Photographer quits Instagram after 13 years, buys postcards

photographer quits – A professional documentary photographer says she deleted Instagram after 13 years, describing how the app pulled her attention away from photographing and from her kids—until she traded algorithm-fed scrolling for postcards, café conversations, and more time t

When her sister told her about a 14-year-old boy who named Snapchat. TikTok. and Instagram as his go-to options. the story landed with a weird kind of sadness. The photographer who was listening remembered what connection used to cost: effort. time. intention—and being willing to be alone with your own thoughts.

She had joined Instagram at 36, excited by the chance to promote her work. As a professional documentary family photographer, she treated the app like a marketing tool. A friend. Chantel. who had over 24. 000 followers. advised her on what to do: post three times a week. use optimal hours. show only her best work. and write captivating captions under 25 words.

But the more she tried to “succeed,” the less it matched what she actually loved. She didn’t feel right sharing client images, even with their permission. Instead, she posted images of her children during their most everyday moments—brushing their teeth, doing homework, practicing the piano.

She said the process became exhausting. She agonized for hours deciding what to post and who liked it, even as it distracted her from taking photos. Her followers grew, but it rarely turned into more business. Eventually, she stopped posting on Instagram.

She stayed on the app. following other artists and using it for inspiration as she took an interest in painting and collage. That’s when she says the algorithm stopped feeling like a gallery and started feeling like a flood—tutorials. fashion. home design. art. nightlife. and products she didn’t know she wanted.

She tried to impose limits. She set time limits but overrode them and stayed on too long. She also fell for ads—like a pair of fuzzy loafers that never arrived. The money side of the story ended abruptly: she canceled her credit card.

Her children joined the app early, too. Her two older children received permission to join Instagram when they were 13. The youngest joined at 12. The kids sent her clips—starting with the dog they wanted and the things they wanted her to buy, then moving to the life they wanted them to live.

She described what that did to her household. The algorithm began feeding her information aimed at her teenagers: how to study better in 15-minute intervals and how to become successful. including advice like making the bed every morning. In her telling. she wasn’t just watching the app—she was feeding the machine while her family’s attention frayed.

She said she felt nauseated. At 49, she wanted her time back. First, she hid the app from her home screen, though she knew it was still there and the pull remained too strong. The step she says finally worked was permanent: she deleted Instagram.

She still wanted to keep up with her kids, so she relied on her brother to send screenshots of their IG feed.

Six months after deleting the app, her daughter was studying in Paris for a semester. Her sons and she visited her. and she described it as their first family trip since her divorce five years earlier. She bought postcards again and wrote them in cafés. When they were hungry. they wandered until they found a place to eat—then she practiced speaking French and took recommendations from the waiter. not an influencer. Everything felt like discovery.

The change showed up again when she got the kind of message she had stopped expecting from feeds. A week later, after her daughter was back at school, she received a postcard from her. Written on the back in meticulous printed handwriting, it said: “Thinking of you, Mom. Had a great visit. I love you.” The photographer said the note is still taped to her fridge.

Without Instagram, she wrote that her mind is quieter. She said her material desires have softened, and she’s returning to what matters to her. She keeps up with fewer people, and she added that her clients don’t seem to mind.

When her 21-year-old daughter came home from college. she said they spent an afternoon strolling through SoHo to shop for her spring formal—taking fashion advice from a salesperson. not a bot. At lunch, they saw a group of preteens recording a TikTok dance. They smiled, agreeing they didn’t need to see the final version. In her view, watching the kids try, fail, and laugh was enough.

The story ends the way she says it began: not with another post, but with time returned—quiet minutes, handwritten notes, and photographs taken for the reason she first picked up the camera.

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