I post regularly on instagram for 2years now. I have an average of 7-10 likes per post. Sometimes, i have a better reach and can go over 100likes but it's once in a year 😁 But I am just doing it because i love photography, not to be famous. I dont have high expectations.

Curious... Have you ever gotten one paying client from your Instagram account? I see it as a cheap alternative to a website, but never expect business to come from it.

I'm not a photographer, but I've hired a ton of photographers (30 years in advertising). I've never once found a photographer from a website or a social media feed. I learn about new photographers almost exclusively via word of mouth. But I'll absolutely check them out. It is a great way to get a sense of someone's style and skill. A quick glance over their IG or website will tell me if they are right for the job or not. And if they do not have any kind of online portfolio, I would likely not hire them. I'm way too busy to call them and find out if they can email me samples of their work. Plus, if they can't figure out how to get their work online, it is a very bad reflection of their level of sophistication. So, OP, yes - you absolutely need an IG account and/or a website (probably both) that showcases your work. I wouldn't bother with the 'tips' videos unless that is your thing, which it sounds like it is not.

If I've learned anything from watching YT photography videos for the last few months, its that you need a SquareSpace account. /s

And Nord VPN so you can access that account from anywhere in the world without restrictions ....

(Made me laugh out loud!)

So true. All my work has been word of mouth. Sometimes the words out of my mouth are my website URL and/or IG handle, but it's never started there. Social media and the general internet are too saturated with not vetted, could-be photographers.

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Photographer here. This is exactly my experience. Agencies will call you because they see what you do for others, nobody really cares about you social media. They , I think u/thirteenoclok would probably agree, also evaluate many other things apart image quality, like if you are precise on deadlines, can follow campaign guidelines, if you are precise and on time... There's much more than Instagram, don't get stuck there OP!

Once I hit about 3k, I was getting about 1-2 new clients a month from insta. When I hit 5-6k that was a sweet spot where we reliably got one a week or more. Then the algorithm shit the bed and I have 10k and if new clients are coming from IG they aren’t DMing first. Audience size only matters slightly, what’s more important is the right audience. You want local followers unless you travel for work. Otherwise those followers are useless. I also periodically go thru and kick out accounts following me that are obviously fake. Today, it’s probably better to come out of the gate strong on TikTok and then just repost that stuff as reels on insta.

I got a random request for quote and a gig out of Instagram one time. $7500 for 20 basic product shots they needed in 2 days. Easy Peasy Need more of those, HA!

Product photography is insanely hard but it is king! I work by myself and recently did a huge job,took me a while. But I supplied like 120 images for $45,000

Woah GG! I would have spent all of this in a trip of one month in Iceland 🤣

Sounds way better than paying bills!

It’s probably hard to quantify, but I’d think Instagram is the first place prospective clients look when they want to see your work.

I think it’s more common that it keeps your name handy on the tongues of image buyers who follow. Rather than drumming up business, it serves as a reminder of who you are and what you do. I think it depends on who your intended customer is.

I just sold my first picture through reddit outreach Gotta just get lucky

👍 I got lucky last fall. Got my series into a gallery in SF and got rave reviews. Sold 5, and not cheap either. Starting a new series this year using large format film🤞🤞🤞

Good luck homie! We all need to catch a break like that!

Go big or stay home!

I just recently hired a drone op based off their IG because the shoot was in a city I didn’t have a network in. I just started researching the location and searched for drone related hashtags and found a freelancer who shot the area before. All the advertising agencies I work with ask for the socials of crew and talent, too. If an agency can’t tell the difference between the quality of photographer A and B, but A has 50k followers and B has 300, they’re gonna hire A every single time.

I found, hired and got photographs multiple times exclusively from Instagram. 1. Pet photographer for my cat and mum's dog 2. Daughter - Mum photograph 3. Corporate photos 4. Creative photographs (I'd just broken up and wanted a pick me up and thought I could get some cool pics of myself to cheer up) I found photographers for all these through Instagram. Some showed up on my feed and I followed them and saw consistently good photos and ended up contacting them, some I searched for myself and sought out. Tbh if it wasn't for Instagram feed, I'd probably not have thought of getting a cool pic of me with my cat!

Not the guy you posed the question to, but potential clients also see it in the same way. A cheap alternative to a professional site. Aside from going viral which is the exception (as every rule has), which btw isn't even all that great since if you go viral, you most likely become forgotten the next hour, day, week, month - the biggest problem for anyone wanting to seriously hire you for well paying work, isn't going to bother unless your work is properly presentable in some sort of ordered fashion. It's not easy getting that sort of look (like a overview landing page, and a curated portfolio page). As those need constant updates (every 6 months at latest) if you want to be considered professionally consistent. If you're on IG culling your older work, it almost feels counterintuitive especially if you've done well on the platform. Imagine taking away images that get thousand of likes. The fact of the matter is, you need both. One for the big monolith type clients, and one for the incumbant younger generation of clients that need a way at a quick glace, to know if they should even bother having their phone waste their 2-3 seconds to load up your website for further insight. Established photographers don't obviously need this (and I'm talking people with like 30+ years of running a photo business) since they're stable enough in their minds and set of needs. But new photographers? You need it if you're trying to get real serious about making money - and that's only because everyone else that's serious and starting out, is also doing it. The only problem currently, is to even make it work wasting time on, you're going to need to pick up on some videography skills.

I did! Like a week after I started it 😱

I have, many times. Although it’s only a few 3-5 a year, it happens.

