by Glen Mitku
During the day, Mark Lefler, 24, works as a waiter. But evenings and weekends, he’s out on the streets of New York shooting photos with his IPhone 7 and Nikon D5100.
Some of his favorite subjects are landscapes, street photography, and portraits. He posts the images on Instagram, where he has built up a large following that numbers 2150 followers.
Lefler is a perfect example of an amateur photographer whose life was changed by Instagram because inspired him to take pictures and create art on Instagram, a platform that launched in October 2010 and has gained a tremendous popularity in recent years. According to Instagram, as of July 2016 the service has an average of 500 million active users monthly, making Instagram one of the most successful social networks worldwide.
Lefler started off without any knowledge of photography, but was able to inspire others and learn a beautiful art form like photography.
Sheila Haya, a professional Photographer and Blogger, says that at the time when Instagram was launched nobody knew the potential of this app.
“When instagram first came out, I don’t think that people realized how important, and how much of a revolution would become for photographers” says Sheila Haya.
Today, everyone knows of Instagram, it is almost like a definition of photography, and for many photographers from around the world Instagram is great opportunity to share their art.
Lefler, is an amateur photographer from Brooklyn whose life was truly affected by the Instagram trend. Lefler started using Instagram about 4 years ago, and since then his life changed completely according to him.
“I created a profile on Instagram about 4 years ago, yeah since then I use it every single day, I feel it changed my life completely” said Lefler.
According to Lefler Instagram is what brought him into photography. He had no interest in taking pictures or learn any skill in photography before he started using Instagram.
“See before Instagram I didn’t know anything about photography as an art, I mean I took a lot of selfies with my phone, but I didn’t care much, you know” said Lefler.
It is important to say that Lefler grew up in Brooklyn Heights which is an area filled with beautiful views and classic architecture. This is one of the main factors that inspired Lefler to create art through photography. So, Lefler found out that instagram was a perfect opportunity for him to showcase his work.
“Instagram is a great way to share your pictures with the world, and let people know what you shoot on a regular basis.” replied Mark Lefler.
Lefler believes that it’s not easy to learn advanced skills in photography, especially for amateurs. This is another great thing about Instagram, since the new Instagram update with “Instagram Stories” people can look at little clips and tutorials of how to edit a photo according to him.
“You know everyone learns from someone else. I don’t think the best photographers were born great. I feel like you need somebody to learn from, and this is how I learned too. I look at other photographers pictures, and I created my own style” said Lefler.
This is one of the good things of Instagram according to Lefler. Instagram not only inspired him to learn from other photographers, but also helps him learn new editing skills, and improve every day as a photographer.
Lefler admits that he likes to shoot mostly landscapes, or streets with beautiful backgrounds. He follows a lot of photographers on Instagram, and this is what inspired him to shoot mostly in Brooklyn and in the city.
“I follow a lot of pages and photographers on Instagram. These are the guys that inspire me when it comes to my shooting selection to be honest. I look at what they do, and I want to do it too. So I mostly take pictures of Bridges, streets, and urban stuff”.
Thanks to Instagram as an artistic platform, Lefler started doing also some professional work as a photographer. Mainly non professional actors, and aspiring models approach him to take pictures of them.
“A lot of students-actors ask me for headshots, so they can post it on backstage. Models too, yeah they DM me, and ask me to shoot with them. You know i don’t get that much money, but it’s okay for now”.
Many amateur photographers like Lefler started posting on Instagram as a hobby at first, and through the years it lead them to become semi-professionals, and get paid as photographers.
Lefler has been able to build a great following base with over 2000 followers in 4 years, throughout his constant work as a photographer and careful use of #hashtags and location markers.
Professional photographer and visual artist Syed Hussain agrees with Lefler and believes that followers are everything. Hussain insist that is very important to listen to the followers, and get new ideas every time.
“You know, sometimes the audience is your best friend, and they really inspire me, yeah they really do. Through their comments, and new suggestions. This is how you get more followers” said Syed Hussain.
Instagram has inspired and changed the life of many photographers like Lefler. When it comes to photography, this app offers so many opportunities for people who want to share their art, inspire and connect with the world.
Because in the end we have to remember that, “The whole world is an Instagram nowadays”.