Instagramming Lebanon

Hariri Mosque in downtown Beirut.

I was a late-comer to Instagram. I preferred Tumblr, blogging online and occasional tweets with photos attached. Also, I was a bit judgmental of the use of filters. But when I came to Lebanon (and finally traded in my Nokia brick for a Smartphone), I really started to enjoy posting photos from my phone of daily life in this country. Initially, I was overwhelmed at the number of photos I wanted to post to Instagram – everything seemed so beautiful and interesting.

Today, I am not longer overwhelmed, but I still find so many things worth instagramming here. And I have fully embraced filters (as an aspiring photographer, I guess that sort of damages my street cred), though I do retain some of my pride for still mostly abstaining from selfies. I find something new to photograph every single day in Beirut, even when I walk the same street. There is too much to ever exhaust even the most enthusiastic Instagrammer.

If you enjoy Instagram as much as I do, please do send me a link to your profile, especially if you are in Lebanon! I love seeing how different people see this country through their phones. I have attached some of my favorite personal Instagram photos below, but it’s just not the same unless you see it on the app. You can find mine here: http://instagram.com/melissatabeek!

Still, for me, nothing beats great photography – but Instagram is pretty cool, too.

Rachel from Ethiopia came to Beirut and worked as a domestic worker before getting a job at a cafe and starting her own catering business, making Ethiopian food.