Instagram book - Steve Crist

Not since Edwin Land invented the Polaroid camera has image making become so revolutionised. Instagram has taken today's phenomenon of instant photography and social media to a new zenith, enabling amateurs and auteurs alike to share their images with a global audience. From the ubiquitous selfie to urban life and the beauty of nature, Instagram has provided a forum for posting and viewing a seemingly endless archive of images from our time. From tweens to retirees, would-be and actual photographers are creating their own images and following countless others, creating an online community that is visually inspired. Since the origin of modern photography, artists of all kinds have sought to share their images within their personal networks of friends and family. Today, with the advent of the Internet and subsequent explosion of online photo sharing, photographers have an audience which is exponentially larger than that of just a few years ago. Photography as a medium has been revolutionised, with high-quality cameras built into smartphones, advanced editing software readily accessible, and online social media sites providing a platform for sharing and delivery. THE INSTAGRAM BOOK explores this rapidly expanding movement of social media photography in a stunning collection of images from photographers around the world who post their pictures on the popular app, Instagram. Curated from the software's millions of users, THE INSTAGRAM BOOK explores a small spectrum of photographers-both professional and amateur alike-who contribute to this groundbreaking online community.