Instagram is the most complicated relationship in my life. I know, I know. But I don’t understand it, and it doesn’t understand me. I need it, but it doesn’t need me. It brings out the worst in me: vain, competitive, jealous, but it’s full of things I love: friends, tiny gentle Asian babies, photography, dogs. It’s terrible for my self-esteem, apart from the few times I’ve got over 100 likes and some dopamine has been released in my brain that makes me feel like I’m in Ibiza. It pumps me up and thumps me down.
The thing is, I should be good at Instagram. I used to edit one of the most prestigious fashion and photography magazines in the world. I currently edit an award-winning digital platform that attracts millions of women to it every day. And yet it’s taken me seven years to reach 1,000 followers on my own Instagram and when I look at my personal feed, I think: “What is this?” From my dad asleep in the conservatory, to my beagles eating melon, zero-pixel pictures from nights out where I look nice precisely because the lighting is terrible, and bizarre odes to Norwegian TV shows and overpriced trainers, it’s an existential crisis.
I need to get better at Instagram. In my line of work, it’s important, it means something; it’s a portfolio of your creativity and your taste. So... hashtags? How many? What's with the brackets and the dots business? Should I be posting famous photographers’ work? More or less selfies? Go black and white? Order by colour? Buy a phone with a really good camera? I recently tried out a Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge phone (popular with teens who are popular on Instagram) and the three photos I posted using that were my most liked ever. Can it really be that simple?
Bewildered, I turned to five of the most “visual” women I know – from art directors, to photographers, to photo editors, to photojournalists – whose Instagram feeds are beautiful, clean, composed places, like art galleries, like coffee-table books. Here’s where they stand on style, selfies, reposting, hashtags – and being chilled about it.
The Photographer:@piariverola
How would you describe your account/ feed? A mix of daily life, travelling and commissioned work.
How do you achieve consistency in style/ aesthetic? It happens in a natural way but I'm mostly interested in colour palettes, geometry and open vs. cropped shots.
How do you approach selfies? By not posting a lot of them and when I do, they have to have an interesting element besides myself.
Do you put your friends and family in photos? If yes, how? If no, why? Yes, while travelling, I post photos of friends. I also like to post old film family photos, sometimes.
To what extent is it a documentation of your day-to-day life? All of the photos I take are a reflection of what I'm seeing in my day-to-day life. But I don't restrict myself to posting them in real time.
Where do you stand on hashtags? Not my cup of tea :)
Any do's and don'ts? Try to do it naturally and don't obsess too much.
How do you edit/ where do you stand on filters? Most of my work is on film so there is no need to use filters. With iPhone photos I like to play with exposure and temperatures sometimes.
What about frequency? And when do you post? I post once a day, sometimes more, sometimes less. It depends on how many exciting things are happening or how much work I want to show.
Photo: Via @piariverola.
The Photo Editor:@hols_hay
How would you describe your account/ feed? Stuff and people I like.
How do you achieve consistency in style/ aesthetic? It's my taste, which I guess is relatively specific and that's the only consistent theme.
What's the split between photos you take yourself and ones you republish (for example by another photographer)? About 70% other people's images and 30% my own.
How do you approach selfies? I am yet to approach. Any advice?
Do you put your friends and family in photos? If yes, how? If no, why? I do. I sometimes think my feed can get a bit full of photo references and projects I have worked on. I have to remind myself it's also my personal feed so I try to integrate pictures of my family and friends. I don't want it to become a mood board of photography. Plus they are gorgeous and interesting, which makes any Instagram more gorgeous and interesting.
To what extent is it a documentation of your day-to-day life? A lot. Not necessarily of what I'm doing at that precise moment but definitely what I am thinking about.
Where do you stand on hashtags? I try, naively, then I feel embarrassed and delete them.
Any do's and don'ts? The only don'ts are posting too much but equally – don't not post at all. Both are very boring for your friends. Do's: If you are posting someone else's work, always credit them!
How do you edit/ where do you stand on filters? I like a white border around the images now so the feed doesn't look too cluttered. I often change my own images to black and white but I would never put a filter or crop on someone else's work that I post.
What about frequency? And when do you post? On average I probably post 2-3 times a week but I have no strategy for when or what time.
Photo: Via @hols_hay.
The Photo Journalist: @visionsofjoanna_
How would you describe your account/ feed? It’s less of a personal, day-to-day 'Here’s what I’m doing now' thing and more of a mood board, I think. I use it as a place to put all of my inspiration and favourite pictures. I like Instagram because it’s a place to put things that look nice – nothing but appreciation on a purely aesthetic level.
How do you achieve consistency in style/ aesthetic? I have quite a distinct style of photographing anyway – lots of pastel tones and shadow play, so it all naturally tends to work quite well together as a stream of images. I like to see the way pictures sit together (that’s the editor in me!) and so I do think about what I’m posting and in what order. There’s something very pleasing about seeing pictures work together. It would annoy me if it didn’t look good as a grid.
What's the split between photos you take yourself and ones you republish? It’s maybe 2/3 my pictures, and 1/3 other people’s. I’ll often feature an image by an artist I’ve been thinking about or writing about that day.
How do you approach selfies? I basically never take them. I don’t think I pull off the ‘ironic’ mirror selfie very well. I love to see other people's though. In the very occasional event that I do feature myself, it’ll probably be some sort of abstract take on the selfie – lots of hands and shadows – or a picture taken of me by someone else.
