Instagram has been a game-changer when it comes to photographers. Professionals and amateurs alike have the potential to get noticed and propelled to viral fame, and it can happen in a heartbeat or overnight.
But on the flip side, it’s also very common for a seemingly incredible photography feed to fall unnoticed, and disappear into the shadows. So, what distinguishes the feeds that get noticed from the ones that don’t?
That’s something professional Canadian photographer David Koonar has solved, and now, he’s sharing some of his best tips and secrets. Here is some of his insight into Instagram photography, and how you can make sure your instagram feed gets noticed.
David, why are you passionate about Instagram and photography?
I’ve always been drawn to photography, and it’s one of my biggest passions in life. Being from Canada, we have such beautiful natural resources and wilderness, and I found that capturing them in photos was such a source of joy and inspiration for me.
Now, I’m using my traditional photography training and experience to not only use social media on my own, but also help other photographers who want to do the same.
What are some things that make an Instagram feed stand out?
Having a voice and a mood can definitely help your feed stand out from others. If your Instagram feed is all over the place, people will have a tough time gauging your vibe, and won’t honestly know what to expect from you.
That’s why I say it’s important to know your niche. There are plenty of photographers who want to do it all, from weddings to wildlife and everything in between. But your audience, and your potential clients, will find this confusing, and it’ll be tough to draw a big audience. It’s also important to showcase your best work.
What do you mean?
Well, you would think that this would automatically be the case, but I don’t think so. I think that many photographers feel pressured to put up content regularly, and also post things from every shoot, and what ends up happening is they upload photos that aren’t their best work.
Now, I think it’s definitely important to have a personality, and your captions are a great place to do that. But if you look at accounts with huge followings, like National Geographic, you see they only post their most excellent shots.
Tell us more about showing personality.
Anyone can take nice photos, and really, that’s not enough anymore. You need to not only tell a story, but also spend time building a community.
Write your captions to engage people, pull back the curtain, give them some of the back story that will get them really interested. And also spend time supporting people in your community and on your feed.
Like and comment on other people’s photos, to build good rapport. And don’t pay any mind to negative comments.
More of Koonar’s work on his website.
You can also check out his social media pages and blog.
Any last tips?
Focus on quality, not quantity. Like I was saying before, it can be temping to want to post a ton of photos, and it can be easy to focus on the amount of followers you have, or what’s known as vanity metrics.
But really, it’s important not be be obsessed with numbers, but with the quality of everything. High quality pictures and high quality followers will carry you much further.
