Posting success

SOCIAL media today has allowed anyone with the passion to explore foreign places to document their envy-inducing travels online for all to see.
But for self-described Instagrammer Mohammad Zarnizar, travelling the world and documenting it is only half the perk.
The other half is being able to hone his photography skills, evident in his beautifully-curated feed on the social media platform.
“A blogger has a blog. An Instagrammer has Instagram. Influencers are sometimes on all platforms,” he explained about the unique term.
Like most people with an Instagram account, the 37-year-old – who is known to his followers simply as Zarnizar – started posting selfies, cat photos, and photos of outings with friends, way back in late 2011.
“Even minum petang Milo and everything, I would document on Instagram,” he quipped.
Zarnizar began to notice communities of like-minded people within the platform, who were similarly eager to share and learn experiences that would allow them to grow their niche on Instagram.
Soon, his connections extended beyond Malaysia, reaching people in Indonesia, Thailand, and Singapore, and he decided to stick to posting travel and nature-inspired photographs.
When Zarnizar met up with fellow Instagrammers, they would discuss topics ranging from what type of postings each one did to the method of producing good photographs.
These Instameets or Instagram Meetings, occur worldwide and fortunately, you don’t need to have thousands of followers to participate in one.
According to the travel enthusiast, you simply have to look out for the posting on Instagram’s main account, adding that there are several communities that are always up-to-date in Malaysia.
“We have KL Mobilegraphy that concentrates on photography using only mobile phones; we have one for all the DSLR guys who do regular street-meets,” he explained.
Explaining how Instameet works, he said: “So one person will be like, okay, we’re having a meetup, at the end of this weekend in Bukit Bintang junction at 4pm, and people will DM (direct message) to say they want to join and repost to their followers.”
Zarnizar, who has always loved to travel and take photos, never thought something that started as a hobby would turn into a career. He only started seriously on Instagram in 2016, and has now amassed close to 25,000 followers.
He’s usually approached by airlines, hotels, foreign tourism departments, and even brands like Issey Miyake and Bad Lab (due to his creative shots) to promote products on the platform.
In fact, prior to this interview, he just returned from a 10-day stint in South Korea and two weeks in Turkey.
As lucrative as it is being an Instagrammer, Zarnizar admits he sometimes turns to lifestyle blogger and social media strategist Nor Azri Syahirah Mohd Sabri, who goes by the moniker Neyra Shazeyra, when clients ask for his rates.
“She’s good with managing other bloggers, so she’ll let me know how much I can earn with the quality I can offer.”
Despite photographing breathtaking destinations like Bali, Osaka, and Terengganu, he doesn’t consider himself a photographer.
“I started thinking I needed to improve my skills, in terms of editing my photos [and] how to take good photos.
“That’s why I don’t call myself a photographer, ’cause I’m still trying to improve my skills, still learning, still trying to explore this kind of art.”
Revealing a reliable travel tip that he constantly employs for location scouting, Zarnizar raves about the Instagram search feature, where he’ll look at postings based on the tagged location or hashtag.
“When I find one that I really like, I’ll go to their profile and DM them to ask for the exact location and how to get there.”
He adds that it’s a lot more effective compared to conventional search engines, as there is more direct communication with the person who’s actually been to the destination you want to visit.
“For Instagrammers, when they post something, it’s because they want to share with people.”