Do you put your friends and family in photos? If yes, how? If no, why? Yes, I do, from time to time. If I feel I’ve taken a particularly beautiful photograph of someone I love, I’ll put it up there, definitely. I’ll rarely post snaps or ‘night-out’ pictures on my feed though – when you mix a nice selection of your best pictures with random snaps it looks messy. I think Instagram stories is great because now you can use that to indulge all of your instantaneous, night-out, fun stuff without ruining how your main feed looks.
To what extent is it a documentation of your day-to-day life? It depends on what I’m up to and where I am. I don’t tend to share what I’m actually DOING at any given time. I’d find that a bit weird because my Instagram is public, and so I see it as a sort of fine balance between mostly work-related things and then the occasional personal thing if it feels relevant. In my day-to-day life, I’m not too inspired by my surroundings visually (sorry, London!) but when I go on a trip I’ll take lots of pictures and can’t wait to share them.
Where do you stand on hashtags? I’m not keen on them at all. The odd one, for a specific (or funny) purpose, is OK. But definitely not when people post tonnes of them.
Any do's and don'ts? Instagram was made to share instantly what you’re up to at any given time, but I actually think that that can undermine it as a tool. I have found so many great photographers to work with and write about through it, and met so many photo editors that have commissioned photographers after finding them through the app. For photographers, I think I would say – don’t underestimate who’s looking! Think about what you’re sharing and make it look good.
How do you edit/ where do you stand on filters? My general rule is ALWAYS edit outside of Instagram. VSCO makes everything more beautiful.
What about frequency? And when do you post? I post when the mood takes me. I’m not sure I buy into this marketing idea that you have to keep continuity and frequency to keep your followers. Who came up with that? My followers and the people I enjoy following are still there and ready to share images after a couple of weeks away.
Photo: Via @visionsofjoanna_.
The Art Editor:@annarosejay
How would you describe your account/ feed? I didn't pursue a career in photo-taking, so I use my Instagram as a creative outlet because it's such an easy way to share. I still love photography, even though I spend my time commissioning photographers now. So the photos I post are really just moments I either catch fleetingly on my phone, or by playing around with objects to construct everyday still lifes. I also post a lot more when I'm on holiday, with a clear head and inspirational surroundings.
How do you achieve consistency in style/ aesthetic? It's not something I consciously try to do. I'm very drawn to colour and graphic – simple compositions. I also have a thing for diagonal lines and angles, so this is very prevalent.
What's the split between photos you take yourself and ones you republish? I very rarely post a photo not taken on my phone. The only times are if I'm really proud of something I've commissioned and want to share it.
Do you put your friends and family in photos? If yes, how? If no, why? Sometimes! I like taking photos of my boyfriend when we are on holiday.
To what extent is it a documentation of your day-to-day life? Very much so. It can be the most mundane things, like the other day I peeled an orange and thought it looked nice on the green paper that was on my desk, so made a photo just playing around with these things. Often I'll post something old which represents the mood I'm in. I never post a picture straightaway as I like to think about how it fits and spend time playing around with the photo.
Where do you stand on hashtags? Just think it looks a bit desperate.
Any do's and don'ts? DO: Share what you like. Have fun with photo-taking. Your phone is a great tool to be creative with. DON'T: Repost without crediting the photographer.
How do you edit/ where do you stand on filters? I use Instagram's editing, and don't often use the filters. If I do, it's normally just 10 points or so (out of 100). So I mainly use the brightness/ contrast tools.
What about frequency? And when do you post? I would like to post more regularly! But at the same time I like to keep up the quality. I post about three times a week, going up to maybe every day in the summer or on holidays.
Photo: Via @annarosejay.
The Photographer:@ana__cuba
How would you describe your account/ feed? A mix of commissioned and personal work, with some phone snapshots in between.
How do you achieve consistency in style/ aesthetic? I normally take into consideration how the grid is looking and try to keep a balance between portraiture, landscape, still life... and I also pay attention to the colours. I often post three pictures of the same project/ aesthetic in a row. I can get a little obsessive with the Instagram grid, but I don't like it as it shouldn't be like that!
What's the split between photos you take yourself and ones you republish? I only post pictures I've taken, or perhaps some personal snapshots taken by friends or family. For instance, this past Christmas, I went back home and found some old pictures taken by my dad of me and my childhood cat and I decided to post them. I like to keep the feed quite open, after all, it's also my personal diary and I like to scroll down and see where I was back in time.
How do you approach selfies? I don't usually post many selfies, maybe one or two a month. I'm not a huge fan of showing my entire face very often! If I do, it's often with friends, or me at work.
Do you put your friends and family in photos? If yes, how? If no, why? Yes, I do. Again, I don't want to lose the personal diary aspect within my feed, otherwise it would be just a photography portfolio, and that would be boring for me to look at, and Instagram isn't by far the best way to show your work.
To what extent is it a documentation of your day-to-day life? I would say 70% work, 30% day-to-day life. I post a lot when I travel, which makes it look like I'm never in London! But truth is that I find my daily routine in London pretty visually uninspiring, so when I'm in London, I tend to post more work-related stuff.
Where do you stand on hashtags? I never use hashtags. I'm not after a huge following. I'd rather grow little by little in an organic way, with people that are genuinely interested in what I do, friends and industry connections.
Any do's and don'ts? Do post whatever you feel like, I think spontaneity shouldn't be at odds with your feed! Personality needs to come across. Don't post on a Friday night, not many people will see it.
How do you edit/ where do you stand on filters? I use VSCO to edit my pictures. I don't particularly like heavy filters, but it's a matter of taste. I usually use them very lightly. Exposure, contrast and saturation are the main features I use on the VSCO app.
What about frequency? And when do you post? I post 3-4 times a week if I'm in London, or much more if I'm abroad! I normally post early in the mornings or in the evenings GMT time.
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