Hi guys,
It’s Nate, from NatePhotographic.com!
I know, I know… it’s been a while since I’ve emailed you.
(If you’re scratching your head right now, I’m the guy who made that free, VSCO-cam inspired Lightroom preset pack and wrote those film guides. Yeah, I'm that guy!).
I’ve been working hard behind-the-scenes making some awesome new stuff (which I can’t wait to share real soon.) But in the meantime, I wanted to share my #1 piece of Instagram advice (and what the heck, I'll share #2 while I'm at it).
See, in the past few months, I’ve chatted with thousands of photographers on Instagram. A lot of them have asked me to look over their account and give them advice on how to improve it. I found I was giving a couple of pieces of advice over and over, and thought it may be helpful if I shared the advice with you as well.
So here it is:
My #1 Instagram Tip is to go through your existing Instagram photos and ruthlessly delete anything that isn’t your best work.
Let me explain.
When I joined Instagram a few years back, I was just getting started with photography. After a while, I had around 120 photos on Instagram, and just under 300 followers. Some of my photos were good. But most were pretty bad (especially my older photos).
So earlier this year, I did an Instagram purge and deleted 90% of my posts. I only kept my favorite 10% of photos.
Guess what happened next?
Yep, my Instagram follow rate doubled overnight.
It’s one of the reasons I’ve gone from 300 followers to 2,300 followers in just the last few months.
By only showcasing my best work, users who see my gallery have a higher perception of my photography skills. They see the level of photographer I am today, and it isn’t weighed down by the photographer I used to be.
I see this problem happening all the time with other photographers. Someone will have some absolutely gorgeous photos in her gallery, but those amazing photos are mixed in with some second-rate, casual snapshots. It's needlessly limiting the full potential of that Instagram account and short-changing the user's photographic skills.
So I’d encourage you to take a hard look at your Instagram account (or blog, or flickr, or 500px) and ask yourself, “Does this only show my best work? Is there anything I can delete from here, so that only my best work shines through?"
I know it’s hard to purge. Each photo is your baby. Deleting something seems so permanent.
But I promise you it will make your account stronger. You owe it to yourself (and your future followers) to showcase the full potential of your photography skills.
My #2 piece of advice is this: Stop worrying about your follow / follower ratio. Following others is a great way to learn and grow and be a part of the photographic community
Whenever I see a photography account on Instagram which is followed by thousands of photographers, but only follows a handful of photographers, I’m instantly suspicious.
Why?
Because it signals to me that the photographer is more interested in personal vanity than being a part of a photography community.
That isn’t the type of photographer I want follow. I want to follow photographers that are just as engaged in the works of fellow photographers as they are in their own work.
Because that’s what community looks like. It’s a two-way street.
So I try to spend just as much time liking other people’s photos and leaving comments as I do posting my own photos. Not only has this inspired me as a photographer, but I also believe in karma. The more you help the community, the more the community will help you!
So don’t be shy at following-back! Don’t skimp on liking others photos or leaving comments! And never, ever “unfollow” someone just to improve your ratio.
In short - be more social. And good things will happen!
That’s it for now. More good stuff to come soon!
Cheers,
-Nate
http://instagram.com/firstnate
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