Instagram just celebrated four years since launching in the app store bringing inspiration and encouragement to many creatives in that time, especially photographers. If you were not aware, each weekend they host something called the Weekend Hashtag Project or WHP for short, choosing a specific topic for followers to shoot within that theme all for a chance to be featured that next Monday on their blog and to be seen by millions of viewers.
Using Instagram to its fullest the last couple years I have been able to build a following, with a little help from Instagram, of over 25,000 people from around the world. I began my photography essentially from this app and its what drove me to buying my first DSLR. Eventually as I graduated to more professional shoots I found photography as my creative outlet away from my full time design work. It was just a bonus my creative outlet also made me money. Though, what was keeping me inspired all this time and kept me from avoiding creative block? It was continuing to find others that inspired me and kept challenging me to do better.
One simple way of doing that was to check out Instagram Blog a few times a week to check in on features of individuals from around the world that were using the app in new and interesting ways. Highlighting a nature enthusiast to a staff photographer for the San Francisco Giants who are currently in the World Series. You can find a vast variety of creatives from around the world here to learn from and interact with via the app.
Enter the Weekend Hashtag Project that has helped me find even more inspiring accounts to follow and people to connect with around the world. Each Friday before the weekend Instagram posts a new themed challenge for people to hashtag and then they pick a list of winners to be featured on Monday morning. I can't count how many I have participated in but its been a great creative outlet to challenge myself each week while already out shooting.
Below are some example images for this weeks project titled Alter Ego.
Be sure to check this weeks WHP on their blog which was just announced as #WHPalterego.
[via Instagram Blog]