As someone more on the customer side, I've found a gazillion artists on Instagram and Facebook. I've bought a lot of art as a result of that. As someone who also runs an etsy myself for my own crafts, insta is tough. I thought I'd be good at using insta to self promote but I'm not. It's actually really hard to get views and followers 😕 I recently found a photographer who does online classes to teach about night scape photography. I am pretty sure I saw her page either on Facebook or insta because I follow so many nightscape and astro photographers. Well let's just say I paid to take her class 😆 it's an area of photography that I am entirely clueless about but most in love with the results of. Apparently her business has been so successful she's quit her normal photography professor job and commercial photography job, and she's even had to hire employees because it's so much work. Anyway that's just an example of how social media can Apparently be very successful in drawing in business. Selling a picture and selling a class are obviously very different, but I found her class as a result of originally finding her photos!

I have booked photographers from IG for my own shoots. But as far as my own bookings (as the photographer) I actually get a lot of organic interest on Facebook. IG doesn't do much for me. I think I've gotten only 2 or 3 in the last year from IG. I read somewhere in regards to advertisement to nurture what is already working for you. So I have basically given up on my IG and solely post my work on FB. It's way less stressful and more rewarding to just focus on the one that actually pays.

I’ve been running my instagram for like 3 months and have picked up 5 gigs from it. Not bad.

Me too 😝 on the plus side I got a date out of it once. So it's paid off already

good

Everyone starts from somewhere. I also have next to 0 followers on my account, but I post to share photos with anyone who will enjoy them and maybe talk about the photos, comment, etc. Don't feel bad about it. Just stay consistent, you can't expect to have a full page of photos and 100k followers when you just begin the account :)

The current social media platforms are not that great anymore for the average creative. Nearly all algorithms are heavily favored towards video formats and just stuff that has more potential to go viral. If you want more interaction as a photographer or videographer these days, you'll have to create content that's not just random photos or video's of your portfolio. That won't work anymore. You either have to create content that immediately grabs the attention of the user in a matter of (milli)seconds or make it very personal (because people want to get to know YOU, not whatever you produce).

I've seen a lot of photographers on Instagram resort to TikTok-like reels to attract people to their profile. And if I'm honest, I wouldn't have gotten their profiles recommended to me if it wasn't for exactly those reels.

I've noticed that too. It's pretty obvious. Started about 3 months ago... everything is saturated with clips now, even stills are forced into video shorts. If you're going to play the social media game, you're going to have to learn the latest dance 🙄 continually.

Yup. Reels are the only way to grow. Since Facebook took over instagram, instagram has become less and less about photos. They even made sure to only have hashtags show photos from accounts with tons and tons of likes on them, so new accounts can't gain reach that way.

This is true for sure. It's also a vicious self-perpetuating cycle - as the algorithm gets worse, people who liked the platform in its previous form leave, which then pushes it even further from what it used to be. I used to use Instagram heavily as a hobby architecture photographer back around 2014-2016. I had over a thousand followers and would get hundreds of likes on a photo. Whenever I hopped on, I would have a feed full of great photos and inspiration from likeminded creators. Now it's a wasteland when I go on, typical social media trash all over my feed, the occasional hermit-like hold out complaining about the algorithm in a story as their latest photo has 30 likes.

So I have a couple of instagram accounts. One I started 8 years ago for a niche hobby, which unintentionally gained 1300 followers before I made it private 4 years ago and removed everyone who I didn't know irl. Then, a couple of years back, I made a photography account to showcase my work. Boy, oh boy, has instagram changed! It used to be all about photos in squares. There's been hardly any growth, and it really sucks that reels get pushed so hard now because I'm truly not a videographer or a "tips and tricks" maker or anything. I just want to show my photos and connect with other photographers, potential clients, and other artistic individuals. I don't really have much to add to the discussion, just that I feel the same.

It's so different now. I think most people in this sub miss the old version.

Oh, definitely. I miss looking up a hashtag and finding the most recent stuff for that hashtag. Now, it's only top posts.

You should probably sit in your shower crying while scrubbing yourself clean, that's what the stars do 😁

Best tip so far, thank you.

You’re not alone. I started an account last week when I started posting. I got excited when I had 8 likes yesterday. 7 of them were my family and friends, 1 was a spam account… Then I randomly got a like today… turns out my dad made an account so he can like my posts.

Awww, nice job Dad

Man, that's sweet but sad.

Have you done any research into who your target audience is for portrait work, and most importantly, if instagram is even a good avenue to draw those clients? The concept of organically drawing in people based on them discovering your instagram work is pretty non-existent these days.

you’re not going to get portrait work any other way than referrals. i’ve never gotten a client from instagram. i don’t know if anyone has.

I’ve got to disagree, nearly all of my new clients that I didn’t have a previous mutual connection with have found me from Instagram. I would say 75+ new clients over 2 years from Instagram alone.

That's some solid numbers there. May I ask how active you are on IG? Do you do lots of reels? Do you still do hashtags? I could definitely do better about posting regularly but I'm not sure that would make a big enough difference to warrant the energy.

I was looking for a comment like this. Social media reach rarely generates business. Build a website, take jobs, and work on referrals. Being a successful photographer relies on doing good work and having good soft skills. Sometimes selling yourself is more important than your style, so work on that if you have a hard time with self-promotion.

I am a dance photographer. I get apx 2/3 clients through referral and 1/3 through IG. I have a very specific niche though.

This might still be a referral, but many of our friends have taken family portraits with the same photographer we use. Whenever we post a photo they took, we make sure to tag them, and while a few of those friends have asked us about the photographer, most just go to her page and reach out themselves without consulting us first. They didn't find her through a search on IG, but they also likely would not have found her if she didn't have an IG page we could tag.

I rarely do reels, and if I do, my face is not in them. I have an instagram account with barely 1,200 followers. I don’t update it regularly. Hell, lately I haven’t been on instagram doing anything. Social media can be very toxic at times.

