I attended an Instameet after my curiosity was piqued on seeing a thread of interesting shots on my Instagram feed. It was a new thing and the photos were interesting and different. I turned up to the allocated spot in Nairobi’s CBD, surrounded by about 30 strangers, and we proceeded to wander around the city, stopping whenever we felt so inspired. Although I didn’t take photos myself, I learned a lot from the rest of the group including how to use light to make the photos better, positioning of the models on different backgrounds to make portraits more interesting and poses that bring out the best in a model. By the end of the meet, I had had a great afternoon, learned a lot and also made new friends.
Instameets are global photographic events where Instagram users channel the medium to move from the digital space to the physical space, to meet each other, share photography, advice, and create content to post on their personal Instagram page. Instameeters identify a hashtag to identify and track photos, organizers pick a fixed location or go on a walk, sometimes naming themes to make it more interesting. Instameeters are both amateur and professional photographers, all of them are open to having a new experience with strangers who share a common passion.
The first Instameet in Kenya was in 2012, and several have happened around the country since, gaining in popularity every year. To learn more about Instameets and those who attend I had a chat with a few of the well known Nairobi and Mombasa photographers who have been consistent in organizing Instameets.
Mutua Matheka is a photographer known for having an eye for interesting buildings and the Nairobi skyline. Samir Dave is the general manager, E.A region, for a multinational company, whose love for photography was built through his love for travel. Joe Were is a photographer and musician and Jamila Hassan is the co-founder of Muse digital and writer of the blog ‘Life In Mombasa.’
Mutua, Samir and Joe are part of a community of Nairobi photographers who are arguably responsible for the recent revival of city centric photography. The first Instameet they organized was just a small gathering of like-minded people who wanted to enjoy an afternoon taking photographs. They decided to open it up to the public and have had instameets with over 100 people. Due to their popularity these three photographers organize them as often as possible.
“The popularity of Instameets is because they opened up an avenue for a lot of photographers in Nairobi who were hungry for a forum to get together and shoot and gave them a chance to meet up with their friends whom they only know with an online handle and through comments,” explains Mutua. Amateurs get to hang out and see how the pro photographers they follow online actually get those stunning shots, a chance to demystify how the images they love online are actually captured.
In Mombasa, Instameet organisers, including Jamila, face challenges that belie the casual energy of the instameet. According to Jamila, instameeters are afraid to take pictures in public because of the risk of theft or harassment by security forces. The Nairobi instameet organisers reiterate this issue, stating that it’s a hassle getting permits from the County and Police. Sometimes the challenge is in getting instagram users to understand the concept, as low turnouts are discouraging to the photographers.
“Over the years people have learned that partnering with a brand helps. They usually have their own teams (advertising or social media agencies ) that assist in taking over a lot of the logistics as well as provide incentives to increase numbers,” says Samir. But he cautions that the uniqueness about Instameets is that it’s more about impact than numbers. Instagram, as with most social media sites, are a community building social platform first and foremost.
As I speak to these passionate photographers, each reminds me that they started in this field as a hobby, none of them have received formal training. They all stumbled into it because of the love of showcasing the cities they live in. This seems to be the connecting factor of the people who participate in Instameets. Over the years it has become a space where the photographically inclined meet up and have fun taking pictures of their surroundings and each other. In the process, they get access to the seasoned photographers like Mutua, Joe and Samir on how to improve their skills.
Dorothy Kigen is one such person. She attended an Instameet at Heritage House and ended up being the subject of many of the photos. She says she’s not a photographer but she really enjoyed the whole vibe of the Instameet. The team of organizers ensure a friendly and informative meet up, the mix of participants is diverse and you get to meet many different people from all over the city. And even though her interest is more as a consumer of photo art than a photographer, “ all my selfies use rule of thirds now!” she said.
The popularity of Instameets on a global scale has led to connections throughout Africa and the rest of the world. For example Samir hosted the first Instameet in Kathmandu, Nepal where seven instagrammers from the US, UK and Nepal travelled the city together. The next day, he attended an instameet in Ahmedabad, India, with almost 330 people.
Instameets has created an environment where photography is only about fun and learning, where even amateurs can go and give it a try. According to Joe he is “wary of being called a professional photographer, as it limits the scope for learning and experimenting and growth.” Instameets is the remedy to that — there is no bad picture, just the first shot and a new way to see the city.
To find out more about when the next Instameet will happen follow the @igersnairobi on Instagram which is a page dedicated to highlight different Instagram activities in Nairobi. Also follow these individuals who are part of the Instameets community together with those previously highlighted:
@urbanskript @petersize10 @samdave69 @jaydabliu @the_mentalyst @lafrohemien @reymatata @rootsofafrika @_irungu @truthslinger
