Techniques 37
Photography News Issue 44 absolutephoto.com
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cameras as well. The way around this is to invest in a camera with built-in Wi-Fi so you can transfer the images to your smart device and then to Instagram. If your camera doesn’t have Wi-Fi then you can email images that are saved onto your computer or laptop to yourself (if you don’t have access to your email on your smartphone or tablet then now is the time to set this up). Then just save or download your images from your email onto your smartphone/tablet and upload them onto Instagram.w
Instagram is purely about posting images and videos. As it is an app-based platform you’ll need to download it onto your smartphone or tablet. There is a desktop version which can be accessed in your Internet browser, but it doesn’t offer the functionality that you need to upload photographs or videos. The idea of Instagram is to instantly be able to upload the images taken on your smart device to your account, but as photographers we want to showcase images that we’ve taken on our
It’s a good idea to set up all of your social media accounts with the same or a very similar name so people can easily find and follow you on other platforms. For example, my Facebook page is Jemma Dodd Photography and my Instagram and Twitter accounts are jemmadoddphoto. You’ll also need to add a profile image, fill in your profile with a bio and can include a link to your website if you have one.
Navigating Depending on what version of the app you are using and whether your device is Android or iOS, you may find some differences in the layout and navigation.
Home view
Profile view
Three dots Access settings and account details
+friend symbol Search for friends and see suggestions of who to follow
Gridview
Photos of you
Scrolling view
Saved images
Home Shows you a feed of your followers
Profile Takes you to your profile
Plus symbol To upload a photo/ video or take a new photo/video
Heart Shows notifications
Search Allows you to search for posts, users and tags
Instagramwill display images on your profile in a square format, but you can still upload landscape-format images. Tap the ‘upload’ button and select an image from your gallery Alternatively click the Photo or Video option which allows you to take an image with your device’s camera Click an image to see a preview, then pinch the image and bring your fingers together to reframe (Instagram doesn’t work so well in doing this with portrait format images) To add multiple images to one post click ‘select multiple’ With your chosen image/s click ‘next’ Tap ‘Filter’ if you wish to add a filter and then scroll across to see the filters available and click to apply. Click ‘next’ when done. Do the same for the ‘Edit’ option to make any other adjustments Click ‘next’ when you’re happy with your results Tip Tap and release on your image to see a before and after. Uploading a photo
Instagramstories If you click on the home button, you’ll see your profile image in the top left hand corner with a + symbol next to it. Tap it and it will bring up a camerawith the options, Live, Normal, Boomerang andHands-Free. Live lets you record a live video, Normal takes an image and Boomerang lets you create a small clip withmovement. If you chooseNormal and take a picture you can then add text, brushes and stickers, if you scroll up before taking a picture you can use an image already saved to your device – just bear inmind it will be cropped to a portrait format. Click the ‘+ Your Story’ button and the imagewill appear for 24-hours within your story before then being deleted forever. This is a great way to let your followers seewhat you’re up to and tease content, such as behind the scenes of a shoot. Themore stories you create themore Instagramwill reward you by placing your story to the front for your followers to see. As people you follow create stories theywill appear at the top of your home page.
band/artist name or event name – such as #LeedsFestival #EllieGoulding. I also include #JemmaDoddPhotography and the camera that it was shot with #NikonD750. All hashtags need to have a space between them to separate them, and can’t have any spaces or special characters. Each post is limited to 30 hashtags. You can also ‘Tag People’ within the image: this means that the image will show up in their ‘Images of You’ section, which can help more come across your work. Once you’re ready to upload, tap ‘Share’, and the image will appear on your profile.
Posting your image You’ll now see a space for a caption; you can also tag other users here, similar to Facebook. Start typing @ and the person/company/brand you wish to tag. Select the correct person and then they will be notified that they’ve been mentioned. This is a great way to help promote people you’ve worked with, such as models and make-up artists, and in return if they post the image they can tag you as the photographer. For hashtags (keywords) use words that relate to the image. I hashtag my music images with things such as #musicphotography or include the
Tips ‘Like’ and comment on images andyou may findusers do so in return. Message other users by clicking thepaper plane symbol in the top right on thehomepage.
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