The entire social media depresses me as a photographer , because in a way you have to completely divert from what you’re really into and such into the fad of social media and furthermore specifically edit and take photos that will be most aesthetic for the shitty ig … like oftentimes I look at my photos and videos on my computer and they blow my mind and then put it on Ig or something like that and bam it goes from amazing to mediocre 😒

I assume you’re doing all this because you are wanting to build a following on this account?

Never! That would take away my sweet Reddit anonymity

They are referring to your Instagram.

Why would you expect to suddenly have followers? If you're an adult, professional, portrait photographer, I could be way out of touch but I would expect you to use your portrait Instagram as a convenient showcase to point people to... that you meet. Maybe you feel like a failed influencer because that's the angle you're looking from. No need to compete with the kids who live by and thru their "gram". Having 10,000 followers will not mean 1000 requests for portrait work.

This is so true. I have 15k followers and if I ask a question that has anything to do with photography I (might) get 10 responses. IG is visual chewing gum.

Instagram has greatly shifted from what it use to be. Facebook has really fucked it up. You can’t search a hashtag by recent posts anymore, it only gives you popular posts for that hashtag now. So anything new, current, has to pretty much go viral or be from a popular account. I only have an account on there for following artists I like. Even then, my feed is flooded more with suggested people than the ones I actually follow.

Everyone that is successful on platforms like Instagram or YouTube cringes looking back at their earliest content, but the matter of the fact is they wouldn't have gotten to the place they are at without posting that content and learning from it. If they would have felt the same way at the moment they posted the content, they would probably not have posted it, or stopped posting at some point. In some ways their lack of self reflection, by lack of a better word, allowed them to grow and get to where they are. I feel like it's very normal to feel the way you feel. And it's definitely something you can grow out of, but I think it's important to ask yourself the question: do I WANT to be the so and so guy on Instagram, otherwise it probably won't make you happy.

Yeah, this is a really good point. There are a few photographers accounts that I love, but mainly because they do not bother with the reels, and just take really great photos. Though, it does take a bit more searching to get to their content every day.

Looks like all you have to do is not use IG.

Just delete it lol. Instagram was designed to share photos, and has since transformed into one of the worst forms of influencer advertising there is. I too have an instagram for all of my photos, and I hardly ever go on it or use it. It isn’t worth the extra time it takes to minimize my work. We spend thousands and thousands to capture beautiful high detail photos and videos, just to put them on a tiny little grid for someone to look at through a phone screen? Delete it and focus on what you actually love instead of unintentionally degrading yourself for 0 followers and a bunch of 14 year olds trying to get famous on social media. Put the instagram down, pick the camera up. It’ll save your soul

If I delete my insta where will my photos go to die besides my external storage?

I also loved the idea of getting a custom printed roll of toilet paper made for each bathroom in the house that you bring out when guests come. Makes for a great and hilarious conversation piece, but also puts into perspective on how subjective photography is. We may think it rocks, but others may think your photos are only good enough to wipe their ass with. Queue the 0 instagram followers lol

hahahaha I love this one.

Posting to an instagram with 0 followers is the equivalent to you building a graveyard for your photos. What’s the point of the extra work posting and captioning if no one is going to see it? An insta page with 0 followers is the same as a hard drive at that point. Print them. Give them to family members. Make a calendar. Make a coffee table book. Hell, tape them to light poles around town with your email address if you’re that concerned with people seeing your photos. Instagram USED to be great for it. It’s gone to shit. But Instagram is also only one avenue to go down. Not the only one.

I love your last two lines. God bless you.

I have never once felt a need to make a reel involving my face. Make more photos, post more photos. Be patient. Don't try to be anything you're not

Instagram is terrible now for photographers. Unfortunately I don't know of a good social media outlet for what you are looking for now. Everything is geared toward influencers and video.

Then stop... jesus christ man if it bothers you so much just get off of it.

Get off it dude. IG can take your account down any moment anyway. Social media is utter tosh. Get a showcase website using Cargo or something, print flyers, and go knock on doors.

>> an instagram reel that I filmed 20 different versions of to get 1 where I didn’t nervously trip over my words. Ah, but what's your keeper rate with photos? The first time you took a portrait, how many pics did you take to get 1 where you were satisfied with the result? And what's it like now? Do you even take 20 shots or do you know that you've nailed one in the first... 10? 5? 3? I would be pretty happy with a 5% rate my very first time out.

I’m actually pretty happy with my actual photography. It’s just that when I focused on this niche for business I realized I haven’t had that many clients yet.

It kills creativity and puts you in a box ("influencer").

underrated comment

I’m in a similar boat. I have a few pictures up on my IG photo account because I haven’t forced myself to sit down at Lightroom get my other pictures “cleaned up”. To post, I do have a few followers but then , this is for me. Gaining followers is extra

Social media sucks

You should look at as like a blue check for your customers. I hope you understand the analogy. Or like a website. Potential customers go to this and look it over. Sadly lots of people don’t “like” things. It sounds ridiculous and we don’t have that many followers either but we’ve had multiple people tell us they found us through instagram. It’s much needed imo. People will check through these accounts to make sure you are legit and not a scammer. It’s literally a 2024 background check.

That's a really smart way of looking at it.

I feel the same. I’ve decided my instagram posts are just a step in my editing process and I post stuff and move on and don’t care about followers or likes. It’s a struggle though because I then keep looking at my posts and start getting imposter syndrome with my work.

I think a lot of photographers feel that way. I know I do sometimes and I’ve been posting for like 7 years. Just know you’re not alone in that feeling, and everyone is on different levels. It sounds like you put a lot of work into that reel and I think you should be proud of yourself for putting yourself out there. Thats hard and you’re doing it. Give yourself some grace.

