Somebody Is Showing How Instagram Photos Are All Starting To Look The Same, And It’s Depressing (New Pics)
If you've seen one Instagram photo, you've seen them all. Social media pages about photography are supposed to display the unique perspectives of artists captured through their lenses, but if you follow enough of them, you might observe an odd trend of deja vu photo ideas - and you would be right. 'Insta Repeat' is an Instagram page that documents the repetition of the same landscape photography shots found on the app in side by side compilations. Perhaps this story might feel like deja vu, that's because we introduced 'Insta Repeat' last year. The page now has 303k followers.
Created by an anonymous 27-year-old from Anchorage, Alaska, the filmmaker and artist told Photoshelter that “A purpose of Insta Repeat is to critique originality in media creation through the lens (pun intended) of this one ‘genre’ of Instagram influencer photography accounts.”
Living in Alaska, a vast wilderness where so many 'adventurers' come to take cool photos, she was struck by how the same few places and scenarios kept showing up again and again on her feed of beautiful photoshoot ideas. “I have noticed it in general on a lot of different platforms and media and have been guilty of it myself for sure,” she told Bored Panda. “Artists and creators fall into patterns. But I think that what is happening on Instagram is more extreme.” Scroll down below to see the newest insta repeat photos, and don't forget to upvote your favs!
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Person Centered, Standing In A Rock In A Teal Lake
The World Record of the most liked picture on Instagram goes to a video of an egg cracking itself. Created with the intention of booting Kylie Jenner from the top spot, who had over 50 million likes for a photo of her with Stormi Webster.
A Single, Centered Tent, Lit Up, Captured With A Long Exposure In Front Of The Milky Way
This Place Again
Don't you people watch the news, and hear of people and their insta photo fails?!? I just don't understand the risk!
Facebook and YouTube are the only other platforms that have more people that log on than Instagram. Out of Instagram’s 1 billion monthly active users, more than 500 million of them use the platform every day.
Person Centered In Front Of This Big Rock In This One Cave. Also It Has Come To My Attention That You Aren’t Supposed To Go Here. Respect The Parks
Splashing Drinks Out Of Camp Mugs
Why are millennials always on their phones? They are probably scrolling through Instagram. 71% of Instagram users around the globe are under the age of 35 and the breakdown between women and men is virtually even.
Inspirational Quote
Person Centered In This Ice Cave (The Holy Trinity Of Fabians)
Instagram surpassed Snapchat for the first time in 2018 as the top platform for teenagers. 72% of U.S. teens use Instagram and on the flip side, 35% of online adults use Instagram with 28 percent of them in the U.S.
Watch Pose: “The Reach”
Bridges In The Woods With A Person
Under-25-year-olds use Instagram 32 minutes a day compared to that of people 25 years and older who use it 24 minutes per day. This is more than before thanks to Instagram Stories. This update is another reason the app has managed to surpass Snapchat.
Canoe But With Red
Little Person On Big Abandoned Plane
Feet+back Of Car
Vertical Road Drone
Person Centered On The Beach In Front Of A Big Rock
Centered, Empty, Moody, Wooden Pathways
Films Not Dead
Flashlight Up Again
I like these but I've never seen a flashlight that cast a beam like these. They look more like light sabers.
Wow This Bridge Is So Cool- So Glad I Get To See It From All Angles
This bridge IS so cool! If I went there I would take the exact same photo, but with a dog. If I ever had a dog.
Person Centered And Sitting On Rock Near Lake
Person Centered On A Curly Tree Road
Curvy Roads
Drone Looking Directly Down In Centered Lake
Person In Middle Of Snowy Road
Person Centered Against Full Frame Waterfall
More Of This
Check Your Mirrors!
Feet By The
Person At The Edge Of A Cliff
Person Centered In An Ice Cave
Person Standing Centered At The End Of A Dock
I don't see any problems with this. Most of them are really nice pictures. Very little is original in this world. It's amusing to see just how similar they are, but that doesn't make them any less pretty.
