5 Instagram Accounts to Subscribe if You Love Photo
Whether you're passionate about photography as a photographer or prefer to be a spectator, whether you capture moments with your phone or simply scroll through Instagram feeds, great photos always carry a charge of inspiration and help us see the world differently, undoubtedly enriching our lives.
Top photographers emphasize the exceptional importance of honing one's vision in their educational courses. They call it "visual literacy." Consistent consumption of a sufficient amount of high-quality visual information not only enhances your own shots but also deepens their quality.
With millions of Instagram users offering a vast stream of visual information, it's challenging to find what truly inspires us. Today, we present to you 5 Instagram accounts that are worth your attention and capable of intriguing, inspiring, and expanding your horizons.
Fashion
Ellen von Unwerth (Instagram: ellenvonunwerth)
Source: ellenvonunwerth
"I was a model, so I understand perfectly what I can demand from models in a shot," says the famous German photographer Ellen von Unwerth.
Indeed, each of her photos unleashes a powerful explosion of intense emotions, intertwining acrobatic poses and such unusual and incredible events that it's impossible to look away until you roughly decipher what the participants of the scene are doing.
For three years after finishing school, Ellen von Unwerth worked as an assistant to a magician in the circus, and the spectacle that unfolded in the arena left a lasting impression on her eyes. Now she directs her own circus acts, which become increasingly insane with each shot.
When Ellen turned twenty, a passing photographer saw a sharp-angled blonde with an unusual appearance on the street and asked if she had ever considered a modeling career. That marked the beginning of her modeling life. However, modeling weighed on Ellen - there was too little freedom in a model's life. One day, a boyfriend in Kenya handed her a camera and suggested taking spontaneous shots of her fellow models. When the photos were published, Ellen realized that she had found her path in life.
Since then, she has photographed for the most famous brands and the world's best glossies. The hallmark of her style is harsh light, which, like in the circus arena, hits the models in the face and pulls them out of the darkness with bright flashes - reminiscent of the style of her fellow countryman Ellen - Helmut Newton. In addition to photography, Ellen von Unwerth has directed a series of memorable music videos for the world's biggest music stars.
Reportage
Steve McCurry (Instagram: stevemccurryofficial)
Source: stevemccurryofficial
A color genius, one of the world's most renowned documentary photographers, the author of the best National Geographic cover in the history of the publication, Steve McCurry, at 73, is still in top form and regularly delights viewers with new works.
The photographer first gained fame for documenting armed conflicts when McCurry crossed the Afghan-Pakistani border in rebel-controlled areas, disguised in local attire. He sewed rolls of film directly into it.
Source: stevemccurryofficial
From war photography, McCurry transitioned over time to traveling to remote regions of the planet and photographing exotic cultures. However, he did not forget the responsibility of a talented individual to humanity, often opening the eyes of residents of prosperous countries to the poverty of certain regions and environmental issues.
McCurry's main secret is his incredible mastery of color. He is so good at it that the world's largest film manufacturer - American Kodak, when discontinuing production of its famous Kodachrome slide film, handed the last roll to Steve McCurry, who shot these 36 frames, traveling around half the world with a National Geographic film crew.
Art Photography
Alex Stoddard (Instagram: alexbstoddard)
Source: alexbstoddard
Few, even among top photographers, can boast of becoming truly iconic and creating a whole genre in photography by the age of 16. Alex devised the perfect means of self-expression for an introverted teenager: capturing extraordinary, meaningful self-portraits. All he needed was a mirrorless camera with a 50mm lens, a remote control, a tripod, a plethora of cool ideas, and adept Photoshop skills.
Impressed by Alex's work, teenagers worldwide delved into photography, forming a global club. The movement gifted the world hundreds of beautiful works, many of which were acquired by the finest contemporary art museums.
The boom lasted about five years, then waned. Many abandoned photography, but a few club members, including Alex, became successful and renowned commercial photographers, in demand by major businesses and art galleries.
Street Photography
Fredrik Axling (Instagram: fredrik.axling)
Source: fredrik.axling
Street photographers are the most mysterious creatures in the world of photography. They have no clients or goals - they only have a path. What drives these obsessives who roam the streets for days, hunting for the perfect shot?
The understanding that street photography is true art came to the public relatively late. This genre became possible only with the advent of compact cameras, pioneered by the legendary Leica. The first titan of street photography is rightly considered the great French genius Henri Cartier-Bresson, who founded the legendary Magnum photo agency. The agency's dream was to become the coolest documentary photographers on the planet. A significant part of each member's portfolio in the agency's photo bank consists of street photos.
What distinguishes reportage from street photography? Reportage is the coverage of a specific event or the revelation of a certain theme through photography. Street photography, on the other hand, is a spontaneous reaction to what is happening around, where the photographer does not seek a specific theme but hunts for moments of divine harmony. The space, light, and movements of people in the frame merge into a unified, ideal composition, dubbed by Henri Cartier-Bresson as the "decisive moment."
Reportage is shot for newspapers, magazines, news blogs, anthologies, and presentations. Street photography is captured because a true photographer is always alert and cannot miss the visual gifts the universe presents. From the perspective of the photographic craft, engaging in street photography is the perfect exercise for compositional thinking and quick reaction, essential for a photographer working in almost any genre.
In Fredrik Axling's photos, we witness the pulsation of cities and the poetry of spaces. The photographer manages to convey the feelings of people he walks with on these streets - their lives, hidden from inattentive passersby, suddenly come to the forefront through the attentive photographer's efforts. And in these people, we recognize ourselves, our friends, and loved ones. We look at our lives from the outside and see in ordinary everyday life the evident signs of a divine plan.
Art Photographs Shot on Film
Oleg Oprisco (Instagram: oprisco)
Source: oprisco
Why did a real boom of film photography happen in the digital age? Shooting on film is difficult and expensive, everything can easily go wrong because you can't see the result immediately, and film cameras have to be sought in flea markets because almost no manufacturer in the world produces them anymore. Several reasons contribute to the popularity of film, and many of them are consequences of the listed drawbacks. Shooting is difficult - the taste of victory is even sweeter if successful. Expensive - you approach each shutter click more responsibly. Easy to mess up everything - a risk to the liking of true adrenaline junkies.
Add to this the unique film color. Few know that when planning to release color film to the public, art historians and color specialists participated in its creation. Therefore, the color rendition of good color film is genuinely artistic and practically does not require further processing. The color rendition of modern digital cameras, on the other hand, is excessively realistic, completely killing the artistry of the shots.
Source: oprisco
Ukrainian photographer Oleg Oprisco is among the world's best film photographers and doesn't seek easy ways. Unlike many other film enthusiasts, he skillfully uses film colors, but through post-processing, transforms his photos into phantasmagorical paintings. They seem like illustrations for science fiction novels, fairy tales, or postmodernist books. Each work carries numerous layers of meaning that one wants to read and decipher. This is why it's practically impossible to remain indifferent to Oleg's photographs.