Who’s Taking All Those Photos?

By Bella Portaro-Kueber



In today’s age of modern technology we’re all iPhoneographers. We take photos with our smartphones and share them with the world on our favorite social media platforms.




One such platform — Instagram — has grown to over 700 million active users since its launch in October 2010, according to a report from Tech Crunch. Instagram users have cultivated groups that highlight the special interests of its users, and the most common of these micro-communities are the “Igers” city groups. Broken down by major cities, these accounts have moderators who share the photos and work of others with the community.



Behind the Igers Louisville account (#IgersLouisville) are Josh Brown and Michelle Seivers. Michelle, a Louisville native, has lived in other cities but came back home and started working as a photographer four and a half years ago to capture and share images of the community with others.
“Our minds process every image we share, so it’s important to reflect Louisville in photographs the best way possible while still remaining realistic,” Michelle says. “In social media, images are the strongest tool we have and the most influential; people like the posts with images more than they like the posts without them.”

One of Michelle's favorite places, The Walking Bridge, features some of the best views of Louisville.
Photos by Aubrey Hillis

Michelle strives to be a welcoming and approachable photographer and position our city and the Igers community to help aspiring photographers craft their own images. “I’m a self-taught photographer so I know what it’s like to be timid to ask others for input or advice, but other photographers have taken the time to help me so I will always help others.”

The community of Igers Louisville encourages others to share and tag their work with #IgersLouisville. “We have the iPhoneographers and the career photographers. The mix of both creates a unique output to represent all participants,” Michelle says. “With my account, I hope that the followers find my work to be visibly appealing with a little bit of humor to balance everything out.”