Social media is a vast, creative space for expressing thoughts and experiences. Everyone has different purposes when navigating social media–keeping in touch with loved ones, getting updated with the latest news, following favorite personalities, sharing experiences through text and multimedia, and more.
Regardless of your purpose in using social media, you always want to show your best self on these platforms. People constantly need to emphasize a positive self-view to others online, thus aiming for perfection in every post or comment.
The Art of Sharing Photos on Social Media
A picture is only worth a thousand words if you have the right ones to post on social media. Compared to mere text and figures, images are a different kind of content that social media users can play with.
The human brain has a designated visual processing department that allows recognition, thought, and communication through images. By posting photos on your social media account, you can open endless doors of opportunities, especially with a purpose.
How To Share Valuable Photos Online?
Social media is a fast-paced world without room for irrelevance. To keep your online presence dynamic, meaningful, and engaging, here are a few essential tips when sharing your photos on social media:
- Shoot Images Like A Pro
Anyone can be a fantastic photographer if they’d want to. When sharing photos on social media, it’s up to you if you’re going to post high-quality images or settle with subpar ones. While photography can be an expensive endeavor, taking excellent photos only requires a good camera phone and creativity.
If you choose the former, consider these photography tips to take pictures like a pro:
- Prioritize lighting and focus
- Have utmost attention to subject and details
- Make your feed stand out through framing and composition
- Explore different camera angles
- Draw inspirations from other social media images
- Take Advantage Of The Platform’s Exclusive Features
No social media platform is the same as another. While some may have overlapping features, each site possesses unique features that users can benefit from.
For instance, Twitter and Instagram popularized adding hashtags (#) on posts for topic categorization. Since Instagram is a more conducive environment for sharing photos, you can add hashtags to your pictures with the help of this photographer Instagram tips.
On the other hand, LinkedIn is a professional space where your professional photos will shine best. If you focus on making infographics or step-by-step guides with your shots, Pinterest is an ideal platform for you.
Moreover, today’s social media platforms have built-in photo editors that allow users to experiment with filters, frames, and stickers before publishing them. If your image’s purpose or theme aligns with these features, feel free to add these design elements.
- Add A Story Behind Your Photos
We get it, you just got a brand-new LV bag and want to show it off on Instagram, or you look cute in your #WokeUpLikeThis selfie, but how about sharing images with stories worth listening to? If you’re an influencer or content creator, adding truthful stories behind your pictures can put you on edge.
Typically, companies use transmedia storytelling to create personal connections with their audience. Aside from its marketing purposes, an ordinary social media user like you can tell stories with images. Some of the best examples include:
- Your favorite childhood memory
- Nature appreciation
- Images that support relevant events and causes
- Your interests and hobbies
- Day-to-day experiences
- Travel experience photography
Since image storytelling can also benefit from the right choice of words, this will lead you to the next tip–create splendid captions.
- Captions Make A Huge Difference
Along with paying attention to your photos, your audience will also be able to read your post’s description. An excellent social media photo should always come with an excellent caption since it can make a big difference in the audience’s perception of your images.
Also, adding the right caption can increase user engagement and loyalty towards your content. Here are some tips to write effective, striking captions that’ll do justice to your finest photos:
- Know the intention behind your post
- Stimulate conversions by writing questions
- Be yourself and reflect your genuine voice
- Occasionally add call-to-action
- Utilize stickers, emojis, and symbols wisely
- When in doubt, add relevant quotes!
- Invest In Photography Equipment
Getting into the photography game is indeed engaging, especially if you’ve gathered a significant amount of viewers with the same interests as you. If you plan to get serious about your social media photography, you can consider investing in professional photography equipment to enhance your photos’ quality more effectively and conveniently.
If you’re still starting social media photography and still uncertain of this hobby, or you don’t have enough budget for professional tools, you can begin by purchasing a mount or tripod for your phone to assist your shaky hands and blurry shots. Many creative photographers can even get away with these simple, affordable accessories.
Meanwhile, if you’re ready to splurge on photography equipment, it’s important to choose a good beginner photography camera for your needs, budget, and preferences. You should also purchase other photography peripherals such as lenses, lens filters, cleaning kit, camera bag, reflectors, and photo editing software, to name a few.
- Don’t Go Overboard With Editing
Last but not the least is to touch up your images before posting them on social media. Although editing is imperative in most cases, one should exercise moderation and avoid too much editing. Since you’ve already spent a lot of time taking good quality images, there’s no need to edit them excessively.
Overdoing your edits can also do more harm than good to your image since it’s relatively easy to identify if a photo has been edited. After all, a little flaw or mistake in your image can still be beautiful.
Furthermore, your choice of photo editing software is also crucial to your image’s success. Before editing your image on free software, make sure that they don’t add annoying watermarks to your photos. Imagine spending almost an hour editing only to find your picture getting watermarked.
Conclusion
You can escape into different worlds, away from the occasional stress of real life, thanks to social media. Because of visual content, like photos, social media users can express themselves better than words can. If you want to introduce your own photography on social media, the tips discussed won’t only help you with the technical aspects of photography, but, more importantly, it’ll make your posts and images stand out.
However, keep in mind to prioritize your real world more than the online world. It would be more worthwhile to manifest the energy found in your pictures into real life as your experiences are far more precious than the views, likes, comments, and shares you’ll earn from social media.