Agree. If I could I would make a set of this pics with me as protagonist i would love it.
Load More Replies...Honestly, what I find even more upsetting than the similarities it's the fact that instagram was supposed to be a way for an average to take a quick photo with their phone, slap a filter on it and post. Instead those pictures are taken by professional photographers using professional equipment, photoshopped into oblivion and then posted with a #livinginthemoment
its nice to take photos and all, but going in a place just to take photos, and spend one hour doing only that, well you lose the point. im sure most of them just forget to have fun or actually notice the scenery around them.
Load More Replies...And it is wrong? Those places are beautiful. If I got the chance to visit them, I'd probably take similar picture too..
As a photographer I can see a great variety of pictures, showing that even in the same place, with the same frame, the vibes and aesthetic can be very different.
Load More Replies...Why is it "depressing"? There are 50 Billion photos on instagram (Not exaggerating) So of course there will be similarities. Also, everyone can see everyone else's photos. Trends pop up more quickly and on a large scale. Also, instagram allows people to monetize their photos with advertisers and so forth; so to a certain point many people are creating a product they already know is popular.... like Renaissance painters... except it's instant.
These are ALL very nice looking photos. Perfectly captured, perfectly set up, perfectly edited ... someone feeling a little jealous because he's never been to these places and doesn't know how to shoot?
How dare people take gorgeous pictures of where they are, the audacity!
I'd like to see the compiler's instagram account. I could probably find 500 photos to match each of hers, too
I'm glad comments aren't that predictable. I'm glad comments aren't that predictable.
How is it depressing that people are making an effort to visit these beautiful places? What's depressing is someone sitting in front of their computer, not doing anything but complaining/writing about those that are out taking these pictures. And to state "If you've seen one you've seen them all." as a reason is asinine. Sure, you've seen a hundred pictures that all look the same, but they have an amazing story....you don't.
It's not easy to be original. After a while, everything repeats itself...Anyway, nice pictures.
I love all of them. And it's awesome to see the same shot in one place.
The thing is there are so many people in this world that we just end up having the same ideas sometimes of what makes a good picture it would look good of course there will be duplicates with anything in life with the population.
Ofcause you notice pattern if you start to look for them. Pictures are EVERYWHERE so it's not that hard to get material for such a study. I have thousands of photos laying around from all over the world, some are indeed very cheesy but many of them are also very personal. My view at the world have changed during my lifetime when I was 10 years old I was proud of my crappy pictures, since I could look back at them and remember what I felt in that moment. Nowdays I rather put my camera down, turn my phone off just to... be. Right where I am. Not constantly thinking about how many people who will spend 0,5 seconds to look at it and think "yeah cool"-LIKE. I rather take a step outside the picture and be a part of what's happening.
Ok, but how else are you supposed to take these pictures? If there is a big boulder in the woods, then naturally you want to take a photo that shows how big the whole boulder is compared to the person standing next to it. If the people were facing the camera and smiling, then OP would probably accuse them of taking "generic tourist photos" or something like that. Should people be doing handstands, splits or jump in the air instead? I feel like this has been done 100 times already as well. OP's complaints are stupid, is what I am saying.
I think it's pretty cool how everyone has a different take about the same location/object. I feel bad about the author from Bored Panda being depressed in seeing how we're all the same yet different in a way. I'm not so worried if others see me as a cliché if that's what it's called. My standards are different from others.
Sounds like the author of this post is a giant hater of traveling and/or doesnt travel much. Most of these are beautiful and dont hurt anyone. The captured places are probably accessible to tourists/travelers from a handful of paths, which means the perspectives dont vary much. Ever thought about that?! And honestly, who the f**k cares? Most of these are aesthetically pleasing to the eye (centre positioned). We can similarly argue about every classical painting of f*****g fruits & vases, or ugly fat lords & ladies!
