Getting Started with Instagram

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taxboy

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I think I may finally dip my toe in the water with Instagram and at the outset I'm not a big social media user and would appreciate some advice please. From my initial research it seems that IG likes images to be posted in either 1:1 or 4x5 portrait format
For scenic landscapes are people simply shooting in portrait format to post on IG, looking for an upright / square crop from a landscape format image that will suit or doing something else?
Any hints or tips regarding workflow would be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks
 
As Instagram doesn't put any border between images, you can crop it to a 2 (or 3) x 1 aspect ratio, then split that into however many 1 x 1 blocks and upload them as separate images, as long as they are next to each other they can be swiped through. It is probably worth adding a whole version, with padding top/bottom to show the full image at once. You can even make a 10 x 1 collage if you want to share a sequence of images.
 
When uploading you can select original image aspect ratio but it might still get cropped to some extent - however it doesn't have to be square or portrait.
I do quite like square format and a lot of photos look as good or better like that.
On balance facebook is a better option for sharing and is pretty good for video clips too.
 
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4wd said:
When uploading you can select original image aspect ratio but it might still get cropped to some extent - however it doesn't have to be square or portrait.
I do quite like square format and a lot of photos look as good or better like that.
On balance facebook is a better option for sharing and is pretty good for video clips too.
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I find it all goes a bit pear shaped if I try to post upright and landscape in the same post, if I remember to only post one or the other it is fine.
Things got much easier been able to post direct from the macbook instead of having to emulate a iPad but still not perfect in my limited experience.
 
I've given up posting on Instagram - I get the impression it's not really a "thing" now so much, wanting to do more reels and such to compete with Ticketytock
 
taxboy said:
Any hints or tips regarding workflow would be greatly appreciated
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I finish my "normal" editing process on my photos, and if I think it's a photo I might want to put on Instagram, I then:
  1. crop it to 1x1 (or 4x5 portrait)
  2. add a watermark
  3. save that copy to a folder called "Instragram"
  4. once I actually post it to Instagram, I move the file to a subfolder called "posted".
For photos that really need a landscape orientation, I've seen some Instagram users post them sideways. It's not ideal, but the Instagram app doesn't auto-rotate the image on a phone or tablet, so a viewer can physically rotate the device.
 
I don't use social media at all really, but I have been thinking about setting up something on Instagram, so need to look into this more. What is the difference between Instagram and Flickr if I may ask (and hijack the thread a little)?
 
lindsay said:
I've given up posting on Instagram - I get the impression it's not really a "thing" now so much, wanting to do more reels and such to compete with Ticketytock
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Yeah, it’s a total waste of time. Unless you have plenty of that to spare :D

Only way you get any engagement with other users nowadays; is if you keep the algorithm happy; and that’s pretty much a full time job.

Like everything… comment on everything… reply to everything…

First thing I’ll always say to a new user. And that’s don’t let the amount of attention you receive on there reflect how good you think your posts are. It’s literally all about popularity - rather than content quality.
 
I use an app on my phone, it adds a white border which allows me to keep my original crop.

Don't let your participation on Instagram take you on a different path then the one you're on - likes, shares, comment, follows are not worth pursuing... spend more time creating work and not consuming time on social media.

There was a time when people could sign up, create a community and then use that to launch some sort of business.. I think for most people, that time is over

I spend little on Instagram now - I have my main personal page and my local documenting.swindon one - I get more enjoyment posting to documenting.swindon which is the smaller account.
 
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Adamcski said:
I don't use social media at all really, but I have been thinking about setting up something on Instagram, so need to look into this more. What is the difference between Instagram and Flickr if I may ask (and hijack the thread a little)?
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Nobody under 50 uses or looks at Flickr. So if you want to reach a wider 'audience', you need to look at what the Young People are doing. And right now, they're all over Insta.
Think of Insta as your 'bait'; you can lure people in to your 'proper' website, Flickr or whatever, via Insta. 'If you want to see more, then visit ______.com' or whatever. That's how to exploit Instagram. So fill it with the clichéd, populist content, get them hooked, reel them in to look at the proper stuff. Think of Instagram as an ad on a bus or train, or a billboard, etc, and then you're some way along to making it work. Of course, you need people to be 'ollowng' you too, so you need to think about hashtags and targeting and all that kind of business. It's a lot harder than it looks. You can spend your lifetime producing the most exquisite large format landscape image of breathtaking views, but if all people really want to look at it pics of cats doing stupid things, then you'll get nowhere. You have to convince them that looking at your exquisite large format landscapes is the new best thing.
 
