But what about the community, and how do people join compared to Instagram?
“The engagement is different, it is more photography based,” Llanes said. “I have also seen that people read photo details, while no one reads them on Instagram. People want to read the story behind the photo, and I dig it. ,
Llanes say that their intention is to build a community on Foto, but now it will continue to post both IT and Instagram for it, saying that Instagram at this time discovers and follows compared to Foto. Interestingly, they say that their top platform for redit engagement is.
Scare
I am searching for Foto for about a week, but at this time only shared two of my photos. Why so low? There are two primary reasons. First it comes from thinking that here-and now there is only one thing that matters. If I took a photo last year, I will not consider sharing it today, because most of the social media is inspired by this. This momentAnd very little cares about the past. The photo is not like this, and it will take some time for my brain to get out of that habit.
The second reason is to intimidate. Not from any person or community, but because of the work that is being posted. This is almost all luxurious, and clearly it is the work of those who take pictures for a living or have very talented amateurs. I don’t think I also fall in the second category, and Know I am definitely not the first. Even the pictures I am making the most happy, they look like a child’s work, which looks on the shutter button on my first camera and looks on the photo.
This means that I do not think that I can post, say, a cat photo. Or rather, I Be able to Post a Cat photo, but it will be completely stunning, fully made, brilliantly lit and finely edited cat photo. Again, I know that this feeling is also an overflow from other social media apps, where everything is to look “right”, and this is not really the case. I am an adult and do not require constant confirmation from online strangers, but at the same time I do not want to contribute anywhere, I think I feel like a little imposter.
An app for all?
I like a quiet, less intense environment in the photo than in Instagram, where I can consider and check photos. I also appreciate the opportunity to make it an individual portfolio, in such a way that Instagram was once, and the complete lack of video was moving around to distract me. Foto’s advertising promise means that if you want advanced features or want to support the team, a membership is attached, but the free tier seems to be perfectly usable.
The photo co-founder Mitchell Howard said in an initial interview that he did not want the photo to be “photographer’s water coole”, and it was designed as an app for all. He admitted that early adopting would probably be photographers, and this is definitely the case. But perhaps my (and your) cat photos are necessary to bring casual photo enthusiasts on the ship?
I am going to stick all around, and if you are disillusioned with infection in Instagram and Twitter X, as I have, you may want to make an effort. I’ll see you there.
