💡 Get Philly smart 💡
with BP’s free daily newsletter
Read the news of the day in less than 10 minutes — not that we’re counting.
Every morning around 7:45 we press “send” on our newsletter. And the first thing you’ll see when you open it is the Instagram of the Day.
Depending on the day, you’ll see overflowing window boxes, protests, bikes or kids playing in fountains. During the dreaded winter, it’s stick trees and snow piles.
We get tons of questions about how to get featured (sample: “I love the Instagram of the Day! I really want you to pick one of mine!”), so here’s what we’re looking for:
- Color There’s a time and a place for the Willow filter, but Philly is a colorful place in many ways, and we prefer to see it that way.
- Emotion We want to see people really experiencing Philadelphia. Wide shot of people standing in line for cheesesteaks? Pass. Little kid yawning after 30 minutes in line? Perfect.
- People The Dilworth Park fountains are cool, but the people checking them out are much more interesting.
- Art We don’t mean literally, though this photo gets pretty close. But when you’re taking your 500th photo of the Cira Center, look for a different angle.
City Hall is gorgeous. Graffiti Pier is fascinating. But you see at least three photos of each every day. We’re looking for the less prominent captures. They might be in neighborhoods less traveled or from fleeting moments at major events.
If you have a photo you’d like us to consider, tag @billy_penn on Instagram. If your photo doesn’t make it into the newsletter, we might still embed it on our site or use the Repost app to boost it through our Instagram account. No matter what, you’ll get credit and we’ll leave a comment on your photo to let you know where to see it.
[pedestal-embed id=”8731″]
Tiny bike outside the Barnes Foundation; photo via @ljweidner on Instagram
Featured photo by Bobby Chen for @billy_penn on Instagram
