What to Post on Instagram as a Photographer

Over the last two decades, social media has transformed our lives. For photographers, Instagram has become a significant platform for showcasing their work, building their brand and community, and reaching new audiences. 

If you want a successful Instagram account to share your photography work and promote your services, planning the content you want to share on this platform is essential. A mix of content types, such as posts, stories and reels, will help create consistency and attract more followers. 

In this blog, I will share my favourite tips to help you create a successful Instagram account for your photography.

1. Showcase Your Portfolio

High-Quality Images

As Instagram is a visual platform, your Instagram account must showcase your best work. My tips for this would be:

• Find your style and stick to it.
• Choose quality over quantity.
• Keep in mind the aesthetic flow of your grid.
• Regularly review the analytics to see what works and what doesn't. Then, adapt if necessary. 

Series or Themed Posts

Series and themed posts are a great way to gain followers as they give a good reason to return to your profile. If they enjoyed a part of the series, potential followers will likely come back and follow you to see the rest. Engaging series could be, for example, "Through The Seasons," "Dog’s Portraits," "Golden Hour Diaries," "Around the World," etc.

Before and After Shots

Posting Before and After shots is an excellent way to show your editing skills to your followers and, therefore, increase your credibility and trust. Before and After shots can also highlight your creative vision. Lastly, they will inspire those learning photography and encourage them to try editing techniques to improve their work.

2. Share Behind-the-Scenes (Bts) Content

On-Shoot Moments

People are generally very curious about BTS content as it shows "real life". It humanizes the photographer and makes him look more authentic, relatable, and approachable. One of the things that your followers will appreciate is seeing the work that goes into capturing a beautiful photo, so make sure to share in-progress shots of photoshoots regularly. 

Sharing BTS content can also build anticipation for the final shot. As you take your followers along with you during a photoshoot, they will feel more included and invested in seeing how the photoshoot turns out and how the final result looks.

Workspace and Gear

By sharing BTS content about your workspace and gear, you are giving your followers an opportunity to learn. Make sure to share interesting tips that they can apply to their own photography.

Challenges and Setbacks

Please don't be shy to share the challenges you face on your photography journey, as they are part of the creative process and will only show an even more authentic side of your workflow. Your followers will include beginner photographers, giving them hope that every photographer sometimes faces setbacks but that the most important thing is learning from them and improving.

3. Embrace Trending Content Types

Reels

Instagram's algorithm tends to prioritize Reels, which have a higher chance of going viral than static posts or stories. Therefore, I encourage you to regularly share reels on your Instagram account, as they are an excellent way to attract more followers and grow your community.

Instagram Stories & Highlights

Just like reels, stories are short and easy to consume. They are perfect for sharing daily content and can easily be saved in the Highlights, so your followers can get back to them anytime.

Interactive Elements

Experiment with interactive stickers, like quizzes or countdowns, to make your content more attractive and fun.

4. Engage with Your Community

Polls and Questions

Creating polls and questions is a good way to engage directly with your followers. Polls and questions encourage your followers to participate and feel included as the interaction is more personal. It can also give you valuable feedback from your audience when you want to understand what they expect to see on your page or when you want to try new ideas. 

You can also use polls and questions to tease upcoming projects or announcements, as they will build anticipation and excitement for what is coming next.

User-Generated Content

Featuring photos from followers or collaborating with other photographers will make your audience feel valued and included. It will increase engagement and potentially attract more followers, as when you feature followers' photos, they are likely to share the post with their own audience.

Personal Stories and Reflections

Sharing what inspires you and what made you become the photographer you are today is important as it is authentic and personal, shows your effort and dedication to the art and will inspire your followers to find their own path.

5. Educate Your Audience

Photography Tips & Tricks

As mentioned above, the community you will create on Instagram will include aspiring photographers starting their photography journey and photographers wishing to improve their skills and keep learning. Sharing tips and tricks about lighting, composition, or editing is a good way to provide valuable content and engage with your community.

"How I Shot This" Breakdown

Create step-by-step guides explaining your workflow for capturing popular images that you posted on your Instagram account. This will push and empower your audience to improve their skills and create a strong bond between you and them.

Q&A

Use Stories or Reels to answer common questions or demonstrate techniques. Q&A is the perfect way to engage with your followers, as they will most likely engage with posts that invite conversation. This will then boost your visibility as the algorithm picks up on higher engagement content.

6. Build Your Brand Identity

Consistent Visual Style

If you wish to use Instagram to build your brand identity, you need to develop a consistent visual style to make you stand out from competitors.

Personal Brand Voice

Make sure that your captions align with your brand and stay consistent.

Brand Storytelling

Share your photography journey, values, and what you hope to accomplish to humanize your brand, attract followers, and inspire other photographers.

7. Promote Your Services And Products

Client Work & Testimonials

If you wish to promote your services and products through Instagram, I recommend sharing authentic client testimonials and feedback to prove that you are legitimate and that your services and products are of high quality.

Announce Workshops or Events

If you plan on hosting workshops or events, use your posts and stories to promote them and share what you plan to do with your audience. This will attract potential participants and generate revenue for your business.

Highlight Offers and Discounts

Any time you have special offers and discounts, share them with your followers to create even more sales. 

Creating varied and high-quality content is key to having a successful Instagram account for your photography. Feel free to try the tips highlighted in this blog post, track the engagement and adapt, if necessary, to grow your presence on Instagram.

The Bottom Line

Building a successful Instagram presence as a photographer requires a thoughtful mix of showcasing your portfolio, sharing behind-the-scenes content, engaging with your community, and embracing trending content types like Reels. Stay consistent, offer value through tips and personal insights, and use the platform to authentically promote your brand and services.