Lansing in perpetua

Igerslansing uses Instagram to build local connections

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Even if you don’t use Instagram, you are probably familiar with its output. It’s the mobile phone app that is responsible for those square, faux-vintage photos of your friends’ arugula salads that show up in your Facebook newsfeed.

The photo-sharing app claims over 300 million active users posting 70 million photos per day. Users log in to show off their bed-head (using the Beyoncé-inspired hashtag #ijustwokeuplikethis) or to artfully showcase their espresso drinks (#latteart).

But Instagram is more than just selfie-queens and food porn. Even as Instagram’s reach expands globally, users are employing hashtags to connect locally, building friendships and establishing a sense of place. One such hashtag, #igerslansing, began to appear on Instagram in October. This was not a spontaneous appearance, it was a purposeful move by two local Instagram users to rally a community of local photographers.

“People were using #lovelansing, but not in an organized way,” explained Igerslansing co-founder Hannah Feig.

“It’s like a brand,” said Kylie Doebler, Feig’s partner in this endeavor. “We’re promoting our city. We’re trying to find people taking pictures of Lansing that are creative and thoughtful.”

Igerslansing is a name built on a common Instagram formula: a mash-up of Igers, a shortened version of Instagramers, and a location.

“We have seen people in other cities do it successfully,” Feig said. “You can search location-related hashtags and see what places looks like.”

“There was nothing like it in Lansing,” Doebler added. “I talked to Craig Hensel, and he helped us put the idea together.”

Hensel, a former Lansing resident, is a Chicago-based photographer and avid Instagram user whose account boasts over 50,000 followers. He participates in several Chicagoarea Instagram communities, including Chitecture, which focuses on the architectural aspects of the Chicago area.

Igerslansing is a two-pronged effort. The hashtag, #igerslansing, can be used by any Instagram users to give their photos a local tag. Other users can search for the hashtag and discover other photographers in the area.

There is also an Instagram account, under the username Igerslansing, which is run by Feig and Doebler. The pair uses this account to feature local Instagram users, host weekly photography challenges and organize monthly meet-ups.

Feig and Doebler also have personal Instagram accounts, under the usernames Hnuh and Kyliedwardoebler, respectively. For Feig, joining the Instagram community was a natural fit.

“I’ve always liked photography,” Feig said. “When I got my iPhone it was probably the first app I downloaded.”

Mobile photography has exploded, both in terms of quality and number of users. The widespread use of smartphones means that most people have a high-quality digital camera in their pockets.

“I think (photography) is more accessible now,” Feig said. “It takes a certain eye. It doesn’t matter what device you have in your hand.”

“Professionals are using smartphone cameras in certain situations,” Doebler said. “People are more comfortable posing for a smartphone than for a large DSLR camera. It’s less intimidating.”

In 2012, Time magazine took the unprecedented step of turning its Instagram account over to five photographers to cover Hurricane Sandy. A photo by Benjamin Lowy, taken with an iPhone, was used as a cover image for the print version of the magazine.

“It’s cool to see these professionals using smartphones,” said Feig. “It’s inspiring to know that they are doing their work using the same equipment I have.”

Saturday Igerslansing will host its sixth Instameet, an informal meet-up for Lansing-area Instagrammers. Past Instameets have been primarily photo walks, picking a part of the city to explore by walking through it and taking pictures. These photo walks included Old Town, East Lansing and Grand Ledge’s Fitzgerald Park.

This March’s Igerslansing Instameet is timed to coincide with Instagram’s Worldwide Instameet 11. Worldwide Instameets, held every six months, are weekends that Instagram encourages users around the world to organize local meet-ups.

For the Igerslansing version of the event, Feig and Doebler wanted to do something different from the usual photo walk. The duo is preparing an unconventional photo scavenger hunt. Participants will be divided in to teams of three or four, and given a list of ideas or prompts to guide their photo-taking.

“It’s not about finding things, it’s about responding to these ideas,” Doebler explained. “People will be creatively engaging with their teammates to complete the challenge.”

It’s quite likely that teams will include participants who have never met before, at least in a non-digital way.

“Random people will come (to the Instameets),” Feig said. “That’s a big step, to show up somewhere when you don’t know anyone.

Through their Instagram accounts, Feig and Doebler build relationships with other Instagram users even before they come to a meet-up.

“People feel connected to the photos you are posting,” Doebler said.

For Feig, Instagram gives her a window into other people’s lives.

“You can tell a lot about people from their Instagram feed,” she said. “You see the things they see in their life.”

Even in the short time Igerslansing has been active, it has seen significant growth. The Instagram account has almost 500 followers, and a search for the #igerslansing hashtag brings up over 2,500 photos.

“It really exploded,” said Feig.

As for what’s next for the group, Feig and Doebler are planning a series of free mobile photography workshops. The workshops will start with the basics photography and composition, but will also discuss using post-production apps to develop an signature style.

“They will be very hands-on,” said Doebler. “And we will end each workshop with a photo walk for a chance to put those concepts into practice.”

The first workshop will be at MICA Gallery in Old Town April 26 at 2 p.m. Further details will be announced via the Igerslansing Instagram account.

Saturday’s Instameet is free and open to anyone with a smartphone or digital camera. Potential participants should meet at 1 p.m. at the Biggby on Allegan Street in downtown Lansing.

Worldwide Instameet 11

Lansing edition 1 p.m. Satuday, March 21 FREE Biggby Coffee 115 W. Allegan St., Lansing facebook.com/igerslansing instagram.com/igerslansing

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