Social Media

I have been on Instagram for quite some time now, almost five years actually. Being a designer by day I can appreciate the simplicity they have put forward for years. The way you can snap, edit, and post a photos so quickly is astonishing to me, and to a platform that works so well. Today, they are changing it all up with a super clean logo and branding across the line of their apps. They are also quietly pushing out the new UI which consists of a total overall of the look and feel of the app.

Snapchat has quickly become one of the more popular social networking platforms. Users are no longer following just their close friends, but also movie stars, musicians, comedians, and even popular photographers. But with more and more people to follow, we now have a longer list of friends to sort through. At this current time though, Snapchat doesn't have any sort of way to group friends to allow for easy sending. Luckily there is a trick you can use to make sending snaps to a group of people much easier.

The mania surrounding food photography is a pretty recent phenomenon. In the last decade, what used to be a niche in photography took social media by storm and ever since has been one of the favorite topics for a huge amount of accounts. It is supposedly the second most popular subject of photography fanatics on Instagram after the selfie tsunami. I sat down to talk with Hein van Tonder, a food photographer carving his way into the food royalty.

For years, Instagram has been cultivating a community of some of the best photographers and creatives from around the world. They continue to grow at an astounding pace, and one of the best parts of the app is their InstaMeets, which were started by their own members in the early years. If you have never been a part of one, be sure to host or partake in one near you this weekend!

Some photographers call themselves artists, some photographers only think they’re photographers. Regardless, we all aspire for success. Maybe that means finding your work in galleries or gracing the cover of Vanity Fair. Even if you aren’t a photographer (how did you get here?), everyone strives to succeed. It’s different for everyone, that’s why it’s a difficult thing to chase. It’s tough to advise someone on how to succeed if you don’t have the same dream. There is, however, some common ground. Casey Neistat, the master Youtuber, shares his mantra, his guide, and what seems to be his daily lifestyle for pursuing his dreams and succeeding.

Now, photographers and models have their own Tinder-like mobile app called Romey.co. Romey.co is a global marketplace, connecting companies, bookers, models, and photographers where everyone is empowered, and everyone wins, changing the paradigm in an industry notorious for being cutthroat. Models and photographers download the app (iOS and Android) and use it to match intelligently with each other so they can keep active portfolios and network. The app's algorithms match you based on your profile and preferences, so you spend less time searching and more time connecting.

Instagram is an amazing platform for sharing your work and following great artists that can inspire you. As you follow more and more people, Instagram will even recommend other users who fall into line with the type of people you normally follow and interact with. The problem though is that most of the suggested users are people that already have a significant following. So what about the people that are up and coming or are new to the platform?

If you are active in a Facebook Group, you most likely have wished at some point in time that you could stream what you are doing live to them. The connection with a tight-knit community makes you want to share with them often. Until today, you would have to invite people to come view you somewhere else: Periscope, Facebook Live on your personal page, or any number of other options. It was unreliable, as people often don't want to have to access things through another app, especially if it involves a download for them of something they have never used before. Now, you can stream directly to a Facebook Group using the Facebook Live feature.

I'm sure you're all fatiguing a bit with the Instagram news lately, but this time, it is positive. Since its introduction in June 2013, video on the social media platform has been a success, especially for advertisers. Recently, they appealed to more advertisers by switching from video "likes" to video views. Now, the platform has announced they are extending the video duration allowed extensively.

Well, it's official. The app once known for its convenient, chronological order of posts is no longer. As I woke up this morning and did my usual routine of running through emails and social media, I noticed something odd. I opened Instagram, and the first post wasn't the most recent. It looks like the rumors were true, at least for me.

You might find today very interesting for Instagram. It seems like everyone on your feed is posting a hefty range of different photos telling you to "turn on notifications" on their feed. If you missed Andrew's regarding Instagram changes, check it out to find out the latest on how Instagram handles feeds. Changes will definitely be happening whether you like it or not. But is that something to worry about?

As many of you have seen and made clear on your feeds across various social networks this week, Instagram is changing its algorithm and from the looks of it, possibly for the worse. Chronological feed to curated feed is the proposed plan for the Instagram team in hopes "to show the moments we believe you will care about the most." How exactly will they know what I want? Facebook seems to do pretty well in retaining users so they must be doing something right for the majority. Now what does that mean for us photographers and professionals? Who knows but change will come so adapt and get over it!

Ever since Facebook changed to curated news feeds, there has been endless grumbling in the photography community about diminished reach and post engagement. That shouldn’t stop you from trying to beat their algorithms. You can still have a ton of success with Facebook posts. You just need to know how to work the system.

Instagram has continued to transcend the way we share our work, our brand, and lives through our mobile devices. It's safe to say that it has taken over Facebook as the preferred mainstream social media platform to share our work. Fellow Writer Ryan Cooper recently put a great article together about features that could use overhauls and improvements. I decided to add some issues that I've run into time and time again and put together an Instagram suggestion box for the Fstoppers community.

