Chasing the Perfect Light

Healing Power

There is an understanding of Instagram that goes beyond the daily vintage-y looking lunch snapshot or the obligatory bathroom selfie. There is a community of Instagramers that wakes up at 5am to catch the perfect sunrise, drives for 3 hours out to capture the most amazing waves and climbs steep rocks to get this one perfect picture of the day.

5pm… I'm at The Mill in San Francisco - some would call it hipster central, but I like to think of it as a spacious, light-filled place with simple white and wood interior filled with a bewitching coffee scent. Already sitting at my favorite round marble table next to the window, I'm waiting for Brock , Ted & Luke , three of my favorite Instagramers, to join me for a cup of pour-over coffee and some Instagram talk.

Since Instagram hit the app store 4 years ago lots has changed in the social media world. Not only that Instagram became the fastest growing community, a tool to communicate and share visually - with a filter on it - snippets of your everyday life with your friends and strangers alike, but also a way to express yourself, to define your passion and evolve your creativity. And most of all Instagram became a place where strangers became friends.

While Brock and Luke are ordering their Americano I see Ted talking to a guy I know from somewhere. I remember that it's Sam from Instagram. I follow him, but I don't know him personally. He is actually on his way home, but being an Instagramer with heart and soul too, Sam joins our coffee talk.

I want to know everything. Why are they getting up so early? What drives them? Why did they sign up with Instagram? What do they expect of it? Where does their inspiration come from? Is it passion or addiction? Are likes and followers important? And have any opportunities come across in terms of changing their career paths or making money?

For all of them, in the beginning Instagram was a fun new app to try out. No expectations, just some fun filters to make your food look good. And while Luke signed up to stay in touch with his friends back in LA and share his San Francisco adventures, Brock rediscovered his true passion for photography through Instagram.

He remembers: » Back in high school I took photography classes. I wanted to be a photographer in art school, but my teacher told me you are not going to make any money, don't do it.

So I ended up not doing it. It was just a hobby, but Instagram brought me back and is helping me make it into a career. Even if I'm maybe not making much money yet, the feedback I'm getting and the progress I'm making everyday are best motivation to keep on pursuing my dream.«

10.000-digits likes require a little bit more creativity then a simple picture of pastel sunset sky. No exception, we all grin when our pictures hit 100 likes or more, and every new follower makes us a little bit more happy. But for guys like Sam, Brock, Ted and Luke, sharing a picture is about more than getting likes. It's about the excitement of creating something. A vision they have in mind long before they release the shutter.

It's exciting! I would drive two hours out and hike one hour to get to a certain spot, with the right kind of lighting, in order to get the most epic shot I could get that day. And I post it. And people that don't follow me and do follow me would comment amazing things, they would let me know that they appreciate my work and are excited with me. And on the other hand I love to see other people's amazing work and acknowledge their creativity. It's great.«- Sam, @thesamgraves

A picture is also a message for Ted. He aims to creates moods and feelings, but he also sometimes mirrors his own dreams or even struggles. It's not always easy saying too much and putting yourself out there- pictures can make it easier. »I had this job decision to make. Things were holding me back from doing what I wanted to do. This one particular image was spinning in my mind that I wanted to create to express my emotions and it took me 3 weeks till I finally was able to realize it. After I posted it and got all the responses I made my decision.« - Ted, @eye.c

**Ana's photos of the Mount Davidson Meet Up**

Having dreams to travel the world, but being too young or not having the needed budget yet, Instagram allows us to discover beautiful near and far away places that we might never have seen. We can check on Instagram how the Great Wall of China is looking today or if the Biegarten is too crowded to go get a drink. Luke dreams about going to the Alps one day: »I live in San Francisco, but I have friends who live in Austria and every time they post a picture of the Alps, it makes my day. I feel like I have friends all over the world and they are letting me take part in their lives and see the beauty of the world.

With every picture, they challenge themselves and their creativity. They are pushing themselves to try something new, to learn. And all of them, starting out with their iPhones, learned so much about photography, composition and lighting. A professional photographer has all the gear and help, but with an iPhone you are on your own. »I was using something very simple to create something special.« Brock refers to 12 months ago when he was only shooting with his iPhone. »Finally editing a picture makes your work great. There can be 10 shots of the same tree but everyone has a different edit style and that's what makes it so unique.« - Brock, @mrbrock21

Developing a style takes time. It's a patient process you have to work on. And there is nothing bad about getting inspired by other people. Sure, being a copycat isn't desirable, but studying images of your favorite Instagramer and trying to get a certain look is all right. Go out and look for inspiration, take pictures everyday, make a habit of seeing things from a different perspective, break the rules as there is no right or wrong when it comes to your creativity, because creativity comes before style.

Speaking of inspiration, creativity and getting out there — it’s around 7.15pm and time for us to hit the road to Mount Davidson, where two traveling Instagram superstars are hosting a meet up. It's one of those San Francisco July evenings - it's so foggy you don't see the trees and it's so cold a polar bear would cry. Who would leave the house during such weather? But as we climb the slippery path all the way up to the top, we know who would. We and about forty other passionate Instagramers. There is no sign of sun let alone of a sunset, but nobody cares. Shooting in fog is more challenging, and makes for beautiful moody images. Equipped with all sorts of cameras — iPhones, DSLRs and films — forty people are running around, posing, finding the perfect angle and, most importantly, finding new friends.

**Luke, @thereallukes on Instagram, and some of his photos.**

90% of my friends here in SF are friends that I met on Instagram. Three months ago when I moved to SF and didn't know anybody I reached out to people I was following and I knew we had something in common. Instagram changed my whole social relationships,« Sam tells me while he takes pictures of Sarah. And if I wouldn't know better, I would think they have been friends forever.

That's the great thing about this passionate Instagramer community. Everyone is welcome and people bond over taking pictures and talking about the newest VSCO filter. It's just fulfilling and contagious to be surrounded by so many likeminded, creative folks with similar aesthetics and passions. It's already 8.30pm and I stopped taking pictures because my fingers are stiff with cold, but I managed to exchange my contacts with a gal named Savannah who happens to live only one block from my home. Soon we are having a photo date at 5.45am at Ocean Beach to capture the first morning light.