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Adamcski said:
Ah I don't have a website or anything like that and I only do this for a hobby. I would add that I'm 41 this year and only just downloaded the Flickr app lol
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They have an app? :eek:
That's probably for the under 50s only :LOL:
 
Abdichoudxyz said:
Nobody under 50 uses or looks at Flickr. So if you want to reach a wider 'audience', you need to look at what the Young People are doing. And right now, they're all over Insta.
Think of Insta as your 'bait'; you can lure people in to your 'proper' website, Flickr or whatever, via Insta. 'If you want to see more, then visit ______.com' or whatever. That's how to exploit Instagram. So fill it with the clichéd, populist content, get them hooked, reel them in to look at the proper stuff. Think of Instagram as an ad on a bus or train, or a billboard, etc, and then you're some way along to making it work. Of course, you need people to be 'ollowng' you too, so you need to think about hashtags and targeting and all that kind of business. It's a lot harder than it looks. You can spend your lifetime producing the most exquisite large format landscape image of breathtaking views, but if all people really want to look at it pics of cats doing stupid things, then you'll get nowhere. You have to convince them that looing at your exquitiste
large format landscapes is the new best thing.
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You might be overegging the amount of young people on Instra - they're on Ticktok now - it's why Instagram have been changing itself into ticktok, to get them back
 
benc98 said:
You might be overegging the amount of young people on Instra - they're on Ticktok now - it's why Instagram have been changing itself into ticktok, to get them back
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TikTok is more about videos of crap dancing and 'pranking' people etc. Insta is now seen as a serious SM tool, and used by all sorts from crap photographers to engineers, sports people and even politicians. Pretty much ALL the YP I know use Insta. And this is in London, so absolutely bang on trend.
 
I also thought that the young people were on other social networks like BeReal and TikTok, or probably something else that I haven't heard of.

But back to the point of Flickr vs Instagram, you are probably going to get more eyes on your work on Instagram, as Flickr has been in decline for years.
 
Craikeybaby said:
But back to the point of Flickr vs Instagram, you are probably going to get more eyes on your work on Instagram, as Flickr has been in decline for years.
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.... Flickr and Instagram are very very different from each other and offer different pros and cons.

Instagram is far more social with an easier and better structure for chats and networking among a broader audience.

Flickr offers much better standards of image presentation but is really only for photographers or those particularly interested in photography itself. It doesn't work socially except among a few people you already know.

I am on Flickr (link in my TP signature) and have three separate Instagram pages to cover wildlife, surfvibe, and railways.

P.S. I am 76yo but very young at heart!
 
James Thomas 75 said:
Yeah, it’s a total waste of time. Unless you have plenty of that to spare :D

Only way you get any engagement with other users nowadays; is if you keep the algorithm happy; and that’s pretty much a full time job.

Like everything… comment on everything… reply to everything…

First thing I’ll always say to a new user. And that’s don’t let the amount of attention you receive on there reflect how good you think your posts are. It’s literally all about popularity - rather than content quality.
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.... I agree with everything you have said except :
rather than content quality.
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.... There are some exceptional talented and also established photographers on Instagram, many of whom are very inspirational. Some are professionals, some are hobbyists, and of all ages.

A creative mind needs to be both broad-minded and open-minded.
 
lindsay said:
I've given up posting on Instagram - I get the impression it's not really a "thing" now so much, wanting to do more reels and such to compete with Ticketytock
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.... I haven't given up on Instagram but I shoot so many still images (often 1,000+ every single week), only RAW and needing culling and post-processing (usually about 30 out of every 1,000) that I have difficulty finding the time to post anywhere! I'm either out from dawn til dusk shooting (including travelling) or indoors editing - Right now I have not stepped outside my front door since Saturday and it's late Monday.

To get around Instagram's default behaviour of cropping my images in ways I don't like I have created a square template in Affinity Publisher so that every image is already in a square background and doesn't get interfered with. Like this :

www.instagram.com

Robin Procter (@robinsurfpix) • Instagram photos and videos

684 Followers, 518 Following, 262 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Robin Procter (@robinsurfpix)
www.instagram.com www.instagram.com
 
It seems to me that Instagram is turning more and more into a rubbish pile lately. The best thing you can do is use the web browser with an ad blocker, but even there you are bombarded with some stupid and repetitive videos. If you use it with the app on your phone or tablet, the adverts come on top of that. In between, you sparsely see one or two photos of the people you follow. And I really only wanted to use it for the photos and only of people I know personally.
Ultimately, if you work hard into it and have earned thousands of followers, it's another good way to get apparent validation from people who have already forgotten what it was 2 seconds after they clicked or tapped on the little heart. And if you die today, none of those thousands of followers will ever miss you.
In short: a waste of time and at best self-deception.
 