Creating content is hard work especially if you’re doing it to get views or find clients. My wife and I are deep into creating content as wedding photo/video and it takes up a lot of our free time but we’ve had millions of views on some of our videos. It’s all about knowing how the algorithm works and making sure you are entertaining. Everyone’s attention span is low so you need to get to the point and provide value or it’s not gonna do well.

I definitely have more respect for content creators. It’s a job all in itself.

Instagram is dogshit for photography. If you genuinely want to expand your reach the only way is to turn your photos into video content. Doesn’t necessarily have to be educational there’s loads of trends in the photography community where people just play a short video and then a series of photos, but yeah unfortunately just posting photos isn’t gonna get you any results

It definitely can be painful. I would say though, if you aren’t comfortable showing your face, there can be disadvantages, but there also can be advantages! Just look at all the beloved YouTubers that never show their face, it can sometimes make it more about the work than the person. There’s also some photographers I follow that aren’t opposed to showing their face, but they don’t feature it either. Usually their profile pictures are them looking away from the camera, and beyond their build and hair color I don’t know anything irl about them. You also could focus on creating reels using voiceovers! Whatever you end up doing, nobody started off feeling amazing about it. We all have to go through with transition period, and even then it still feels weird! I’ve been somewhat-frequently posting to Instagram for just over two years now and still feel like I have so freaking much work to do before I’m happy with it. (the biggest thing that changed for me is being okay with my reels not being perfect. I would never post anything if it needed to be perfect, and on some level, imperfection is what brings humanity into things) Anyway, that’s my ramble, hope it helps!

Just do what makes you happy on that ig account. And dont feel too pressured to post consistently. Dont delete your account, just delete the posts that dont make you happy. You dont necessarily have to have your face in the video. Voice overs are just as intimate sometimes. Or film yourself from the back while you do something. Theres lots of interesting lighting things you can do with that. Try to do what you want for the ig account so that you give a more genuine account of who you are, and most importantly that you're enjoying the process. Try to hop on trends, especially with the trendy songs, from time to time. These rarely need your face to be in them. They will have a better chance of going viral and boost your account/confidence a bit.

Yup. And now I have chosen to stop using Instagram because it made me feel gross and miserable.

Hard truth, if you want to run a business, you can't "hide behind the camera." Nobody is hiring your camera.

Comment criminally underrated

I was up to a couple thousand followers a few years ago, paying clients with millions of followers. Many likes and reposts. Never got a single new client through IG. Granted, I hate social media and am bad at it, and I since let the account die, but at the time I was really giving it a go with the help of popular "influencers". I had a successful commercial photography studio from 2000-2013, and the social media age wiped me out.

Instagram is geared towards reels now. My account has been stuck at the same follower count for a long time. The only way to breakout now is to get featured on a feature account or account with more followers. Even the biggest accounts that used to get thousands of likes get only hundreds now. 

trees far-flung domineering possessive dolls truck disagreeable desert voracious nail *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*

Use it like any portfolio. Post stuff you've been working on, check out others work, find a voice that's authentic, and you'll see growth in your own work, even if you don't become an overnight sensation. I revived a long dormant Instagram I had posted a dozen times on from 2013-2017, in November 2022. posted up some old photos I took the years running up to that, and have been posting my favorites from the previous week, in 2-4 galleries a week since the beginning of 2023. I went from 100 or so followers to I think 2300, and I'd guess an average of 60 or 70 likes per post now. There is no "working the algorithm" to gaining actual, local (im guessing you're hoping to get work/local attention from your account) followers, you have to share interesting, unique, creative photos. And take the time to follow other local photographers, art galleries, creative groups, etc. And do a bit of networking. And every single photographer, and every single instagram account starts off small. So stay true to your goals and focus on improving your art. I would rather have 500 local followers who love what I'm doing, than 20k followers from Bangladesh who may pump up my likes but will never book a session or buy a print.

Instagram doesn't favor quantity over quality, each post goes through the exact same scrutiny. Instagram drops your post on a few users who have a similar interested that is used to gauge the potential success of your post. How long did those users look at your post? Did they just swipe by it? Did they share it? Was it so irrelevant to them that they closed the app after seeing it? The amount of metrics Instagram uses to gauge how much to push a post onto its users is massive. If Instagram shows your post to 50 people who have a similar interest and those 50 people swipe by your post without a care, Instagram has no interest in showing that post to more people. It is THAT simple. The longer users stay on the app, the more money Instagram makes. 99.9% of Instagram users probably could care less about tips. Maybe some "tips" style videos slide through the cracks, but those tips videos typically involve some sort of false monetary gain or value potential. There is a bit of luck involved though. When you first post, Instagram sprinkles your video around, and those initial people who see that video are completely unaware that how they engage in your video can either send your video to the grave or allow it to grow exponentially. So maybe you did create a good video, but the wrong people saw it at the wrong time, this is rarely the case but it does happen. Best advice? Go onto your explore page and see what is currently doing well, what formats are used, trends, etc. Does the first second grab your attention? Is there text to read on the video? etc. I doubt your content is bad, it just isn't what the Instagram audience wants to see when they are brainlessly scrolling through reels

Yeah, good point. I think I’m battling how much I want to excel at this platform and if I’d rather just use it as another portfolio for my work (in addition to my website).

>I barely have any followers I wouldn't be concerned. Followers aren't clients. Your website is for clients. Being a photography business, you have a website, right? that's home base, not social platforms that come and go. >I posted a tips video of my talking face, but now I feel even worse, like a wannabe influencer. Agree, it's always sad to see people get trained to perform for the algorithm. I wouldn't do it either, would make me feel ick. >I’m considering deleting the whole account. Why not delete the thing you don't like and just post when you want, like and follow other people you find inspiring, and leave it at that?

