3 Steps to Creating Your First Instagram Photo Essay
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| The Eiffel Tower. |
Instagram inspired a social photography revolution with its 600x600 pixel square slices of daily life. It's power has been unleashed by amateurs and professionals alike on subjects including "look what disgusting thing I'm eating for
dinner," "hey there is a tree
leaf in my coffee," and "I'm on a
beach - don't you wish you were on a beach?" The phenomenon of sharing every moment of life instantly has churned out addicts and ingenious creators alike. Just check out the dedicated Instagram
camera PetaPixel is showing us. With
50+ million users, Instagram is your own private photo exhibition.
Want to tap into that market? Share your life. And treat it as a publication. Start with a simple photo essay.
Here's how...
So you want to do a photo essay about your favorite dog? Maybe get your friends to ask you if you are currently in Paris? Want to get noticed on Instagram? That is awesome. Here is one way to get started:
1. Create a Plan
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| A gargoyle on the roof of Notre Dame. The doors to Notre Dame. The Eiffel Tower. |
What will you post? When will you post? How many photos will you post? Are you going to do a daily from your beach trip? What time of day will you post? Will it just be for your friends or are you going for wider audience? Do you know which #hashtags you will use? And, what is the story you want to tell (see below)?
Just like writing, you should only publish a photo essay when you have a complete work.
For this essay on Paris, I planned for it to be a daily post at 10am my time for two weeks (except Sundays). This meant having 12 photos ready to go. It gave me a regular posting time and my viewers new what to expect.
2. Develop a Theme
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| A statute and the Eiffel Tower. The entrance to the Louvre. Another Notre Dame gargoyle. |
You have a unique style. Your photo essay should emphasize your style. But each essay needs a unique theme - one element that ties everything together - and your style needs to be consistent. You want your viewer to recognize your work by your, but be surprised by what you do with it. Example: photograph road signs with a retro feel.
In this photo essay, I went for a contrasty black and white look at Paris highlights.
3. Tell a Story
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| A restaurant on Le Seine in front of Notre Dame. A triumphal arch. Le Seine. |
The goal of any photo essay is to carry the viewer through a narrative. Is your essay on you trip to the Rockies? Show the car you drove, the road up the mountain, your picnic area, and don't forget the mountain goats that ate your lunch or the beautiful sunset. Give the viewer a sense of place, then show them the details. What makes it special for you? Show it.
Here, I wanted to show the grandeur of the City of lights from a pedestrians view. When looking at these shots, I can still feel the weariness of my feet and the awe I was in after walking the city.
Final Tips:
Stick to your plan. Don't rush it. But don't forget about it either. Keep your consistency and be patient. If viewers leave a comment, give them a kind response. As you continue to show your work with regularity and you engage with viewers, your number of followers will grow. Ultimately, this is a chance for you to put your work on display for a gigantic audience.
Good luck with your first Instagram series. Take notes of what works and what doesn't. Use those in your next one. I can't wait to see what you come up with.
See my next photo essay: @bradkehrphoto
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| The Eiffel Tower from the city. |
Trying your first Photo Essay? Leave your Instagram user name in the comments. Have other ideas for using Instagram? Put them in the comments.
Also, check out some amazing work on Instagram by @natgeo, @babilemos, @chrisconnolly, and @tonydetroit.