lemo said:
It seems to me that Instagram is turning more and more into a rubbish pile lately. The best thing you can do is use the web browser with an ad blocker, but even there you are bombarded with some stupid and repetitive videos. If you use it with the app on your phone or tablet, the adverts come on top of that. In between, you sparsely see one or two photos of the people you follow. And I really only wanted to use it for the photos and only of people I know personally.
Ultimately, if you work hard into it and have earned thousands of followers, it's another good way to get apparent validation from people who have already forgotten what it was 2 seconds after they clicked or tapped on the little heart. And if you die today, none of those thousands of followers will ever miss you.
In short: a waste of time and at best self-deception.
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.... That's one way of looking at it but is taking it too seriously in my opinion.

All social media, including TalkPhotography, offers positives which are directly according to the time and effort you put into them.

They each offer different things to different people. And when I say "different" I don't mean the LBGTQ crowd.

Instagram is a major conduit for my daughter's successful business and connects to her website :

www.instagram.com

Sky Siouki Procter (@skysiouki) • Instagram photos and videos

4,695 Followers, 3,444 Following, 1,922 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Sky Siouki Procter (@skysiouki)
www.instagram.com www.instagram.com
 
lemo said:
It seems to me that Instagram is turning more and more into a rubbish pile lately. The best thing you can do is use the web browser with an ad blocker, but even there you are bombarded with some stupid and repetitive videos. If you use it with the app on your phone or tablet, the adverts come on top of that. In between, you sparsely see one or two photos of the people you follow. And I really only wanted to use it for the photos and only of people I know personally.
Ultimately, if you work hard into it and have earned thousands of followers, it's another good way to get apparent validation from people who have already forgotten what it was 2 seconds after they clicked or tapped on the little heart. And if you die today, none of those thousands of followers will ever miss you.
In short: a waste of time and at best self-deception.
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That just makes you sound old. Insta does contain a lot of crap, but it's a powerful SM tool, used successfully by many people, as @RedRobin shows. I know lots of people who use Insta for promoting all sorts of business, including hairdressing/makeup/nails, furniture making, narrow boat restoration, cake making, bicycle mechanics, breweries, clothing designers, etc etc etc. As well as the usual photographers, artists, wannabe pop stars etc. And estate agents. I find it great for exploring brutalist architecture amongst other things. You get out what you put in.
 
No but it's true @RedRobin. Thanks for showing us how Instagram can work. Many older folk have an unhealthy but understandable distrust of modern technology; my mum was terrible for it. She'd put herself at a disadvantage because she refused to engage with modern tech. I've vowed to try to keep up as much as possible, so that I don't end up being one of those old fogies who's scared of the world and shouts at clouds...
 
Abdichoudxyz said:
No but it's true @RedRobin. Thanks for showing us how Instagram can work. Many older folk have an unhealthy but understandable distrust of modern technology; my mum was terrible for it. She'd put herself at a disadvantage because she refused to engage with modern tech. I've vowed to try to keep up as much as possible, so that I don't end up being one of those old fogies who's scared of the world and shouts at clouds...
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NEVER GROW UP!! by Robin Procter, on Flickr
 
Abdichoudxyz said:
That just makes you sound old.
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To satisfy my oldie's curiosity: who do you think was inventing this technology and writing the precursor code to things like Instagram, forty or fifty years ago? :thinking:
 
AndrewFlannigan said:
To satisfy my oldie's curiosity: who do you think was inventing this technology and writing the precursor code to things like Instagram, forty or fifty years ago? :thinking:
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There does seem to be a bit of an agest thing running through some posts. :rolleyes:
 
AndrewFlannigan said:
To satisfy my oldie's curiosity: who do you think was inventing this technology and writing the precursor code to things like Instagram, forty or fifty years ago? :thinking:
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Who invented the wheel? Who first harnessed fire? Who first discovered electricity? Etc. No good saying 'oh yes but back in my day we invented blah blah blah'. Because someone before you invented the technology or systems to allow you to continue with that human progression. And when the kids doing all the clever coding stuff for today's tech ar elong dead, there'll be more kids developing ever newer ideas. And there'll always be old gits grumbling about how Wagon Wheels were bigger in their day or whatever. ;)

