You may have noticed that the cool kids post less frequently on the Instagram grid. When they do, it's usually multiple slides with a cohesive color scheme and early Tumblr vibe. There's an out-of-focus selfie, a flat white photo, a street sign, and an overflowing recycling bin filled with champagne bottles. Taken together these photos make no sense, but they certainly establish a mood. The caption read: "Dump."
For Gen Z, the difference between uploading a few different photos and mastering the photo dump aesthetic on Instagram is subtle, but tangible. While an image carousel that retells a weekend trip or showcases #OOTD highlights from different angles may look like a photo dump to the untrained eye, Gen Z will tell you that photo dumps are the kryptonite of the best photos slideshow.
"It's pure vibe," Taylor, 20, tells Bustle. "A photo dump is a collection of images that make people feel an emotion or feeling, rather than just a detailed description of what you did," she explains. In contrast, Taylor said, standard slideshows are "less about atmosphere and more about not being able to choose which photos to post."
Mastering the beauty of photo dumps requires a keen scrapbooking eye and effortless editing skills. Here's how to avoid carousel embarrassment.
How to create a photo dump
Logically there is no difference between dump and image carousel. To create a post with multiple photos, click the plus sign in the upper right corner, click New Post, then click the layered square icon next to the camera icon above the photo roll. Click on the photos you want to include in the order you want them to appear. If necessary, click the photo again to deselect it. Click "Next" to go to the editor page, where you can apply filters or edits to each photo individually. You can also long press on the photo at this stage if you decide you want to delete it. Then click "Next" again to add a caption and share your post.
As for how many photos to share at once, 20-year-old Chloe suggests aiming for four. "You can post up to 10 if they're all good photos, but I think the best dumps are smaller and carefully selected so people look at every one," she said.
What photos are included in the photo dump
This is where things get more complicated. According to Chloe, you don't want your photo dump to be all about you. "A good photo dump isn't just a picture of yourself, it's about your life and the things you enjoyed doing over a period of time," she says. You can take a photo or two of yourself, a few photos of you and the people you're with, places you've been, things that caught your eye, meals you enjoyed eating, etc. Similar colors or giving off the same vibe,” she adds.
Paying attention to the aesthetics of your photo dumps will make you a keener observer, Chloe says. "Try to focus on your environment and the details that you find beautiful and pleasing, focus on color palettes and how things make you feel inside," she says. Taking pictures for a photo dump post will make you think beyond the obvious capture. The Junkyard paints a more complete picture rather than a bunch of posed portraits or selfies that take in everything you see.
At a deeper level, the photo dump is about finding beauty in everyday life, not just major events, said 24-year-old Batur. "There's something joyful and relatable about it - looking at life from a different perspective, it's almost like a vlog," she said. "A photo dump can even be a random collection of photos from your camera roll that you think are a good representation of your current thoughts and feelings," she adds.
How to edit photo dump
According to Bartool, the key to a true dump is to avoid editing altogether. "The best photo dumps come from raw, unfiltered photos you've taken throughout the day," she says. "We see edited photos every day, random photos with something interesting and new, like the sky, a cup of coffee, or your messy desk — it's a look at someone else's life without all the glamor," she added.
While you can let the beauty of photo dumps inspire you to be more aware of your surroundings and take photos that go beyond the most obvious, Bartle says part of what makes this trend so relatable and true is that these photos aren't pre-planned. "If you take specific photos and post them as a dump, that doesn't actually count, it should be a random selection - pick four photos that stand out to you and reflect your mood at the time," she said .
How to add a title to a photo dump
"Don't overthink it," Taylor said. Part of the fun of a photo dump is that it's a bit mysterious. There’s no need for lengthy captions that explain everything in the photo; people don’t expect that kind of narrative from trends. An emoji, a sentence or a one-word title will suffice. "You can let people know what the photo dump is about if you want - like 'last week' or 'weekend trip' or 'birthday' or 'October' - but there are no rules."
Bartle echoed this sentiment, saying, "People don't care about photo dump captions," unlike other trends where people write short stories in place of captions. The aesthetic of photo dumps is just that: it's all about the visuals.
Photo dump aesthetic concept
Essentially, a photo dump should be something you don't have to think too much about, but if you're just starting out, or aren't in the habit of documenting your life, here are some excellent themes for dumpable content:
WFH: Snapshots of working from home, including empty coffee cups, desk layout, to-do lists, and maybe screenshots of conversations with coworkers. (Shared with permission, of course, and for comedic effect.)
Current Reading: The book on your nightstand, your bookshelf organizing game, your underlined passage, or a photo of a great book from around the world.
What to have for lunch: A meal that looks good, the messy aftermath of a baking attempt, a tablescape, restaurants, groceries, fruit that looks pretty.
Lighting: Look out for interesting lighting—warm afternoon sunlight hitting a disco ball, pink night skies, neon sunrises, direct sunlight showing off your eye color.
POV: Stay at home with me: a messy bed, a neat pile of clothes, a ladybug on the kitchen counter, a bell ringing in your teacup.
Atmosphere : Capture the ambiance of your location by finding something memorable, such as art on the walls, cozy textiles, signage, or fun displays.
