04/15/2019
Like many people, I have an account on Instagram (IG) (https://www.instagram.com/laurenweds). I post every day, which can be quite a challenge. I've been posting every day for over 1 ½ years.
It all starts with finding subject matter. This time of year, there is an abundance of things to photograph...flowers, trees, creeks...everything is bursting with color.
In addition to items in nature, I also have a large number of collectibles that I photograph in my “studio”. My studio consists of a tray table with a piece of cardboard covered in contact paper and a large, white tri-fold piece of cardboard as the background. I also use pieces of scrapbooking paper to create different looks. My studio is in the brightest room in our house (a room that was once a porch).
About once a week, I scour the dollar stores and flea markets for props. And now Garage Sale Season is upon us, so there are even more places to look for items to photograph.
I use my I Phone 7 for 99% of my pictures.
Whenever I'm photographing, I take several pictures from different angles of my subject. I also tend to take pictures in batches, meaning taking several pictures at once. For example, when I take pictures at the Xeriscape Garden in Springfield, I take pictures of many different flowers. I often take 5-10 pictures of one item trying to get the best angle.
Then its time to edit the pictures.
I go through each photo and decide if it's “Instagram-worthy”. Sometimes editing a picture makes it Instagram-worthy. But sometimes, it's just not a good picture. And that's no big deal because I've shot so many photos.
If it is a great picture, I do a little editing; usually just brightening up the photo.
Now for the technical part; when to post my photo to IG in order to get the best response.
IG has analytical information on my home page. There is a tab labeled, “Audience”. Click on the tab and you'll be shown a screen with the best times of day for you to post on IG. You can also click on “Content” and IG will show you how many impressions your last six posts have gotten. (Keep track of pictures that get good numbers and use these pictures in your posts, Pinterest ads and your website.)
Now I've taken my pictures, edited them and chosen which one I want to post to IG that day. It's time to come up with a caption.
I love quotes and often use them as captions. I also post some photos where the caption is just a description of the photo. Occasionally, I write a mini-blog post to go along with the picture. Be sure to include a Call to Action (CTA) where you ask the reader to do something after viewing your picture (text you, click for more information, go to your website, etc.)
I spend 15-20 minutes a day “liking” other people's photos and leaving comments. IG is a social network and, as such, I participate in the community as much as possible.
A lot of work goes into posting nice pictures to my IG account, but its totally worth it. I've met friends, other mental health bloggers and learned a lot about photography just by the sheer volume of pictures I take.
I encourage you to check IG out if you haven't already done so.
Do you have an IG account? I'd love to see it! Leave your IG handle in the comments, please!
481 Followers, 933 Following, 868 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Lauren W., Wedding Officiant ()