Cobra said:
There does seem to be a bit of an agest thing running through some posts. :rolleyes:
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Well, I'm in my fifties, so hardly a 'young person'. However, I try to remain up to date with things, and whilst there are many fads that simply don't catch my attention, I think it's well worthwhile paying some interest in what the young folk are up to, because it makes for better relationships between generations. Yes, I laugh at some of the 'fashions' and hairstyles, but then I used to laugh at such when I was a teenager anyway, so I've always approached things with a healthy dose of cynicism and scepticism. My partner and I probably socialise with a lot more young people than most our age, and just don't subscribe to this 'age appropriate' nonsense. Some friends have recently started going to an 'over 30s' nightclub. I was one of the youngest people there. :ROFLMAO: It was ok, but it lacked that youthful energy that the places the trendy kids go to. We'll also go to places where we are so old it's not even funny; my partner was at a club with some young colleagues recently, and a Drill andTrap music event was on. Her 23 year old colleague was considered 'old' by the teenagers there. But so what? As @RedRobin says; never grow up!

(Wanders off to try to work out how this new fangled digital pictures thing works. Forgets where slippers and Horlicks are...)
 
Abdichoudxyz said:
Because someone before you invented the technology or systems to allow you to continue with that human progression
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Thank you for clarifying my point.

So why be unpleasant about people by making comments like "That just makes you sound old." ?
 
AndrewFlannigan said:
Thank you for clarifying my point.

So why be unpleasant about people by making comments like "That just makes you sound old." ?
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I'm not being 'unpleasant', Just pointing out that criticising something for being rubbish, when it clearly isn't for lots of others, does make you sound old and out of touch. That's what young people would think. Whereas @RedRobin points out that it's much more nuanced than that. I try to be mindful of not being out of touch, by engaging with people and things in order to learn. I have lots to offer others in terms of skills, knowledge, experience etc, but I've always tried to be receptive to other, and new ideas. TikTok doesn't appeal to me at all, but it does to lots of others. Dismissing it as rubbish would just make me sound old...
 
Abdichoudxyz said:
I'm in my fifties,
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Really?
You either lied on your profile when you signed up or you are lying now... Curious.

Abdichoudxyz said:
That just makes you sound old.
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All I was saying was there seems to be an ageist theme, running here.
I never singled out anyone, but there seems to a suggestion that older people can't keep up with certain things, like technology.
Do you think there are little auto bots running around in the server, making adjustments, and generally taking care of business?


But that quote above ( to Andrew)

And again
Abdichoudxyz said:
, when it clearly isn't for lots of others, does make you sound old and out of touch.
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sounds like ageism to me.

I'm a lot older than you and personally I don't care, but others may well be offended by you remarks.
 
Cobra said:
You either lied on your profile when you signed up or you are lying now... Curious.
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Am I legally obliged to input all my exact personal details into this website? I have my own reasons for not doing so, to protect my identity. I can't even remember what I input for my age on login, tbh. Does it suggest I'm 12 or something? :ROFLMAO:

Cobra said:
All I was saying was there seems to be an ageist theme, running here.
I never singled out anyone, but there seems to a suggestion that older people can't keep up with certain things, like technology.
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I and others have responded to opinions expressed about Instagram. I'm merely echoing what many other people in wider society might feel about criticism of such things. There's really no 'ageism' as you suggest. But sometimes you have to try and gian sme sense of self awareness. About how you, or your opinions, might come across in general society. I'm sure many young people think some of my ideas/opinions are 'old fashioned' or whatever. But I'm not defensive about that. Because I don't really care. There are many things the YP do that I really couldn't give a s*** about. But I do see how things like social media are important to them in a way they perhaps aren't to many older folk. That's fine. The young are allowed to enjoy their youth. Leave them to it, let them enjoy themselves.

Cobra said:
sounds like ageism to me.
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As I've explained, it's not.

Cobra said:
I'm a lot older than you and personally I don't care, but others may well be offended by you remarks.
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We live in an age where people can choose to get offended by all sorts of things. I'm with Ricky Gervais on that though...
 
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The unfortunate reality is that all Social Media channels are ultimately about money.

So they will do whatever is necessary to keep it rolling in with little or no regard for what users originally started interacting with it for.

I can't scroll through a facebook feed now without seeing multiple, multiple adverts.

Instagram used to be just about still images, but it's now much more about 'reels'. As is Facebook TBH.

I have a flickr account, but I don't engage with it as a platform (never have). I use it to store images to post here.

I resisted getting an insta account for years, but started recently. When I first signed up all, most of what I got served were reels of scantily dressed women, unfunny sketches from unfunny people, videos that try to trick you to view to the end by saying 'you won't believe what happens at the end', and a load of other dross that makes you question why you're spending any time there at all.

It takes a lot of interaction with the content you actually want to see to stop that happening.

