How to select photos to post on social media (as a photographer)
Instagram was initially an app purely designed to present people's smartphone photos. Those days are long gone. Now it at least feels like small and large businesses and influencers have taken over the platform.
And yet, it's still the best place to present your photos and yourself as a photographer. It’s the place to be found and the door to new photography opportunities. Also, if you are interested in selling your photos as prints or on printed products, Instagram will be where you can present your work and market your services.
Your Instagram profile and feed should be treated like your personal art gallery. It's the place that people visit if they are potentially interested in following you. If they like what they see they’ll click to follow you, if they don’t, they’ll leave within a few seconds. Possibly never to return.
That’s why it’s essential to present your best photos and have a cohesive feed so that people can get a feel for who you are as a photographer and what you and your photos stand for.
In this post, you’ll learn how to select the best photos to post on Instagram.
Before we start, please remember that Instagram is the place to stand out and not blend in. You will stand out positively to only a few people, but these are YOUR PEOPLE. A unique group of followers who look forward to every photo you post and engage in your content are worth more than having thousands who scroll past your images without liking, commenting or saving them to look at later.
When considering whether to post one of your photos make sure it fulfils the following:
It should be a photo you can't take your eyes off.
A photo you’re so excited about that you can’t wait to show everyone.
Post photos that you are possibly only enthusiastic about - if you love a photo so much that you don’t care if it gets one single like, but you still feel proud to own it, then you’re on the right path.
A photo that others praised you for and that may have been recognised as yours even though they didn't see your name attached to it. BUT please don’t select photos you’ve been praised for being your first criterion. The photo must foremost be one you fell in love with before someone else saw it.
You would pay over $100 to print it professionally and hang it in a treasured place in your home.
You thoroughly enjoyed the process of taking the photo, and the occasion holds a special place in your heart.
You already knew it would turn out great before pressing the shutter button.
It should enhance the other photos in your feed (always aim to use Instagram to showcase your cohesive photography style.
Avoid:
Presenting two very similar photos directly next to each other.
Posting photos that you aren’t 100% happy with just for the sake of posting - even if you haven’t posted for a while.
Posting news, graphics etc, these should be reserved for your Insta-Stories.
Posting random images that stick out and look like they don’t belong. For instance, if your feed is full of photos of delicate pastel flowers, don’t plan a random photo you took on the strip in Las Vegas. Create a Story highlight with these instead.
Instagram is the best place to showcase your photography style and to assess how your photography style is developing.
If you’d like to learn photography and develop a photography style my SOOP (Society of Obsessed Photographers) program will be perfect for you. It includes seven extensive workshops that cover photography basics (for both camera and smartphone photographers), photography style development, giving your photos more depth and meaning, standing out on Instagram and getting into the creative flow.
It comes with its own community where you can make friends with other like-minded female photographers from around the world, showcase your newest accomplishments, get feedback on the photos you’re unsure of and be constantly inspired with new content. You can also look forward to monthly live sessions where you can get feedback on your images, Instagram profile and photography style development.
LEARN MORE BY CLICKING HERE <<==
Or test SOOP for 7 days to get a feel for how it will help you in the “SOOP Potpourri”: