Six things we've learnt from Instameets.

So, on the 8^th of August, we went to our second official Instameet held by Igers Birmingham, and now we sort of feel like we’ve got the gist of things and here we are; writing our first review/ what we've learnt to do at an instameet.

(We might be wrong, but aye, let’s get started!)

Can't access Youtube? We have it under control. Alternative at the end of the blog post.
1)  First up, remember ‘MURPHY’S LAW’ because surely, all the little things that can go wrong, will go wrong. For example, if you decide to wear stupid shoes, chances are that you will fall down the stairs in front of fifty strangers and you’ll be forced to walk it off like a boss because you are a boss *flicks headscarf*. So, yeah, wear the pretty shoes, but, if they prove to be a health hazard, HOLD THEM WITH YOUR HANDS and not on your feet when on stairs, near slippery surfaces and/or ramps and slopes. Always wear comfortable shoes so that you can easily run around for photo opportunities and you don’t have anything distracting you or keeping you from capturing those moments that you might otherwise regret not capturing (and this helps avoid future almost blisters  *cough* Apa *cough*).

2)  Second of all, SHADOWS! If you’re outside and the sun is out, you should be able to get some amazing shadow pictures. It looks great, with a vague ‘omg what’s in the corner there’ moments every time you see the photo, you begin to enjoy them a lot. And on the plus side, shadows have their own hashtags on instagram *like wow*, so be creative and take inspiration from photos already on various feeds, or if you fancy, bump up some of your own. Playing with light is always fun, and when you're a newbie/wannabe/hobbyist so-called-photographer, it's even better, because you're allowed to make mistakes, and you're always learning. It works great for us because when the sun actually shows up here (sigh), the building exteriors cast great shadows and reflect light so stunningly, that they might as well have been the work of an architect as well, (Wait a second, what if... they are!?).

3)  Remember to Frame the pictures well, or at least try, one of the reasons we're always at the end of the photowalk, or walking in general is because we're trying to do exactly that, hehe. Oh, and especially if you’re indoors, because, homie, if there are two parallel chandeliers, you do not want to be cutting half a chandelier and then when the time comes to post the photo, you have to go on a scavenger hunt for the missing piece of light.  Think about the kind of photos you want and get the right size and what not (but don’t forget to enjoy yourselves and soak in the atmosphere). 

4)  Well, that was a boring point. Anyhoo. POP OF COLOURS! Remember to wear something, let's say, not so boring because if you know that a place is going to have simple brick walls, you need to shoot down the place with colour (if you want, hehe). We’re only speaking from experience because we seem to have rather simple walls around here, and sometimes it can get so utterly boring (not all of us are lucky to have perfectly handcrafted tiles plastered on the walls of literally all the mosques and restaurants and museums in Lahore and Karachi and Rawalpindi and, and, and *holds back tears*).

5)  It’s called ‘InstaMEET!’ for a reason, go out and make friends because at an event like this, you all have something in common and ‘apparently’ making friends when you’re older is harder (Sarah wrote this, Sanna agrees otherwise...) so don’t waste your chances and grab a tiny notebook (or pull out your phone because hello, technology!). Note down their usernames and of course, talk, converse, gappaa shappaa (…face to face and not just on the comments section below photos). Getting usernames is really fun once you start uploading the photos because you literally have to go on a hunting spree and match faces with usernames (we had a fun time doing that HAHAHAHAH). It feels hella'r amazin' when you have a good photo of someone, you tag them, and when they see it, they love it!
The human need of positive reinforcement- freaky, we know, on the plus side, you get a warm fuzzy feeling inside, that's always nice! xD.

6)  Since we’ve been talking about hunting so much, it’s only fair to continue with it, hunt down nice WALLS! They make for amazing backgrounds, for portraits and side portraits and other side portraits and back portraits and all other kinds of portraits but you get the point, right?. Once you start hunting down, you'll be amazed at the backgrounds you'll find. The quirkier the place, the better. We love finding great corners and spaces, our favourite one has to be large skips, (LOL!) those yellow rubbish containers make for some lovely photos, haha, no judging!
basically, the weirder, the better, because let's face it, you'll be unique and everyone likes a part of them to be it right?.

AND who knows what else you might find and what else to look for.

We’re still learning about instameets ourselves, and blogging in general.
Oh, and before we sign this post off, here's the Vimeo link for countries and spaces where youtube is not accessible, boo hoo.

On the other hand, Birmingham Mail did a feature on the latest Instameet by Igers Birmingham, and guess who got featured in the article? Chutki, that's another name for Sarah by the way, one of her many names *Muahahaha* (it started off as a name to annoy her then she grew fond of it, and well, now it doesn't irritate her which is kind of sad, but bleh).
You can access the link here.

We would absolutely love your feedback and new ideas regarding this post or anything else. Feel free to leave us a comment and don’t forget to smile, and have a fabulous day!

Peace,

-Aaliilogue.