I really don’t see why this upsets people! Gorgeous photos taken to help with the memories of being there. How many million people are on instagram? How many photos of the same place are there? Most of these photos are of places that I’ll never get to so it’s nice to see others enjoying them.
From a photography point of view, a lot of these look the same because they're from the best angle. People and silhouettes in photos give a sense of scale and interest, I do it all the time. The red clothing/blue landscape is contrasting colours, the snowy roads, wooden pathways etc. look the same because there's not much else you can do to get an in interesting shot there. Same with the plane in Iceland. I see the point of the article, and yeah it pisses me off too, but the examples here do have their defence (apart from the hands reaching, mug spill, holding a leaf, those are all lame as hell)
Instagram IS SO LAME. Go places, take pictures, but why do people think EVERYONE ELSE wants to see them? It's like forcing people to watch your holiday slideshow. It's sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo dumb.
I actually really enjoyed these adventurous photos. I think most were great. The person complaining about it all really needs to lighten up and perhaps go do some travelling themselves
Monkey see, monkey do. Once upon a time, the internet used to be such a creative place. Now everything looks the same, uses the same basic wordpress theme, and the same photos. The internet has become a vanilla, boring and dull place. So sad.
I have no patience for social media, but in this case I think these are fine. I'll save my indignation for the Chernobyl influencers.
We had the exact same topic about a year ago here on BP. Also, if you'd all compare the photo albums of your grandparents, you'd all find the very same pics of the Eiffel tower, the Tower Bridge, the Space Needle, Uluru and all the other "most desirable places to photograph" back then.
https://www.boredpanda.com/social-media-instagram-identical-photos/?cexp_id=11463&cexp_var=9&_f=featured&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=none&utm_campaign=direct&fbclid=IwAR2-GgnvwcRE74BnABVsWeQuwkeDfG8gbhsXvsIMgyOvdXbW6obb3ucIA8I
I don't really see anything depressing about these. Millions of duck-faces, butts, boobs, and snapchat puppy filtered selfies that all look the same - that's depressing for real.
A lot of the top comments have more upvotes than the compilations themselves.
I kind of hate this post. Let people enjoy things. Sure they can't be all original, but hopefully they're enjoying the experience
Mostly, the subject is too small to recognize in these photos. If you put the person only 3 ft from the camera and shoot the background over their shoulder, makes a better shot. Rocks, water, sky doesn't change but the person will. Want GREAT framing? Study a Spielburg film, stop a frame -- notice the subject is NOT in the center and makes a dramatic shot. Small changes in the taking of a photo can make your pix more professional looking. Since you are not wasting film, try something different.
This is an incredibly stupid post — you may as well critique the correct exposure and framing of photos, there is such a thing as an accepted methodology in a given discipline like photography. The problem arises from the overproduction and trivialization of media content through mass exposure. There are a lot of people in the world and only a finite number of places to visit and generally acceptable ways to take a photo. Are these avantgarde? Of course not, but does that make them problematic? Only in the way they characterize overproduction of media.
If I consider how many photographers there could be each posting how many hundreds of photos every day, I hardly find it noteworthy that there are 30 types of photos that have 12 versions. I mean, that's only 360 photos. The key phrase in this article is "if you follow enough of them". I want to see whether there are significant percentages to call it a pattern.
Blame the square format. These are the nicest compositions you can have with the square format. Honestly, I enjoyed all of them.Would have loved to shoot all of them. With a dog. That's a dream.
Who cares if they're similar? If I saw someone post a lake picture and thought, "hmm, that's beautiful, maybe I could do that," why is that so wrong? F**k, that might be the thing that inspires me to keep going and find my own creative self. Jeez, let people enjoy things.
I would like the photos better if there wasn't a person standing in the middle of them.
Recently wpoke to a couple of packpackers down here in Australia. Was giving them a few "cool spots" to go see. Was pretty shocked when they said they was only doing "the famouse" places. Based on seeing where others on the internet have been. How sad, no wonder photos are getting repetative, boring and lacking originality.
