photo by Corrina and Dylan

If there’s one thing we love about our Instagrammers to Follow contributors, it is their hard work and diligence to continue to use Instragram despite the constant algorithm changes. These five incredible wedding photographers not only share some of their most popular images, but a few tips and tricks that have helped them kill it at the Instagram game. We think this post will help you stay inspired and encourage you to reach out and connect with your followers and other photographers in the community.

Wild Heart Visuals – @wildheart.visuals

photo by Wild Heart Visuals

Instagram has affected my business tremendously. Although I don’t let it dictate my level of success or worth, I can’t deny it has aided me in expanding my business. Clients from all over the world have been able to connect with me by the use of a single hashtag…which is insane when you think about it. And I’ve also been able to meet the most amazing photographers through direct messaging. Instagram makes this beautifully diverse wedding industry not feel so inaccessible. However, Instagram can totally be the thorn in my side as well. I’m sure by now most know the terrible new algorithm and the confusing way that it works. Many have already felt the effect of it on your business or personal feed. Less exposure is a scary thing for hardworking photographers that make a living through the opportunity to connect. But I think it’s taught a LOT of us the power of support and community in our industry. I love the increase of commenting and uplifting through posts lately. It’s cool to see the wedding photography industry triumph through a strange social media change.

photo by Wild Heart Visuals

Growing your audience and engagement can be the most mind-boggling thing sometimes. You can be sitting looking at your feed and feel like you’re being “missed” or “overlooked.” Trust me, I’ve been there a lot. I think that being authentic is the best thing you can do for your Instagram. I think too many times people get lost in numbers – likes, follows, comments, etc. Just don’t worry about it. Post what YOU love and what YOU are proud of capturing. If you are posting authentically you will receive an authentic audience. You will receive authentic clients and clients who VALUE your hard-work and talent.

photo by Wild Heart Visuals

My most successful Instagram post so far was my beautiful bride, and now friend, Megan Fulks receiving her gift from her now-husband Jared on their wedding day. The gift was a printed star map of the night they got engaged. Megan LOVES Les Miserables and Jared finished the most beautiful note on the back of the map with a quote from the end of the movie: “To love another person is to see the face of God.” Once she read that line, she burst into tears. It was just so emotional. I love Les Mis as well and so I looked about the same on the other side of the lens. This image just speaks of a bride’s overwhelming love for her groom and that’s everything I want my work to represent.

photo by Wild Heart Visuals

The three photographers that have inspired me continuously for YEARS are @noellejohnsun, @kylie_morgan_, and @victoriabonvicini. I’ve had the extreme pleasure of meeting and befriending these AMAZING women and their souls are just as beautiful as their captures. I love meeting “popular” photographers that are truly humble and so kind. It really inspires me to work hard and stay authentic to my work.

photo by Wild Heart Visuals

Corrina and Dylan – @corinnaanddylan

photo by Corrina and Dylan

As a heavily visual and social medium, Instagram has been a fantastic platform for sharing our images and ideas. It’s had a significant impact on our business, and would definitely make our list of ‘game changers.’ At first, we thought it would be little more than a second portfolio, but it’s been so much more. It’s given our work greater scale and immediacy, allowed us to network with other creatives, and it has connected us with amazing couples around the world.

Not only has it had a practical impact on our business, but Instagram has probably impacted our craft too. We try to have a healthy relationship with social media, but one benefit of posting regularly is that it forces us to reflect on our work often – how it looks, how it feels – both as single images and a body of work.

photo by Corrina and Dylan

To increase your Instagram growth and engagement, we feel it’s really important to contribute and connect authentically and often. Try to ensure your content is consistent both in how it looks and how it feels, and invest in engaging with other accounts and be genuine. If you’ve been inspired by an account or admire an image, let them know. Thoughtful comments shine brightly.