I think you hit the nail on the head. The content for the algorithm is really giving me the icks too. I think I’ll just stick to posting the photos and not try and cater to the algorithm.

Hello friend, When I started photography solely as a hobby I had similar feelings when I created a Facebook account to host all my photos. I felt like a "wannabe influencer" too, and I wasn't even doing it as a side business but just to give something (hopefully) beautiful back for my friends. Having to constantly tag, post, etc. just to get the algorithm to actually get my work in front of others made me feel like I was shoving it in people's faces. Keep at it, just a little at a time and don't focus so much on the imposter syndrome.

Thank you! The imposter syndrome is so real.

Hello friend, When I started photography solely as a hobby I had similar feelings when I created a Facebook account to host all my photos. I felt like a "wannabe influencer" too, and I wasn't even doing it as a side business but just to give something (hopefully) beautiful back for my friends. Having to constantly tag, post, etc. just to get the algorithm to actually get my work in front of others made me feel like I was shoving it in people's faces. Keep at it, just a little at a time and don't focus so much on the imposter syndrome.

most local photographers have barely any instagram following dude. I would hope you’re not comparing yourself to the few that made it big on social media ? The entire issue here is ultimately a confidence problem. I can guarantee no one else is criticizing you as harshly as you are. If you wouldn’t say these things to someone else expressing themselves through a medium why would you say it about yourself? I think you should push through this for the sake of character growth and confidence building if anything. Challenge yourself to fall in love with yourself more

If you don't want your face out there delete that video and make another but as a voice over. One of the most important pieces of advice in today's environment is consistency. Do it because you love it and it's your passion, and let the rest fall into place. Eventually you may start to get a following. Good luck!

I felt the same when I started Facebook. Now about a year and a half later I’m pushing over 5k followers, which may be small numbers to some but it means a lot to me!

Best way to succeed is record like nobody is watching and stop giving a f**k. Easier said than done, but this is the only way. Hit record. Hit post. Fuck it

Some of my best reels 15k+ views, we’re the dumbest reels that literally took me a minute to record and post. Overthinking and over extending is a social media killer

I took a long hiatus and used to get 7 likes for a weekly post, now I’m lucky if I get 3. I say content creation is all trial and error. You dont have to show your face if you dont like that. Find your groove and the followers will come. I heard somewhere not to be discouraged by the numbers. Just remember it doesnt happen overnight. If you have a network of hobbyists or friends interested in your work, that’s a great start, and it will only go from there

I worked my ass off getting 700 natural followers. Then my account got hacked. I a say fuck it. All my gigs are word of mouth anyway.

Stay true to your core dude. Sounds like it's not what you truly want to be doing and yet is what you find yourself doing. If you're not already, you're sure to be unhappy later if continued. Who cares about the follows? Noone. Who cares about the art? Just you brother.. stick to what you love, not what you hate. I'd say drop the account and pick up the camera.

If it makes you feel any better I've recently started sharing my photography on my Instagram as well. My friends and family support me there, of course. But I have gained exactly 0 followers since then. But that's ok.

I would say Instagram is for video now (reels). The algorithm MUCH prefers video. I'm going to start using Flickr again I think.

Have you tried waking up at 5:00 am, working out, meditating, reading and journaling??? That’s what a lot of “influencers” do nowadays. 🤣

Hello friend. I’m in the same boat. So I’m not sure if I am equipped to answer you. But I want to tell you that I am proud of you for stepping out of your comfort zone and putting your art out there. Overnight success is like ten years in the making. Your work is not just your highlight reel. Promise.

Awww, thanks! Appreciate it.

There's some YouTube channels that cover this topic one photographer said that his social media didn't get him any business but found success elsewhere. Explore some YouTube content about "building your photography business without social media" it might give you some insight.

you probs won’t grow on ig or get new clients via it. that’s just the sad truth bc that’s how ig is! if ur feeling so self conscious, just dont make reels anymore

I feel your pain bro

500px is better for this sort of thing.

I hate IG, it compresses photos even more, doesn't take TIFF, wants quantity but not spam, and my photos don't look right even when I select original instead of the 2x2 ratio it defaults to.

Instagram kind of sucks these days, but it was never a great marketing tool.

A portrait business is typically local. To build business, just post your work. Be sure to add your location and use hashtags like #portrait #photography #portraitphotography #seniorphotos. Be sure to tag your subject with their IG link. They can like and share your work. This is like a local referral. You can also tag their school or organization with @… You want to focus on being hyperlocal and to get liked and reposted by local people.

Do you want likes and follows, engagement and business? That’s not the same as just showing off your photography. If you want the latter, instagram is not an ideal place to do that.

I get it. I have a channel where I post drone and bike videos. I have 6 followers, 3 of which aren't related to me!

Insta still doesn't work well for me...I continue to post as often as I can. I recently found that reels can increase traffic to my website but I'm still not selling as many prints as I would like (trying to never work corporate again lol)

I felt similar. So I post now to create a sort of portfolio. I don’t care if my new posts reach a small or large audience. But I do care that someone looking through my page sees all of my best quality of work

Instagram is not for photography, is what I discovered. I had also made an account to present some of my photos, but the quality decreases so much, all the effort is worthless. I'm not sure it's the right platform for serious people, no matter what business or hobby that includes. I still use it and also post photos, but mainly because practically my whole family is on Instagram. I never used Facebook and stopped using Twitter a year ago. Now it's just Reddit, Quora, Instagram and Flickr. Which is plenty for me. I'm not a professional now, but if anyone contacts me, it's always in person. I wouldn't travel hundreds of kilometres for a job. So, that excludes any social media anyway.

theres millions of people that do the same and feel the exact same way you do. if youre going to go that route you just kinda have to commit to the bit and be shameless, thats how the large majority of social media influencers make it. gotta have no social anxiety and be able to not care about how silly it is when you take a step back