Calling it a cliche - but took the time to find, collage and post all those photos......if they are such a bother and go out and shoot better, just a thought.
Personally I think the person who created this post is jealous because he/she couldn't go to all these magnificent places and capture an incredible moment that will last forever. For us looking at the comparison it might look alike, but for the people who took those images, everyone bring back a memory ad is ingrained in their hearts.. - ALL OF THESE PHOTOS ARE INCREDIBLE!
The world is so large, and there are so many people, that is is completely impossible for repeats to not happen. I quote South Park "Simpson's did it!" Seriously, almost everything has been done. Why should that stop me from taking a photo I like? Answer: it shouldn't. Yes these photos get tedious when you place them along with a dozen identical photos, but so what! Some of those photos are fabulous photos and they all deserve merit.
I think the photos people holding the Leaning Tower of Pisa should be banned
These photos are beautiful in their own way, unfortunately not unique. Someone started it at some point, others saw it and copied it and another copied it, too. By this constant copying, these photos look very similar in themselves. And the uniqueness got kinda lost, IMO. Some of these photos I tried to imitate (for example with the fairy lights), but I noticed that this is not my style. I prefer to take uncommon photos. But hardly anyone likes these photos because they don't correspond to the mass taste. And I think some people lack the courage to create something of their own, which I think is a sad thing.
Think of all the time and effort that has gone into these "masterpieces". Are people travelling to learn about other countries or are they looking for "instagram worthy" backgrounds for their "skillful photography" ?
ah, the uniformity of the ardent individual. Yes, we are all sheep. accept it... try something different but accept that you will probably fail in being unique. It's in our genes.
Some of the pictures are really nice, but yeah, they are getting really repetitive.
I think it's true. When people know a certain photography got the most like, people will almost immediately follow
Lol at people downvoting this comment. Sheeple in denile!
Load More Replies...I think that depends on your purpose. Like my mum always says, I can always look up how smth looks online, I wanna see you there.
Load More Replies...I don't see any problems with this. Most of them are really nice pictures. Very little is original in this world. It's amusing to see just how similar they are, but that doesn't make them any less pretty.
Agree. If I could I would make a set of this pics with me as protagonist i would love it.
Load More Replies...Honestly, what I find even more upsetting than the similarities it's the fact that instagram was supposed to be a way for an average to take a quick photo with their phone, slap a filter on it and post. Instead those pictures are taken by professional photographers using professional equipment, photoshopped into oblivion and then posted with a #livinginthemoment
its nice to take photos and all, but going in a place just to take photos, and spend one hour doing only that, well you lose the point. im sure most of them just forget to have fun or actually notice the scenery around them.
Load More Replies...And it is wrong? Those places are beautiful. If I got the chance to visit them, I'd probably take similar picture too..
As a photographer I can see a great variety of pictures, showing that even in the same place, with the same frame, the vibes and aesthetic can be very different.
Load More Replies...Why is it "depressing"? There are 50 Billion photos on instagram (Not exaggerating) So of course there will be similarities. Also, everyone can see everyone else's photos. Trends pop up more quickly and on a large scale. Also, instagram allows people to monetize their photos with advertisers and so forth; so to a certain point many people are creating a product they already know is popular.... like Renaissance painters... except it's instant.
These are ALL very nice looking photos. Perfectly captured, perfectly set up, perfectly edited ... someone feeling a little jealous because he's never been to these places and doesn't know how to shoot?
How dare people take gorgeous pictures of where they are, the audacity!
I'd like to see the compiler's instagram account. I could probably find 500 photos to match each of hers, too
I'm glad comments aren't that predictable. I'm glad comments aren't that predictable.
How is it depressing that people are making an effort to visit these beautiful places? What's depressing is someone sitting in front of their computer, not doing anything but complaining/writing about those that are out taking these pictures. And to state "If you've seen one you've seen them all." as a reason is asinine. Sure, you've seen a hundred pictures that all look the same, but they have an amazing story....you don't.