Owning and operating a photography business can be a lonely task. Most hours of the day are spent at a computer with no one to talk to, no one to bounce ideas off of, and no one to help you when you struggle. Most photographers turn to Internet forums and Facebook groups, and these definitely have their place. But what if you could have all the benefits of online communication with the added bonus of working with local professionals that are in the same industry?

Since the birth of social media, almost every business, public figure, and of course, creative, like us, are discovering new, interesting ways to engage with their following to portray value. In our industry, engagement and creativity in garnering it is very essential because of the abundance of noise and content that exists in the social media world. By constantly looking for new ways to engage with their fans and projecting value to clientele, there are always innovative ways to fill the gap. With that being said, there’s a new kid on the block and its name is Snapchat.

I might push the importance of Instagram each week, but it's for good reason. It has seriously changed my life by introducing me to a hobby and career in photography and I know I am not alone. Thanks to a few talented photographers and Instagrammers including Eric Ward, Craig Hensel, and Ricky Staub, along with the Instagram community, set out on an eight day journey across the country to meet and collaborate with individuals they had met entirely on the social platform. Check out the incredible story here in this short documentary film!

I have no idea where this request came from, but here we have it: views will now be added for videos on Instagram. Starting this week, view counts will appear below videos instead of likes, which we have been seeing for years. The shift will likely happen within the week for most users and be a change of pace for what we usually see on the platform.

Most photographers get into the field to pursue their passion; it's when they start to plan the business aspects that they hit the road bumps. Most experienced photographers will tell you that you can't expect to get booked simply because you have good pictures. The only way to become relevant in your niche is to consistently stay in front of your audience. Social media plays a huge part in this – it gives you exposure to your target audience, peers in the industry, and experts at the same time. It is thus an invaluable resource for getting new opportunities and growing your business. Here are 5 tips to help you get the best out of social media.

The day has come; Instagam will finally add support for switching between multiple accounts this week! Yes, you heard that right. After almost five years in the social game, they have come to their senses and added the ability to flip through accounts quickly and easily.

My name is Nico, and I'm a professional urban/street photographer based in London. In this article, I will show how you too can use Twitter to get more photography jobs, develop your network, and get your work seen by the right people. At least 90% of my paid photography work, including Adidas and Amazon, has come from interactions on Twitter, and anybody with a high-quality portfolio can do the same by following my simple tips.

Everyone wants to win the lottery. In this day and age winning the lottery can mean many things, one of which is hitting it big on social media. Creating a body of work, an brand image, and a following so massive it creates clout behind your name so high, it is easily seen by everyone as the best in the business. For photographers and creative alike, achieving something like that can easily be seen as difficult, but in reality for some it was outrageously easy and can still be done thanks to Instagram.

With his brother, Romeo, the face of numerous Burberry campaigns, Brooklyn Beckham has now been spotted working on the other side of the camera for the famous fashion house. The teen, who last year was reportedly working in a West London coffee shop for £2.68 an hour, is the official photographer behind Burberry’s latest fragrance campaign, entitled "This Is Brit."

I hate being in front of the camera, and I think many photographers feel the same way. So when I discovered Mike Mellia and found out that his Instagram account is almost 99% self-portraits, I was more than a little impressed. But wait! Many of his selfies are also cinemagraphs? I don't know how much more impressed I can get.

People continue to ask me the same question over and over, "How do I quickly grow my following on Instagram?" I will continue to tell them there is no easy way to go about this, but I have found one way in recent months that has been building my following much faster than I expected. Here are a few ways I am finding great follower growth, as well as a rise in engagement. Trust me, hold tight while I go through a few ways you as a professional can get ahead of some of these young guns with iPhones.

After the drowning death of an 18-year-old girl and a man who tried to save her last week, authorities in Mumbai, India have taken drastic steps by banning selfies from being taken at 15 sites, including many popular tourist attractions.

Just five years ago I started down the path of photography and it's been some of the best professional and personal years of my life thus far. It has opened up my creativity to a whole new way of thinking which has added great value in the day job of design and advertising. Sparking my interest in this field was Instagram. Like many others in 2011, it was the iPhone that challenged me and helped me hone my skills over the years but I always wanted to get my hands on a full frame after talking with so many professionals. This year I finally did it. Here is how I feel professionals and even those starting out can maximize using both a DSLR and iPhone in a professional setting.

For years I have had the internal and professional battle to go through the motion of building a portfolio website to show off my absolute best and most recent work while also being able to allow clients to easily contact me. In today's day and age there has never been an easier way to do all of these things all in one place, for me that's Instagram and it should be for you as well. Here is why I think it's the best portfolio website on the web.

You have probably seen these already swirling around Facebook and Instagram. The "Best Nine of 2015" has gone viral and like me, if you were a little bit late to the party, you can head over to 2015 best nine to have your best nine Instagram posts of 2015 curated for you. The site will then let you share directly to your Facebook profile, business page, or directly to Twitter.