It’s time again to share my week on Instagram. It was quite a busy week so I only had time for a few IG posts and two of them were work-related.
The first image is a tree, taken an Albert Park Lake as part of the April Instagram Meetup. I opened it in Pixlr and used the Silk Stylise effect.
So, my first tip is to make sure your photo is a good one. Some people thin that IG has lower quality photos. While it’s true that the majority of IG shots come from smartphones, it’s not always the case, and that shouldn’t really matter. I post a mixture of smartphone and “real” camera shots, depending on a lot of things, including my mood, where I’m located, or what I’m trying to convey.
Maybe I’m promoting my blog, in which case I’ll use an image from the blog post, which are usually photos I’ve taken with my Olympus camera. Maybe I’m at a restaurant with friends and I snap a photo of the meal or of the group and post that to Instagram. In that case, it will be my iPhone, but I will always spend time editing the shot and making sure that it suits the rest of my feed. Posting pics of food has been given a bad rap in the past, but for me, it’s about connecting with the local community. If I share a photo of my delicious beetroot salad at the local Greek restaurant (and tag it appropriately), it will be seen by everyone who follows that restaurant, that tag, or food in general.
Recently, two of my photos have been re-posted by the cafe where I took them, and used to advertise their business. They tag the photographer in the post, which directs more people to your feed, leading to more followers.
So that’s my first tip – if you are treating Instagram as another channel for promoting your blog or your brand, make sure that your photos are up to scratch and that they convey your style.
Was that useful? I’ll share another tip next week, probably hashtags and how to use them. If you have any requests, please let me know.
x desleyjane
PS here are the two photos as used by local stores:
Musings of a Frequent Flying Scientist 
I’d love to hear from you!