Austin Kramer Photography

BACK ON THE ROAD, BACK ON INSTAGRAM?

Honestly, I never figured out how to stick with Instagram, as anyone can see. But I'm back and going to give it another try. And why not pick up where I left off? Last time I managed to regularly post I was traveling through Nepal's Terai region doing preliminary research for my dissertation. Now a few years and a pandemic later I'm back in the Terai, a little over half way through a year of research and i have a new idea of how I want to use Instagram.

In the past I think I made a mistake with Instagram. I tried to use it as a photographer. I wanted to post my best photos after carefully editing them on my computer, as if I was building an online portfolio. Likes made it worse. It made it seem like I should be posting pictures that would get lots of likes to help build a following. Honestly, I've seen enough of the kind of pictures that get lots of likes, and if I ever take one like that, it's purely by accident.

And Instagram has been changing, leading many photographers to claim it no longer works for photography. But really: it never did. It's not about showcasing a carefully edited portfolio. It's not about getting likes and followers. It's not about photography. It's about stories. I see a thousand stories a day and I want to figure out how the tools Instagram is developing can help me tell them.

So my current plan is to post straight from my phone. No editing. No polishing. No filters. Each photo just as I shot it. And each post won't be a single photo but a collection around a topic, with a longer written story to go with them. And if I'm really on top of things, maybe a reel. These will come together to share with everyone the people, places, problems, and potentials. And my first post will be about Butwal, the gateway to the Himalayas.

This is part of the painted interior of the coffin of Ipi-ha-ishutef (E12072B, on display). The coffin dates to the First Intermediate Period (ca. 2064 BC). One can see two ankhs depicted on the interior in black paint.
Don’t forget to attend the OI gallery talk, on Thursday, September 5 at 12:15 pm, “Artifacts Meet Fantasy - Writing Ancient Egypt into Middle Grade Fiction” and learn how ankhs and other ancient Egyptian artifacts in the OI collection influenced Malayna to craft a middle grade, time-travel series which starts with “Jagger Jones and the Mummy’s Ankh.” For more info see: https://www.facebook.com/events/358461228204865/

Osten Cramer talking about his regular field kit, with Bruno Seraphin, Natasha Raheja, and Natalie Nesvaderani. Bruno's powered gimbal was an especially big hit, as most of us had never used one -- but we have folks working with everything from smartphones to DSLRs and big camcorders, all with the simple goal of getting good photos and video in different conditions.