If you walked along North Wollongong beach on Saturday evening you might have seen dozens of long-lens wielding sunset enthusiasts grouped together trying to get the perfect shot of the dying light.
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The 80-strong gathering was the city’s first “instameet”: a coordinated meeting of Instagram users who post to the social media platform under a common tag.
From 6pm, they wandered the foreshore and captured peachy-purple skies and moody clouds hanging over the twilit harbour.
They posed for each other, standing pensively on the Flagstaff Hill cannons and reflected through glass orbs placed on rock platforms.
The event was led by Destination Wollongong and hosted by local photographer William Patino, in an effort to show off the city’s natural beauty and get people to #visitwollongong.
Mr Patino said the event gave photographers from Sydney, Wollongong and the Central Coast to connect.
“Sometimes social media can be anything but social, so this was a chance for everyone to catch up with people they’ve admired online,” he said.
Destination Wollongong brand manager Tabitha Galvin said the resulting photographs had been seen by more than 8000 people on Sunday, and hoped the event would help show off the city to influential young Instagram users.