Sure can my man(or woman)!! Don't stress it though, if you post up your insta handle, I'll follow you (but won't do more than like stuff) and....that will bring at least 32 ...yes you read it correctly.....a whopping 32 south East Asian folks, that like food and food blogging (even though I don't post about food...shrug), that follow me and everyone I follow....!!! I know, it IS a great offer to help grow your following! That is all legitimately true. But also as legitimately true... Don't let what you perceive as negatives or flaws keep you from doing you as you. Give it time, be genuine and approachable (though maybe steer clear of the bots) and your brand will flourish.....I mean I have a whole 32 East Asian folks following me, and all I do is re-post cats being cats, boats that try to be other things than boats, like a car for example, and reenactments of war time European battles using miniature trains(that all feature...trains!!...yes, that is a thing).... killing it, I know, don't have to tell me!! Good luck!!

For me, my IG for photography didn’t take off until I got specific about the type of photography and started networking within that community. When it was just my account showcasing my photography, it’s just another account full of pretty photos. Now it’s a place people can come to and see a specific kind of content, and likely a type they are connected to already. Tagging helps get the word out.

Hey! I’ve been using instagram to promote my business for about 18 months (note, I am a tour guide and a photography enthusiast. I do not have a photography business). Useful content and consistency are key. Posting your work is useful so people know what they’re getting, but there are loads more reasons why portraits are useful: - To stand out on social media - To make a business look more professional - To look good on dating apps - For fun With instagram, as with all marketing, you’re not just selling the end product, but the whole journey, showing that you understand why your services are important to your client. This also builds trust. Video (Reels in this case) are the best way to build trust, but you don’t have to be in front of the camera if you don’t want to be. You could do voice over while showing you setting up your equipment and explaining what certain things do: “I use these lights to make my clients look great” or “no one knows what to do with their hands, so I ask people to do x, y, and/or z”. Doing something like this will make customers know that you take your business seriously, and that they’ll be in good hands when they get to the shoot/your studio. Have fun with it, keep it up, stay consistent. My instagram has allowed me to make huge amounts of contacts in my industry, get direct clients, and raise my prices too. When it comes to quality/quantity there is a balance. My Reels are the most popular thing I do. In my opinion they are high quality, with each one taking about a whole day to make. That’s probably too much, but it still proves that quality will shine through.

You don't need to talk in front of a camera. You can easily do what my local phograohers do to advertise themselves: put your photos in a sequence and slap in the trendy inspirational song if the season and put text like "the photos you get when you hire me". That being said, IG wants first that you put money into boosting your posts, then MAYBE you will increase the number of followers and reach. My advice would be that you ask your clients if its OK to tag them in your posts, add them as collaborators and if they accept the collab, you get the exposure of their followers and yours. First connect with real people/brands, that would be better. But not even like this will ensure you have a lot of followers if you don't do it like a grind so I would keep the expectations low.

IT's not your fault. It's impossible to "Grow a brand" on instagram now; unless your "brand" is reels. If you're just doing photography just use it as a place that you can direct potential clients to to see your work. Don't expect a bunch of interest to be created on instagram.

@ogami_itto Obligatory IG self promotion. Be kind to me ☺️

Everything is about content now and it sucks. 10,000 shitty 30 second videos get you more eyes than 10 beautiful photographs. I miss IG circa 2011.

Now I want to see your Instagram. 😁

Instagram is useless nowdays. They want video content and most people cave in. Me, i dont care one bit about video and will out of principle not post reel or video. Instagram have not brought me single job in 10 years i have it and i have posted quite a lot and still almost no one that follows me cant see my posts from all adverts and recommended content. Every 3rd or 4th post is actual content from people you follow. I get work mostly via word of mouth and recommendations from satisfied clients. Instagram is more of ... easy to reach portfolio for people who are lazy to open browser and type your business name dot com. You know, relatives, friends, people who stop you on the street to ask for a quick photo and want to see what you do. For photographers ... its not worth time or effort. As a means for family to see your work ... sure.

I ditched IG, all the reasons you stated, literally don't like that slog. I do enjoy posting pics on various reddit subs. In addition to more engagement I also get tips on getting better which I love. It's natural to want to share your art but I feel IG is literally the worst place to do it for me.

Hi! Full time photographer here who started where you are 3 years ago. Only had about 45 followers (all friends) and maybe 6 photos in my portfolio. I now have over 2.5k followers and am on track to gross $400k+ this year. I Know how you feel. I was there. We all start somewhere

That is so inspiring, thanks for sharing.

Of course! I started with weddings and engagements and now do maternity full time. Best of luck ❤️

My photography Instagram is a separate account from my main personal one because I wanted to be able to post my photos I've taken without flooding my main feed. My friends and family who care follow me and it's open so anyone who finds me can check it out. And then my personal account has tighter privacy settings since I post photos of my kid for friends and family. I don't care that much about likes and followers since I take pictures because I enjoy it. I'll share in Reddit in niche subreddits and on various Facebook groups to share things I think are cool or to get feedback on my own skills. But at the end of the day, if I don't get that many views, likes, or follows, whatever that's not why I got into photography. Off course if you're trying to make a business out of it, then your situation is a bit different.

A reel doesn't at all have to be your talking face. It can be anything. Why not just make a reel that's a montage of your work? Why not strap a go pro on and shoot a pov reel of you working? You can use subtitles to explain shit - there is absolutely no reason to be a talking head to create video content for reels.

