August 2024, Munich, Germany

This screenshot is straight from Capture One. I remember preparing these images with Instagram’s grid in mind. At this stage, these photos are also not 1×1 (stating the obvious) but I cannot unsee particular parts of an image once I’ve consciously framed and arranged them together.

Well, that workflow just got flushed down the drain as Instagram decided to change the layout, and they even applied it retroactively to past posts! A well-curated profile, once utilizing the now-gone iconic 1×1 format, suddenly looks like a mess. I’m so frustrated about this!

How can someone create images for a format that’s so unstable, only to lose all their work due to a corporate decision that suddenly favors Reels? There are still many of us who primarily use Instagram as a photo-sharing app.