While it's true that many, many people have huge success with marketing themselves and/or their businesses on IG, most of it is (now) s***e and it's becoming harder and harder to separate the wheat from the chaff. All IMHOOC.
 
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Kell said:
The unfortunate reality is that all Social Media channels are ultimately about money.
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..... So is everything in modern life - It doesn't matter because we can each ignore it if we wish.
Kell said:
I can't scroll through a facebook feed now without seeing multiple, multiple adverts.
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.... I only use Facebook on my desktop, not mobile devices, and my Adblockers stop all adverts - I don't see any!
Kell said:
Instagram used to be just about still images, but it's now much more about 'reels'. As is Facebook TBH
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.... It still is if you want to be. Its algorithms automatically respond to what you click on. So if you want lots of motorbikes in your feeds then click on them, same with each other subject. It's also influenced by those people or businesses etc which you select to Follow.

Bottom line is that it's all up to you - Simples. You can be Master and you are not a Slave (unless you prefer to be)
Kell said:
I have a flickr account, but I don't engage with it as a platform (never have). I use it to store images to post here.
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.... Same here - It's good place to host from and also view your own 'portfolio' and Albums.
Kell said:
I resisted getting an insta account for years, but started recently. When I first signed up all, most of what I got served were reels of scantily dressed women, unfunny sketches from unfunny people, videos that try to trick you to view to the end by saying 'you won't believe what happens at the end', and a load of other dross that makes you question why you're spending any time there at all.

It takes a lot of interaction with the content you actually want to see to stop that happening.
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.... Exactly. You can be in control.
Kell said:
While it's true that many, many people have huge success with marketing themselves and/or their businesses on IG, most of it is (now) s***e and it's becoming harder and harder to separate the wheat from the chaff. All IMHOOC.
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.... Nothing in commercial life is easy and never has been.
 
Cobra said:
One junior tag coming up. (y)
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Ooh goody!! :D

Cobra said:
But you mentioned it twice ... so you do seems a little fixated..
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Eh? It was you who felt there was ageism going on. I'm a little confused now, to tell the truth. Must be my age or something...

Kell said:
The unfortunate reality is that all Social Media channels are ultimately about money.
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But the same is true of print media; newspapers rely on selling advertising space in order to operate. Otherwise you'd need to be paying like £30 for a copy of the Times or Guardian or whatever. Every single day. The Media wouldn't exist without commercialism. Even the BBC has to supplement its income via TV licences, by selling content to other countries. Nothing is free. If you can exploit SM for your own financial gain, then you're onto a winner. And if you don't like it, you can always turn it off/not engage with it. No-one's forcing you to consume.
 
Abdichoudxyz said:
But the same is true of print media; newspapers rely on selling advertising space in order to operate. Otherwise you'd need to be paying like £30 for a copy of the Times or Guardian or whatever. Every single day. The Media wouldn't exist without commercialism. Even the BBC has to supplement its income via TV licences, by selling content to other countries. Nothing is free. If you can exploit SM for your own financial gain, then you're onto a winner. And if you don't like it, you can always turn it off/not engage with it. No-one's forcing you to consume.
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In all the instances you quote, there are editors, decision makers etc that curate what makes the cut and what doesn’t. So you get the good stuff and not all the dross.

In the past, images might be described as ‘instagrammable’. Nowadays, that term means nothing.
 
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Abdichoudxyz said:
But the same is true of print media; newspapers rely on selling advertising space in order to operate. Otherwise you'd need to be paying like £30 for a copy of the Times or Guardian or whatever. Every single day. The Media wouldn't exist without commercialism. Even the BBC has to supplement its income via TV licences, by selling content to other countries. Nothing is free. If you can exploit SM for your own financial gain, then you're onto a winner. And if you don't like it, you can always turn it off/not engage with it. No-one's forcing you to consume.
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.... :agree: And it's not just online and print media which is fuelled and driven by commercial activity. In other words, by money.

There is a saying that : Money Makes The World Go Round. We may not always like it but fundamentally it is true. I, for one, would prefer it wasn't so but that's what human beings have created, eh?

We each have a certain degree of choice in how we control what is aimed at us - For example, personally I never buy newspapers (unless myself or a friend is written about in one) and I never look at Twitter (I like to call it t***ter).

Formatted to express myself via Instagram :

S L O O O W CHILL by Robin Procter, on Flickr
 
Kell said:
In the past, images might be described as ‘instagrammable’. Nowadays, that term means nothing.
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.... But why does that matter?

We live in a world where nothing stands still. Or at least, not for long.
 
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