When it comes to any wedding photography Instagram profile, the photographer is showcasing themselves, their interests, and their work. The best photographer profiles are also able to showcase their personalities without competing against their own aesthetic by using hashtags. Whether you are a new photographer or have an established business, your hashtags bring personality to your Instagram profile and determine how people find you, follow you, like your content, or even hire you.

Businesses everywhere have created hashtags to put in their bios and on their posts to brand themselves. You are your brand. Your hashtags should directly showcase you. What makes you unique? What makes you different from other photographers?

Before we start, if you’re looking for a list of wedding photographer hashtags, a good place to start is the ultimate wedding photographer Instagram hashtag guide. Once you’ve got your standard hashtags, it’s time to add some personality to your Instagram profile.

photo by Jennifer Picard Photography

Find Discoverable Hashtags

On the surface discoverable hashtags don’t seem that personable, but why can’t they be? Using a hashtag with thousands, or hundreds of thousands, of other images may seem to leave you buried. That’s not always the case. 

In fact, people can choose to follow specific hashtags, and these photos will end up on that hashtag’s feed. If you still have our ultimate hashtag guide open, you’ll want to start there and pick out 5-10 that will help get you discovered. Instagram allows up to 30 hashtags per post and we recommend you use a minimum of 11! 

So, what about any other hashtags do you have space for? This is where the real fun begins. 

photo by Traci Edwards Photo

Being Time-Sensitive

Are you big on the National Holidays? Do you love #NationalPastaDay, or is that just us? Don’t be afraid to be on a daily trend and use those hashtags. Donut bar at a wedding? Use that image and hashtag on #NationalDonutDay. It’s a fun way to show you’re not stuffy, that you’re a fan of that day, and brings your personality to light. 

Not big on social media’s National Holidays? Not to worry. Try daily challenges that followers can look forward to like #ThirstyThursdays or #FunnyFridays. Get creative and have fun with it. 

Stay Trendy

The #weddingphotographer has millions of followers and it can be hard to break through all the noise. Try including the year so couples can see what others are currently buzzing about. Options like #weddingtrends2020 or #2020Weddings. Also, jump on trends that are related to your photo. 

photo by Projekt35

Your Own Instagram Hashtag

You should always brand your content. Once people begin to follow and love your work, you are going to want to see if people repost you, your work, or even share your page. Try adding a hashtag with your business name in your list of hashtags, or a slogan or short phrase you’re known to use. Folks can then follow your hashtag and discover even more of your work. 

Niche, Please

Okay, your photo is up. Yay! But what makes it different from other wedding photos? Is it atop a snowy mountain? Was it an elopement? Did you catch a great tearful moment? Start by doing a bit of research on the image to come up with some different descriptions. 

For example, instead of using #outdoorwedding, use #mountainwedding or #lakewedding. Include words that use the main focus of the photo rather than putting it in a generic topic. Randomly generated hashtags are not the power move.

photo by Jades Photography

Find Unique and Specific Personality Hashtags

This goes hand in hand with the last tip. Think about all the nearlyweds out there who will be looking for a photographer. How will they find you? They might start with the generic hashtags to find their wedding photographer, but scrolling through thousands of options often becomes overwhelming.

Next, they may search for things like #[location]weddingphotographer. Be specific with the theme of the wedding you captured, the location, or any other details that will make your personality stand out. 

Hashtag Emoji 

You can hashtag a single emoji. Millions of people follow and use these hashtags because images speak louder than words. As a wedding photographer, you’re aware of this. So use those extra fun emojis to let your personality shine.

Emojis break language barriers and are another way for your wedding photography to get noticed. So, if your most recent shoot had amazing lush greenery, add a #🌲.

photo by Sara Rogers Photography

Change It Up

We know it’s tempting to just copy and paste a list of hashtags for every photo. However, doing that won’t help you reach new couples. Regularly analyze and evaluate your hashtags to make sure they reach new audiences. So, if you have picked out 15-20 hashtags from our hashtag list, pick a new one. Don’t be afraid to change it up. 

#PhotobugCommunity

Okay, we had to include this one—we couldn’t resist! If you are looking to be noticed among other wedding photographers, definitely add this hashtag to your photos. We love to repost photos our followers share and this might help you get a little bit more exposure.

photo by Naomi Van Der Kraan

While hashtags are sometimes deactivated by Instagram, it is still important to continue to use hashtags in all of your posts. Stay creative, keep changing things up, and show off your unique Instagram profile. Don’t be afraid to keep a note of all your hashtags to help you, either. For more tips on Instagram, we have caption tips to get you started and ideas to help you write stronger captions.