Most importantly, have fun and enjoy the journey. This is definitely one of those ‘it’s a marathon, not a sprint’ kind of things. It takes time to build an authentic following and brand. You’re going to be in it for the long run, so to increase your chances of reaching your goals, take it slow, be yourself, and have fun.

photo by Corrina and Dylan

We are most attracted to images that are inherently simple, and make us feel some form of immediate involvement with the subject – to feel as if we know the people being photographed, were present during a decisive moment, feel the greatness of a landscape, or the warmth of a sunset. And we think our followers probably feel the same way.

Funnily enough, our most popular post wasn’t even a wedding image, but a portrait we made for a couple we crossed paths while in Bali. It’s a pretty simple image – just two people chilling out on a couch, but they have so much presence and we feel you get a little glance into their characters. Obviously, the image doesn’t tell their whole story, but maybe enough to keep your eyes fixed and allow your mind to wander and fill in the mysterious gaps. It’s a nice reminder that often the simplest images can be the most compelling.

photo by Corrina and Dylan

There are so many talented photographers that inspire us. To name just a few in the wedding industry, we love Fer Juaristi (@ferjuaristi) for his quirky creativity, Lauren Apel (@laurenapelphoto) for her unique voice and storytelling, Branch and Cole (@branchandcole) for their colour and tones, and the Kitcheners (@thekitcheners) for their use of light and space to convey emotions and moods.

On a personal level, we are deeply inspired by cinema. In particular, we often draw on the inimitable collaborations between Wong Kar Wai and Christopher Doyle, particularly the films In the Mood for Love, and Chungking Express. The @WongKarWaiScreenCaps account posts stills from their films, so we love it when these images pop up in our feed.

photo by Corrina and Dylan

Matt Lien – @mattlien

photo by Matt Lien

As of the last couple years, Instagram has been my primary way to share my work and also reach a demographic of people I might not normally reach with my current networks in place. Its such a great way to share new work, but also allows people to connect with you personally through your Instagram stories. If you’re targeting a specific clientele, it’s easier than ever to reach those people with this platform. I would say the majority of new clients who find me do so through Instagram. Before, it was more through a combination of different social media outlets, word of mouth, and blog posts.

photo by Matt Lien

The best way I’ve found to grow my following and increase engagement is to post often and show consistent work. By posting often, your letting people know that you’re active and constantly doing new work, so they are more likely to find you and your work interesting. They want to follow you to see whats next. Use your posts as a carefully curated portfolio of your work and use Instagram stories as a behind the scenes or a way for people to connect with you personally – the perfect combo to reel people in and keep them engaging. And as always, post work that your most proud of and that is consistent throughout your feed.

photo by Matt Lien

One of my most popular posts has been the photo of Chloe being given away by her father in Arizona. It was just a beautiful, perfect, raw moment that can’t be set up or recreated. There is so much emotion in her face as her father kisses her and gives her away. I think its just one of those moments that is so relatable to all the women out there who are a daddy’s girls at heart.

photo by Matt Lien

Most of my photography inspiration these days come from sources outside of my industry. I follow a lot of travel accounts. Travel is a huge inspiration for my work. I do follow friends/peers in the industry, and it’s always inspiring to see all the talent out there. You have to be careful though, as it’s so easy to fall into the trap of comparing yourself to what everyone else is doing. Especially on Instagram, it’s so easy for everyone’s work to start to look similar. It’s definitely a balance. I try to keep my head down and continue to perfect my own work.

photo by Matt Lien

Catalina Jean – @catalinajean

photo by Catalina Jean

I think the biggest way Instagram affected my business is that it connected me with so many other photographers. I would follow all these amazing people and then eventually started meeting up with them. Most of us work by ourselves, so having a network of people who support each other has been indispensable. The friends I have gained have become like co-workers.

photo by Catalina Jean

I think the most important tip with Instagram I could give is to try not to get obsessed with the numbers game. Don’t let it be the definition of your self-worth. I know plenty of photographers with less than 10k followings that are so talented and have very successful businesses. I also know photographers with over 30k that are struggling with booking. And to be completely honest, I know many photographers who have bought a large majority of their following. So don’t look at that number as a measurement of success. Instead, define your own measurement of success and use all the avenues you can to get there. There are so many more ways to market a business that are much easier to grow, control, and see results. People finding me through Google organically by utilizing SEO tactics is personally my most successful marketing channel.