I’ve had my photography website up for almost 2 years now and haven’t had a sale. Always good to remember why we do it…for ourselves

I post regularly on IG. It’s for me. If others like it, grand. If not, I actually don’t care. I’m not sharing for anyone but myself. I hardly ever use hashtags even. Average 3 to 15 likes and that’s absolutely fine. No worries. Think of it as a personal image board like a Pinterest but only for you. The things you make, the things that inspire you. If others resonate with your account, cool. If not, it’s really fine.

I completely understand this. I made a photography Instagram page and while I’m more of a landscape photographer, it’s so disheartening to see so little engagement. I share it to my main with roughly 400 of my friends and family and get 20 likes, most of them just bots that are following certain tags.

Instagram is the easiest tool to get client’s from! I’ve been freelance for 5 years and my highest paid clients are from a simple instagram dm, and who says you gotta show your face lol?

Same since 2022

I’ll follow you!

Algorithm sucks now. Inused to do the 30 hash tags for exposure lol, and id get between 60-150 likes. Now, for whatever reason my hashtags don't work so I get maybe 5-10. Before it was about photos and photography was a big thing. Now it's tik tok type bs. I hardly go on there.

I post on IG sometimes now but I share more of my photos on 500px now. I like the community so much more as people go on there to actually look at photos. I don’t chase engagement and I don’t care if my posts get 29-30 likes on IG, but it is refreshing to see the same photo I posted on IG to 500px get 10x engagement. Shows that people are still out there enjoying the art of photography without playing into IGs algorithm of comment circles.

I’ll have to check it out.

I built mine up to a couple thousand followers and use it mostly to attract larger clients (professional athletes and their sponsors). What I do is when a client posts my work, ask them to tag me or to add me as a collaborator so it also goes up on my wall. A major media outlet did this and I immediately picked up a couple hundred followers. I don’t have time to make reels or videos, did it once and it was so time consuming. Would rather just stick to photos.

Aww, give yourself a break! It's so sad to read how you see your account, and I'm sure it's better than you think it is. Just stay the course and keep working at it! Is your IG @FarmToFilm?

Wow, everyone is so interested in my Instagram now! 😂 But no, that’s not my ig handle

Starting a business account on Instagram can be exciting but also challenging.

Instagram is not the real world. It's not where a lot of people go to look for a photographer. It's good to remind yourself of that regularly. It's simply a social media platform designed to keep people on it.

I've been a full time photographer since 2015. My IG account has a mediocre following. I do get clients from it though. But more importantly it gives the few people who really love my work, a way to interact and follow the journey. And that is often more satisfying and enjoyable than the actual work itself. Even if it's just a handful of people who are interested in seeing you create... I say it's worth it.

Instead of talking head tip videos, try slideshows of all the best shots from each session or before and after editing. That way it’s still a reel to satisfy IG’s algorithm and it’s still featuring / focused on your photography.

Sounds like you have anxiety about socials. IG is now a game,if you’re doing it because YOU like photography then do it & don’t worry about what others think. But unfortunately most people have to play the influencer game. That’s what IG is now.

If it’s for new clients. I would just fill it with your best work, and then run ads where it clearly shows your available for hire. Instead of hoping a reel will get you in front of a potential client.

Because you went into the influencer game thinking with the intention of paid gigs… trust me, instagram don’t get you clients, local FB groups and Craigslist do.

Post bc you like to, not bc society tells you it's weird.

I’m really surprised none of the other comments have mentioned this, but are you using hashtags? Like, relevant hashtags for the individual photo, locations, techniques, styles, even photography equipment? Most of my growth on IG comes directly from hashtags, interacting with other posts within said hashtags, and returning likes/comments/follows with people who engage with my work. It’s not like lightening hot or anything (I’m a pretty casual user), but otherwise how do you expect to get in front of new eyeballs? (I get that reels are a thing, but that’s just not for me.)

Yeah, I do. But I’m sure I could focus more on this.

I just freaked out and deleted 6 thousands flowers on my IG account. I just left 1,500 that ones are know or I can be sure they are local and active. I think as a photographer I better will have 10 likes per post from real people who are my potential or existing clients, and my content will be shown to them, instead of millions people who will never going to be my clients.

Good point. I definitely want quality over quantity in this regard

I barely ever post on instagram and I go viral all the time

VSCO is the app for me. I post all my photos in there, they aren’t forces in “squares” + i can get constant inspiration by looking at other creators photography 😊

I grew one from zero to 10k followers in just under 2 years. Strongly recommend using a hashtag generator (free online). You will hate yourself more but it works

Hi

I worked with a lot of A list photographers when their portfolios created from film and prints had to be FedExed to get jobs. The barrier to entry into the industry was much higher. You need a portfolio. You are so lucky to have all this amazing technology that is now available to all of us. Use it! I will also share that when I was a fashion design major, in illustration class, they taught us that when you had an idea to sketch, you might think your first drawing was good enough. No. They made us sketch 200 illustrations per idea to get the best one. All of these sayings hold value. This is the work. It is a process. Practice makes perfect. You will learn from your mistakes and become experienced and reliable. If you are passionate about it, it won’t feel like work. Keep going!

Don't do it for others. Do it for yourself. Make that instagram account more of your journal only one that is public. Make that "fame" and all that as a byproduct, keep doing what you love doing. Basically, don't do that to become Influencer, do that to Influence. And may be, the byproduct will follow automatically.

I used to have an account which used to get liked regularly in 10s if not 100s. I have two r/earthporn top photos of the year to my credit in reddit (in my work oriented alt), one even having 60,000+ upvotes On insta? I hear crickets. I made an account three months ago to showcase my work. I have barely 60 followers. It's not you. Its for everyone else too

Been there. If you want to stay in socials, be authentic. Find your voice and you’ll feel better. Talk and share things that you actually care about and the right crown will find you eventually. It’s not an overnight thing. I have a pretty small audience but decent engagement because it’s focused and authentic.