It's not easy to be original. After a while, everything repeats itself...Anyway, nice pictures.
I love all of them. And it's awesome to see the same shot in one place.
The thing is there are so many people in this world that we just end up having the same ideas sometimes of what makes a good picture it would look good of course there will be duplicates with anything in life with the population.
Ofcause you notice pattern if you start to look for them. Pictures are EVERYWHERE so it's not that hard to get material for such a study. I have thousands of photos laying around from all over the world, some are indeed very cheesy but many of them are also very personal. My view at the world have changed during my lifetime when I was 10 years old I was proud of my crappy pictures, since I could look back at them and remember what I felt in that moment. Nowdays I rather put my camera down, turn my phone off just to... be. Right where I am. Not constantly thinking about how many people who will spend 0,5 seconds to look at it and think "yeah cool"-LIKE. I rather take a step outside the picture and be a part of what's happening.
Ok, but how else are you supposed to take these pictures? If there is a big boulder in the woods, then naturally you want to take a photo that shows how big the whole boulder is compared to the person standing next to it. If the people were facing the camera and smiling, then OP would probably accuse them of taking "generic tourist photos" or something like that. Should people be doing handstands, splits or jump in the air instead? I feel like this has been done 100 times already as well. OP's complaints are stupid, is what I am saying.
I think it's pretty cool how everyone has a different take about the same location/object. I feel bad about the author from Bored Panda being depressed in seeing how we're all the same yet different in a way. I'm not so worried if others see me as a cliché if that's what it's called. My standards are different from others.
Sounds like the author of this post is a giant hater of traveling and/or doesnt travel much. Most of these are beautiful and dont hurt anyone. The captured places are probably accessible to tourists/travelers from a handful of paths, which means the perspectives dont vary much. Ever thought about that?! And honestly, who the f**k cares? Most of these are aesthetically pleasing to the eye (centre positioned). We can similarly argue about every classical painting of f*****g fruits & vases, or ugly fat lords & ladies!
I really don’t see why this upsets people! Gorgeous photos taken to help with the memories of being there. How many million people are on instagram? How many photos of the same place are there? Most of these photos are of places that I’ll never get to so it’s nice to see others enjoying them.
From a photography point of view, a lot of these look the same because they're from the best angle. People and silhouettes in photos give a sense of scale and interest, I do it all the time. The red clothing/blue landscape is contrasting colours, the snowy roads, wooden pathways etc. look the same because there's not much else you can do to get an in interesting shot there. Same with the plane in Iceland. I see the point of the article, and yeah it pisses me off too, but the examples here do have their defence (apart from the hands reaching, mug spill, holding a leaf, those are all lame as hell)
Instagram IS SO LAME. Go places, take pictures, but why do people think EVERYONE ELSE wants to see them? It's like forcing people to watch your holiday slideshow. It's sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo dumb.
I actually really enjoyed these adventurous photos. I think most were great. The person complaining about it all really needs to lighten up and perhaps go do some travelling themselves
Monkey see, monkey do. Once upon a time, the internet used to be such a creative place. Now everything looks the same, uses the same basic wordpress theme, and the same photos. The internet has become a vanilla, boring and dull place. So sad.
I have no patience for social media, but in this case I think these are fine. I'll save my indignation for the Chernobyl influencers.
We had the exact same topic about a year ago here on BP. Also, if you'd all compare the photo albums of your grandparents, you'd all find the very same pics of the Eiffel tower, the Tower Bridge, the Space Needle, Uluru and all the other "most desirable places to photograph" back then.
https://www.boredpanda.com/social-media-instagram-identical-photos/?cexp_id=11463&cexp_var=9&_f=featured&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=none&utm_campaign=direct&fbclid=IwAR2-GgnvwcRE74BnABVsWeQuwkeDfG8gbhsXvsIMgyOvdXbW6obb3ucIA8I
I don't really see anything depressing about these. Millions of duck-faces, butts, boobs, and snapchat puppy filtered selfies that all look the same - that's depressing for real.