All that being said, here are my top tips…

1. Curation is hugely important to growing a following. I use an app called Snug that lets me preview how I want my images to look. I plan nine images at a time since that is what people will see first when they visit my profile.
2. Posting often during the days/hours when people seem to engage the most. For me posting is usually most successful early in the morning Monday – Thursday.
3. Hashtags are also really important, so do some research and try different ones to see what performs the best.
4. Share your photos with vendors or submit for features. They will tag you when they post and that is sure to send followers your way.
5. And finally, share the love. Interact with other photographers, comment on the photos of theirs that catch your eye. Photography is really challenging so a nice comment can really brighten someone’s day or encourage them when they are feeling stuck.

photo by Catalina Jean

The confetti throw first kiss at Caitlyn and Tim’s wedding was definitely the most popular post. Many people have confetti thrown as the couple walks down the aisle but this was at least my first time seeing confetti thrown during the first kiss. I think it did well because of that. It was such an awesome idea, the guests got really into it. 

photo by Catalina Jean

Finding the work of @braillegold and @abiqphoto is the reason I even started shooting weddings. Their work has and will always continue to inspire me. Also, @laurkenkendall, for the movement and energy in her images as well as her use and her use of light is just magic. 

photo by Catalina Jean

Anchor and Veil – @anchorandveil

photo by Anchor and Veil

Instagram has been tremendously effective for our business! In the past 24 months, weddings/engagements alone, apart from print sales, have generated $500k for us and Instagram was responsible for 200k alone as a lead source!

The crazy thing about this is that it isn’t because we have a bunch of followers or are really well known; actually, no one really knows who we are! We aren’t celebrity photographers with a bunch of followers and don’t speak at many conferences or win a bunch of awards. We started our business five years ago and went full time three years ago!

So to say that Instagram has had a great impact on our business is an understatement, it’s responsible for 40% of our revenue in the past 24 months! The amazing thing about that is that is that it’s mostly organic! We have only spent a total of $1737 on Instagram ads since April 2016. That’s an 11,000% return on our investment over two years and 99% profit on ads spent!

photo by Anchor and Veil

When it comes to growing your engagement, it starts with you. I shoot this STRAIGHT and keep it 100% when it comes to engagement. Sure you could post about you and what you love in life and your adorable dog and the photos you love, and then expect people who resonate with you to follow you, engage, and then book when it’s time, but let’s be honest. We live in such a narcissistic culture that people who post, especially some of our target audiences, LOVE to be engaged with but rarely engage. We have to go to them.

photo by Anchor and Veil

The most popular photo we have ever posted on Instagram has consistently been this photo below from the in-home session we did back in 2016. It went somewhat viral and I think a big reason for it is because it’s vulnerable. People relate to it because in the most intimate way. We all want two things: to be valued and be vulnerable. The session took place at the couple’s home – the way she grabs his face to bring him closer and the way he grabs her but and brings her in is REAL and vulnerable! I think people really resonate with that on a deeper level. It’s fun, it’s in their home, it’s not perfect, its real, all of these things are what people desire at some level!

photo by Anchor and Veil

One thing we have found to be really beneficial in our art is to not follow many wedding photographers. Some of our favorite inspiration when it comes to Instagram has been from either cinematography accounts or accounts from photographers that have died or photographers not in the wedding industry at all!

Some of those include:
@_rodneySmith
@tonyinSeattle
@maxpapendieck
@chivexp
@symmetricalmonsters
@irvingpennphotography

Also, do yourself a favor and Google Hannibal Cinematography. If you have a semi-weak stomach you may not like it, the symmetry, colors, composition is all freaking INCREDIBLE on this show!

The main wedding photographers I find a ton of inspiration from are:
@josephwashere
@ferjuaristi
@junebugweddings of course 😉

photo by Anchor and Veil

The biggest thank you to this month’s Instagrammers to Follow!

Comment below if you’d like to recommend an account for a future Instagrammers to Follow!