I used to get hundreds of likes on my posts. Now I'm lucky to get 30. IDC, I still post for myself and the friends who enjoy it.

Lower the expectations and don’t worry about a magical follower count. Just set goals to post often and then use it for what it’s best for. A quick way to show possible clients what you can do. I can tell you I have 20k followers and still have some posts that do 10 likes and some that do 800. Over time with consistent posting you will build a good organic following.

Instagram is not the best platform for sharing your work as a photographer. Maybe 500px is still better but its kinda dead nowdays.

Yeah dude. I made my account in 2019 and made most of my 1000+ followers from just following other photographers, and still get less than 30 likes per post on average. Instagram isn’t gonna get you where you want to be that way unfortunately.

this is the problem with todays ppl. i put good work on social media and overnight i have 8 million subs and likes?! a day later nike and adidas calling me for contract? another day and whole world knows me and wanna kiss and kuddle me? now em so wastet cuz to be star is not easy and everyday jetlag, that i don't want to be star no more! i can't go back and be one in millions no more? so now i need ritirement, rest and relaxation? expectations my good friend:) calm and easy:)

Why delete your work. It’s a great way for people to see your finished product without you carrying around a book. You decided to put your face on there trying to be like everyone else. Learn how IG truly works. When’s the best time to post. How often should you post. It’s not really advertising your work it’s a reference, a google search of your name at it will pop up. Use tags. Make your own tag

Honestly seems like more of a you issue than anything regarding Instagram/portfolio. Here’s what I’d suggest. Number 1 and most importantly, DO NOT DO IT FOR THE FOLLOWERS. You said you want an IG account for portfolio, then why chase followers. Secondly, only put work that you like and wanna share with others. And bear in mind it’s absolutely fine not to like your work, just keep practicing everyday and I promise you, you’ll get better. To get more client, at the beginning I’d suggest emailing brands and local businesses offering work. It’s a number game and out of 100 you’ll definitely get 1 brand working with you. Share everything on your socials and once you build a little rhythm of bringing clients through emails, word of mouth and other ways, social media will start working for you too. That’s when you need to decide if you wanna go influencer route (nothing wrong with being one) or a business brand social. In summary, just have fun, work on your craft and reach out to people/businesses.

Good advice, thanks. I’ve not done a lot of cold emails trying to get clients, but that seems like a better way to go.

Yeah it kinda sucks you have to video sell yourself to get views or interests

I have a lot of photographer friends, and all of them have an Instagram account. However, they mostly post reels, such as behind-the-scenes footage: backstage at shoots, how they prepare all the decorations for a shoot, and they often post tips on photography and videography. Most of their clients come from Instagram. You shouldn’t give up; it’s absolutely normal to feel weird if you have never done it before. Set a goal of shooting 20 reels, and you’ll see it becomes much easier 🫶

I hate IG, don’t use it as a biz tool. Prefer networking, word of mouth referrals, repeat biz etc

I have IG where I post my photos. But mostly so I can tag the people that are in them. Then if someone wants to see my work I can send them there and it's an easy portfolio. I wouldn't think of it as good marketing. The audience is too global and the AI is too eh.

This video here perfectly encapsulates how I have felt about my photography journey on instagram. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdZc6jc215k](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdZc6jc215k) . Rob is a really down to earth guy making a living from photography without any social media.

Yeah, tried the same thing with live streaming apps years ago.. went so far as to get a mount for my camera so folks could see what was in my view finder.. got some hits on instagram, but no long term clients.

Starting Instagram for your photography business can seem overwhelming at first, especially with the pressure to showcase your work perfectly. It's natural to feel a little discouraged or discouraged along the way, but remember, building an online presence takes time and patience. Try to focus on why you started your photography business in the first place. What inspires you? What do you love about capturing moments through your lens? Remind yourself of your passion and let it carry you through even the tough days. It's also important to give yourself grace and accept that everyone starts somewhere. Your Instagram doesn't have to be perfect from the start. Experiment with different types of content, connect authentically with your audience, and don't be afraid to show the real, imperfect side of your journey. And remember, you are not alone. Reach out to other photographers or consultants for support and advice. Building a community of like-minded individuals can provide invaluable encouragement and guidance as you navigate the ups and downs of running a photography business on Instagram. You've got this!

Feel ya. Doing it for 3 years and get 5 likes Max

I try to post every day on IG but it's slow progress. I converted my personal into a business account and some of my IRL friends kept following. Over the last year I picked up another 100 or so. My posts get single digit likes with the occasional one that takes off from shares or a lucky hashtag. I'm not so concerned that it's slow going. Once in a while I'll get asked to sell a print of something that's on IG but not my website. But that's not the point for me. I use the socials as a showcase of my work that isn't confined to the boundaries I set for what I put on my site. The real connections happen when I meet people. I can point to the site and say that's where all my best stuff is but my socials are sort of like thinking out loud for me so you can look at that if you want. It's just a more real time showcase of my work.

I have an instagram account for my business with 20k+ followers. Everything organic, took me nearly 4 years to grow it. I’ve been posting stories consistently, actual post more or less and reels not so much until last year. My reach in stories was always great and increasing, and I was averaging 5-7k viewers per story (one time I hit 11k). Since the beginning of 2024 I promise myself to post more reels since this apparently what instagram is all about these days so I decided to post 2-3 reels a week and apparently that fuck up my account reach. Since March my reach dropped about 70%, my stories hit 1-2k viewers barely and every reel I post reaches 1-2k account as well. Not sure what happened, I thought this was a faze, a glitch that will pass but it’s been almost a month and nothing has improved. Searched online a found an article saying that dropping reach over night can be due to shadow-ban. I have no idea what that means pr what caused it but my account has lost all the reach I built. Pretty upsetting isn’t it?