Soton third year makes an Insta filter that lets you get a diss pic with Hartley

Our prayers have been answered


Of the many things that have been taken away from our final year of uni, one that Soton students are saddest about missing out on is being able to take the iconic diss hand-in and graduation photos outside Hartley.

But your Insta feed has now been saved, because a Soton third year has made an Instagram story filter that lets you take a photo outside Hartley, graduation cap and all.

Third year Marketing student Szymon was sad seeing his friends were having to take photos in their gardens instead of being able to go on campus, like Soton students normally would. He told The Soton Tab: “After spending hours in Hartley it’s kind of sad that in the end you cannot even take a picture in front of it. So I thought, ‘hey, let’s make a filter for that!”

Szymon using his filter

Once you’ve handed in your diss, get straight on Insta and take your photo outside Hartley, using the filter. Then, whack this Jesters playlist on your Spotify (or, if you’re feeling fancy, rope your housemates/mum into doing this Soton-themed house pub crawl), and you can fully re-create the Soton diss hand-in experience, from the comfort of your own home.

The process of making the Insta filter sounds pretty complicated. Szymon is still living in Southampton over lockdown, so on one of his daily walks he went to campus and took some photos of Hartley. He then had to learn how to turn it into a filter. He said: “It took a while as it’s my first Instagram filter, but here we are, it’s working!”

Szymon made the filter for his friends, and hasn’t been able to use it for himself yet, as he still hasn’t actually finished his diss. He says he has “no motivation whatsoever” to finish his assignments due to the Uni’s no detriment policy, so instead he’s been spending his time doing very important voluntary service (making this filter).

To find the Insta filter, search “UoS Graduation 2020”. Or you can go to Szymon’s Instagram @mentoswkwiatki, and find it on there.

Have you had to make do with a diss pic in the garden, or have you become a Photoshop wizz and put yourself and your diss back in Soton? Have you used Szymon’s filter? Send all your best diss hand-in pics to The Soton Tab’s Instagram

Related stories recommended by this writer:

Soton first year misses Jesters so much she’s made her own Spotify playlist

Here’s the last goodbyes every final year wishes they could have said to Soton

Final years set up Southampton-themed pub crawl in their house while in lockdown