Instagram for Photographers

Instagram for Photographers

Instagram is an effective way to share your work (as a hobby or professionally) with a larger audience and connect with fellow photographers. Through Instagram, you can gain new assignments as well as valuable feedback on your photography. The latter can be very useful in helping you become better at what you do. But how do you build a good network? And what should you pay attention to when posting your photography? In this blog, we would like to give you a few tips.

Tip 1: Determine your strategy

First of all: consider whether Instagram is really the right way for you to achieve your goal (more reach). Maintaining a social media channel and building a relationship with your followers takes time and energy. It is a real investment. But do not let that discourage you. With the right strategy, you can get a lot out of it and enjoy the process.

Think about your strategy in advance: how do you want to come across? What serves your work best?

Tip 2: Find a niche that suits you

A niche is an important part of your identity. This can be a specific theme, such as architecture, portrait photography, fashion or travel. But it can also be a style, such as black-and-white photography, minimalist photography or cinematic photography.

On Instagram, your followers expect to see this style or theme reflected throughout your feed. This keeps them coming back. New visitors to your profile make a decision based on the first nine photos they see. Therefore, make sure these photos clearly represent what you stand for and who you are as a photographer.

Tip 3: Instagram as a portfolio

Make sure you maintain a consistent style and layout and use this to generate loyal visitors. It is also important to create a wow factor. Only post your very best photos in your feed. Have you just completed a photoshoot and cannot choose? Then post the photos as a series. You can do this by selecting multiple photos during the upload process. Make sure you place the strongest image first and never include more than four photos in a series. Too many photos in a series can actually have the opposite effect. The viewer may lose interest. By choosing a fixed number, you force yourself to remain critical about what you do and do not share on Instagram.

Tip 4: The person behind the camera

Instagram is a great tool for showing your photos to a large audience, but the person behind the camera is just as interesting. Give your followers a preview, an insight or a behind-the-scenes look at a photoshoot or project. This makes it more personal and can help followers feel more connected. Think about the 80/20 rule. Let 80 percent of your content focus on photography itself and use 20 percent of your Instagram content for more personal posts.

If you want more than 20 percent of your content to be personal, create a separate account or use the Instagram Stories feature. Instagram Stories is also a great way to build more interaction with your followers.

Tip 5: Do not photograph with your smartphone

Of course, for professional photography you use your DSLR or mirrorless camera. These cameras allow you to create high-quality images, and these are the photos you should use for Instagram. They also give you much more control over the image. You can adjust the settings for every situation. DSLR and mirrorless cameras are suitable for photography in low light and when zooming in on a subject.

It is best to shoot all photos in RAW format. RAW photos are much more detailed than JPG photos. These images can be edited effectively in photo editing software. This means you can leave Instagram filters aside. While editing RAW photos, you can carefully adjust exposure, highlights and shadows.

It is useful to know that your photos should not exceed the maximum width of 1080px. If they do, the quality of the photo may suffer, and you would rather keep control of that yourself. To prevent Instagram from resizing larger files, it is wise to reduce the quality slightly. Around 75 percent is sufficient.

Tip 6: Quality or quantity

When asked whether quality or quantity is more important, we always say quality. Publish new photos regularly, but not too often. Aiming for one or two posts per week is a good target. It is more important to post relevant, high-quality content because it has a greater chance of receiving a positive response. Positive responses help your posts rank higher in your followers’ feeds. This ultimately leads to greater reach.

It is advisable to establish a routine for posting new content. This creates a sense of community between you and your followers. It also encourages you to create new content, helping you develop your photography.

There are many online studies about the best time to post on social media. In general, there is more activity and engagement in the morning. Sunday is often considered the day with the most interactions, as are rainy days.

Tip 7: Which caption should you choose?

Below your photos, there is space to write a short story. It is a good idea to use it. People spend more time looking at a photo when there is something to read. You give your followers something to think about and encourage interaction.

With the right captions, you can evoke an emotional response from your followers. This increases the likelihood that people will read the post and click “more” or “like”. This increases the amount of time they spend on your post. You can include an open-ended question in the caption, encouraging followers to engage in conversation.

Tip 8: Use the right hashtags

Nowadays, hashtags (#) are well known. They are a tool for increasing engagement and attracting relevant followers. Use specific and popular hashtags to improve visibility. Relevance is important. Only use appropriate hashtags.

Instagram offers the ability to follow hashtags. This allows hashtags to connect like-minded followers around a specific topic. It is also possible to create your own hashtag. A unique hashtag that applies only to you and your photography.

There are no strict rules for using hashtags. You can use up to 30. The most important thing is that the hashtags you use are relevant to your photography. Various studies have also been conducted on hashtag use. A recent study suggests that using 11 hashtags or more attracts approximately 400% more visitors than using no hashtags. Using between 1 and 10 hashtags attracts approximately 200% more visitors. You can research in advance which hashtags suit your profile. You can use a combination of Dutch and English hashtags under each photo.

Tip 9: Building a community

Through Instagram, you can build a relevant community. This community is mainly about interaction, not just numbers. It is advisable to look for photographers you admire and follow them. Start interacting with these photographers through their feeds. You can also do this with styles or themes that align with your own work. Are you a photographer who mainly creates portraits? Then follow photographers who do the same. It is a good way to expand your network and become more visible to potential clients.

Tip 10: Make time for genuine interaction

Take the time to reply to people who leave comments on your photography. The Instagram algorithm especially favours posts that receive many likes and comments. These are seen as engaging, high-quality pieces of content that people want to see. If a post receives a lot of interaction shortly after being published, it will naturally be shown to more followers.

This also works the other way around. A follower who leaves a nice compliment on a photo somewhat expects a response in return. Therefore, make time for this. By doing so, you help each other grow. This can also be achieved by collaborating with others or featuring the work of inspiring photographers. This gives followers another reason to continue following your Instagram profile.

Tip 11: Instagram Hubs

Hubs can be seen as online galleries. Instagram Hubs are Instagram accounts managed by other users, but all the photos are linked by a shared theme or photography genre. Look up these accounts and make sure your photos get featured. You can do this by using the right hashtags so that you stand out.

This ultimately leads to greater visibility for your profile. More visibility results in more relevant followers.

Tip 12: Get the most out of your Instagram profile

It is often the details that make a big difference. Therefore, come up with a good account name. A good name is easy to remember and recognisable. Use the same name across all your social media platforms whenever possible. Also choose a profile picture that matches your photography.

Your biography is just as important as your photography. It should describe your speciality and what your photography is based on. Also add your website and contact details. This ensures that potential clients can immediately find your website.

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