A lot of the top comments have more upvotes than the compilations themselves.
I kind of hate this post. Let people enjoy things. Sure they can't be all original, but hopefully they're enjoying the experience
Mostly, the subject is too small to recognize in these photos. If you put the person only 3 ft from the camera and shoot the background over their shoulder, makes a better shot. Rocks, water, sky doesn't change but the person will. Want GREAT framing? Study a Spielburg film, stop a frame -- notice the subject is NOT in the center and makes a dramatic shot. Small changes in the taking of a photo can make your pix more professional looking. Since you are not wasting film, try something different.
This is an incredibly stupid post — you may as well critique the correct exposure and framing of photos, there is such a thing as an accepted methodology in a given discipline like photography. The problem arises from the overproduction and trivialization of media content through mass exposure. There are a lot of people in the world and only a finite number of places to visit and generally acceptable ways to take a photo. Are these avantgarde? Of course not, but does that make them problematic? Only in the way they characterize overproduction of media.
If I consider how many photographers there could be each posting how many hundreds of photos every day, I hardly find it noteworthy that there are 30 types of photos that have 12 versions. I mean, that's only 360 photos. The key phrase in this article is "if you follow enough of them". I want to see whether there are significant percentages to call it a pattern.
Blame the square format. These are the nicest compositions you can have with the square format. Honestly, I enjoyed all of them.Would have loved to shoot all of them. With a dog. That's a dream.
Who cares if they're similar? If I saw someone post a lake picture and thought, "hmm, that's beautiful, maybe I could do that," why is that so wrong? F**k, that might be the thing that inspires me to keep going and find my own creative self. Jeez, let people enjoy things.
I would like the photos better if there wasn't a person standing in the middle of them.
Recently wpoke to a couple of packpackers down here in Australia. Was giving them a few "cool spots" to go see. Was pretty shocked when they said they was only doing "the famouse" places. Based on seeing where others on the internet have been. How sad, no wonder photos are getting repetative, boring and lacking originality.
Calling it a cliche - but took the time to find, collage and post all those photos......if they are such a bother and go out and shoot better, just a thought.
Personally I think the person who created this post is jealous because he/she couldn't go to all these magnificent places and capture an incredible moment that will last forever. For us looking at the comparison it might look alike, but for the people who took those images, everyone bring back a memory ad is ingrained in their hearts.. - ALL OF THESE PHOTOS ARE INCREDIBLE!
The world is so large, and there are so many people, that is is completely impossible for repeats to not happen. I quote South Park "Simpson's did it!" Seriously, almost everything has been done. Why should that stop me from taking a photo I like? Answer: it shouldn't. Yes these photos get tedious when you place them along with a dozen identical photos, but so what! Some of those photos are fabulous photos and they all deserve merit.
I think the photos people holding the Leaning Tower of Pisa should be banned
These photos are beautiful in their own way, unfortunately not unique. Someone started it at some point, others saw it and copied it and another copied it, too. By this constant copying, these photos look very similar in themselves. And the uniqueness got kinda lost, IMO. Some of these photos I tried to imitate (for example with the fairy lights), but I noticed that this is not my style. I prefer to take uncommon photos. But hardly anyone likes these photos because they don't correspond to the mass taste. And I think some people lack the courage to create something of their own, which I think is a sad thing.
Think of all the time and effort that has gone into these "masterpieces". Are people travelling to learn about other countries or are they looking for "instagram worthy" backgrounds for their "skillful photography" ?
ah, the uniformity of the ardent individual. Yes, we are all sheep. accept it... try something different but accept that you will probably fail in being unique. It's in our genes.
Some of the pictures are really nice, but yeah, they are getting really repetitive.
I think it's true. When people know a certain photography got the most like, people will almost immediately follow
Lol at people downvoting this comment. Sheeple in denile!
Load More Replies...I think that depends on your purpose. Like my mum always says, I can always look up how smth looks online, I wanna see you there.
Load More Replies...