The time has come to post your latest photo dump. You’ve curated a perfect collection of your camera roll’s greatest artifacts for a museum-worthy display on Instagram. A food pic from last weekend’s dinner. A subtle mirror selfie slipped in at the perfect moment. A sunset snap that says, “Yeah, I’m outdoorsy. No big deal.” It’s your most candid, coy, and tastefully comedic carousel to date. But, alas, the term “photo dump” doesn’t seem to do your work justice. Perhaps a dump by any other name would still smell as sweet. But there’s something about the phrasing that just feels a bit too... scatological. Juvenile. Cringey. You get it.
It’s about high time that the trend got a rebrand with synonyms for photo dump. While Instagram released its slideshow feature in 2017, it wasn’t until around 2020 that this tool was repurposed for the grid trend du jour. But many photo dumpers are quick to clarify that there is much more to a photo dump than a slideshow. As Chloe, a 20 year-old, previous told Bustle, “A photo dump is a collection of images that give people a sense of a mood, or feeling, more than a play-by-play of what you did.”
As time goes on, photo dumps have only evolved. Our lockdown-era photoshoots of sourdough starters and staring at the wall has upgraded to ‘fit pics and fun events. And, as serial picture posters become more and more intentional with what they post to the grid, the name “photo dump” feels less and less on-point.
If your post is much less like a careless spew of photos onto the feed, and more like a delicately crafted album, then fret not, artiste. There are plenty other synonyms for “photo dump” that might feel like a better fit — whether you’re looking for something a bit more high brow, or have just posted with the simple caption “photo dump” far too many times. If your photo selection has got you winded, and you’ve found yourself drafting caption after caption without success, we’ve got you covered. Here are 17 photo dump synonyms that will prove to your followers that you keep your camera and your thesaurus on you at all times.
- Camera Roll Reveal
- Slice of Life
- Weekly Recap
- Monthly Digest
- Mood Board
- Slideshow
- Carousel
- Aesthetic Powerpoint
- Photo Series
- Swipe-a-thon
- Highlight Reel
- Blooper Reel
- Swipe Series
- Photo Gallery
- Storyboard
- Tableau
- Life Update
- Good Times Gallery
- Memory Montage
- Photo Album
- Pic-a-palooza
- Life Collage
- View-Master Cartridge
Cue Lady Gaga’s iconic “Never the same, totally unique, completely not ever been done before” reaction meme.