Finding fame in the world of Instagram can be pretty tough, to start off, there are lots of unwritten rules many don’t know about. To understand how to become insta-famous when sharing pictures, you have to understand what people enjoy seeing – different types of pictures, different photo editing styles, exciting life events and good photo quality. Here are the do’s and dont’s of Instagram that everyone should follow.
Do: upload family photos. Everyone loves a good family pic, and Instagram is the perfect place to store your special moments. It’s hilarious to scroll down a year later and see how different you all look now. Note: family photos with BABIES is easily 10 extra likes, so get your hands on a baby cousin or something.
Don’t: upload a bunch of photos within minutes of each other. Everyone who follows you will know all the pictures are from the same event, and while Instagram is a great way to share experiences, it is not the place for the play-by-plays. Take to Twitter if you want to give everyone live updates.
That one was directed at you Miley Cyrus….
Do: take pictures of your pets. Dogs, cats, birds, snakes, lizards –likes are scored for exotic pets, pets doing something humans do, or pets in clothes. Every one of your followers loves a cat wearing a tutu “typing” on a computer.
Don’t: only take pictures of your pets. It’s cute a couple of times, but if your whole feed is your dog, you need to take the Instagram outside! Be creative and unique. Photography is a great way to hone your artistic skills, and the best way to do so is outside of your comfort zone.
Again… Miley Cyrus….
Do: use photo-resizing apps. These apps are half of the reason why I love Instagram. It allows you to fit the dimensions of the original picture within the dimensions of the Instagram grid. This avoids any stretching, cropping or otherwise unfortunate distortions to your picture. (No one likes a chopped off head)
Don’t: share your Instagram post to all of your other social networking sites. Only Twitter is fine, and only Facebook is also fine, but Instagram + Twitter + Facebook is overload. Chances are your followers/friends on all three of these sites are basically the same, and seeing your photo threefold is too much.
Do: use photo-editing apps outside of the Instagram filters. This is the other half of the reason I love Instagram and editing pictures. The filters available on these applications are beautiful, and take your picture to the next level. Once you apply filters here, you can export them directly to Instagram for posting.
Don’t: over-edit your photos. One filter is great, two is reasonable, three or more is too much. Use your artistic eye to decide if the photo aspects such as contrast, lighting and colouring are realistic while still being enhanced. Less is more!
It seems silly to talk about finding “success” in the Insta-sphere, but the app has helped many people be noticed for their photography and they have turned their hobby into a career. With access to applications like Instagram, the possibilities for new job opportunities, international friendships and global networking are endless. It’s also an awesome way to follow the lives of your fav celebs, so what’s not to like?
Featured image via Cristian Dina on Pexels
