#WeLoveATL Pop Up Gallery at Ponce City Market
Sometimes, social media can lead to more problems than necessary; other times, it is opportunity waiting to happen. What I love the most about social media is that it allows you to communicate with people who you'd probably never meet on your own. How crazy is it that a single hashtag can unite people across the world? Well my world got a little smaller when I started using #weloveatl on my Instagram posts. #weloveatl is an online community that aims to "inspire and empower people in the Atlanta area to come together and share their love of the city through photography and other visual art". I started following their page on Instagram and fell in love with the images curated there. Because of them (and other communities like it), I was able to find other like-minded individuals to follow and connect with.When posting images of Atlanta, I often use their hashtag. This time, I was contacted by one of their team members about using two of my photos in an upcoming gallery exhibit. I was thrilled! Over the course of the month of October, curated images from people on Instagram were selected to be in the exhibit. On the 30th, there was a big gallery pop up to culminate the show. And all for a great cause. 100% of print sales benefited the Atlanta Community Food Bank. Crazy to imagine that my picture might be in someone's home. Whoa.So you know I'm creepy, right? I love people-watching and imagining how cool their lives must be. I spotted these two young ladies and immediately dubbed them best dressed. I'm pretty sure they thought I was creepy for asking them to take a picture for my blog but aren't they cute?!Me and the homies Justin, Aisha and Rashad.I really think this is only the beginning for more art events like this in Atlanta. I'm honored to have been involved.Photos by Ben Styles.