Around two dozen snap-happy Instagrammers got together in a testament
to the power of social networking that can bring the social of social media
to life. Some of them shared their thoughts with Anand Holla
As the 12th Worldwide InstaMeet was celebrated across the globe last weekend, the upbeat community of Instagrammers in Qatar, too, huddled at Souq Al Wakrah, drew out their smartphones and “InstaClicked” through a sunshiny Saturday afternoon.
Real-world meetups of a virtual community, InstaMeets have been instrumental in bringing together “people who share a love and curiosity for Instagram”. Instagram explains, “Since the earliest days of Instagram, people have been meeting up to take photos and videos together. As the community has grown around the world, so too has the occurrence of InstaMeets: gatherings of people coming together to connect, explore, and celebrate their creativity.”
In Qatar, the InstaMeet, partnered with DohaTweetups (@dohatweetups) and Instagram Doha (@igersdoha), kicked off at Coffeshop Company (@cscqatar) in Souq Al Wakrah. Around two dozen snap-happy Instagrammers got together in a testament to the power of social networking that can bring the social of social media to life.
Muhammad Nasir @moawesomesauce, one of the organisers of the event, said, “This was probably the most successful InstaMeet that we have had so far in Qatar. I hope to see the trend grow, as I met some very enthusiastic Instagrammers who are keen on doing meetups more often. We hope to see more and more people in the upcoming meetups over the next few months.”
Hashtags for the event were #InstaMeetDoha #InstaMeetQatar #WWIM12 and #IGersDoha, while the theme was for people to take portraits of others and share their pictures on Instagram using #TodayIMet and also ask them about their favourite accounts and mention them using #WhoIFollow.
The cheery bunch of Instagrammers bonded over conversations and photographs, met new people, and exchanged notes, thoughts and ideas as the sun turned milder. A raffle draw was also held; two winners got vouchers courtesy ShababFalcon (@shababfalcon).
Community asked the Instagrammers about their experience. Here’s what some of them had to say:
Maria Finlay @this.is.maria: I couldn’t hide my excitement of meeting some of my favourite Instagrammers; the people whose constant creativity I have enjoyed were in front of my eyes! After a good chat, we set out to wander around the Souq, taking pictures of each other and our surroundings, every breeze being welcomed in this humidity. The sun setting on the beige walls, the shadows dancing around the alleyways; it was beautiful.
Nashira Abdul Hameed @nashplateful: I had an incredible time. It was a great networking opportunity as always. I was very happy to meet some of the well-known local photographers, bloggers, creative artistes and Instagrammers in person, connect, and photo-walk with them. It is great fun to see all the moments captured, shared on social media and the bonding from this shared passion.
Andrea Buenafe @buenafotos: Worldwide InstaMeet was an opportunity for me to get inspired once again by meeting other photographers who have their own styles and own reasons for taking photos. I may be facing the same subjects again, but I’m now challenged to take photos from different perspectives.
Cheri MacLeod @cherimacleod: An InstaMeet is a great opportunity to meet people and connect. I loved meeting many of the people I know through their photos but had never actually met. Is this rather like meeting a pen pal or “virtual” colleague? Maybe! You already know some of their interests by what they take photographs of and often have a feel for their personality. I enjoyed taking pictures with other people who share a passion for photography, and having fun shooting in a unique location with a local feel. I love architecture so the “new” Souq in Al Wakrah suited me well.
Leslie Baloyi @lbaloyi: Ever since I came to Doha three months ago, this was one of my best experiences. I am fairly new in Qatar and this is my first time in the GCC and to meet such a welcoming bunch of Instagrammers was really an honour. I will definitely attend the next InstaMeet. This meet really made me feel very welcome in this part of the world. I would like to encourage the whole crew that attended and those who failed to make it to continue nurturing such culture.
Faraz Abdul Latheef @getfaraz: #TodayIMet is a wonderful theme and it was a pleasure meeting fellow Doha Instagrammers, whom I have been following on Instagram.
I am looking forward for
the next.
Mohammed Muslim @mmuslim: This InstaMeet was an instant hit as I met some of the most amazing and fun-loving Instagrammers of Doha and
could personally connect and make some really good friends by the end of the meet. Moreover I got a chance to take some
amazing photos at the venue, which I have posted on my Instagram.
Affan Ali Syed @affyduck: It was a fun day. I am glad that they organised a meet-up for us because, for me, I knew a few people virtually through Twitter and Snapchat but had never met them in person. So it was nice to meet them in person and get to know them as a three-dimensional human being and not just as a virtual being. Lately, I have been feeling like the humans from WALL-E; I am happy that this broke my bubble.
Karen & Allyson @lifewithkarlly: It was our first time attending an InstaMeet and we were completely clueless about what to expect. Some of the attendees were already familiar to us and others were not. But we are glad that we didn’t miss it because we got to meet several creative and like-minded people. It was surprisingly awesome and
we are looking forward to the
next one.
Mayooran Jeyalogainthiran @mayutj17: This was my first time attending an InstaMeet and it was a great experience. I had amazing interaction with fellow Instagrammers and I got to know a lot about them. As a photographer, I had great fun clicking the interesting moments. And I was excited to see the other Instagrammers in Qatar. It’s a growing community and I would like to be part of it from here on.
