Article Analysis: A professional photographer explains what you’re doing wrong on Instagram

Camila Carrillo
Sep 3, 2018 · 3 min read

Though the article I chose, along with its headline, could come across as a fluff piece to many professionals in the social media industry, I felt as though I was able to take away many valuable tips by the time I finished reading it.

I chose to examine the article titled, “A professional photographer explains what you’re doing wrong on Instagram.” At first, the author discusses the struggles of those who love using Instagram but aren’t technically master photographers. They’re able to pin point what they like about others’ Instagram profiles, but have difficulty replicating it or adding a similar flare to their own feeds.That’s where Alexa Jade comes in.

Alexa Jade is a photographer from Portland, and she goes on in the article to talk about small things the regular Instagram user can do to enhance their Instagram presence.

I found this article very insightful because, as a millennial, I can relate to and understand why this article was written in the first place. Instagram is evolving into something new every year, and this article gives a great insight as to how young people are trying to use Instagram.

Influencer culture, though not mentioned in the article, plays a huge role in what is popular on Instagram. People want to give off the influencer feel off their Instagram profiles, and so learning how to take a picture and edit it well is important in the current state of the Instagram world.

More and more, people are trying to find out how to creative a cohesive Instagram profile: one that portrays themselves and their personalities perfectly. A huge part of what Instagram is today is a place where you can create a visual master piece, not just through a single post, but through the cohesiveness of how all your posts look alongside each other.

Let me explain what I mean by this. Take any Instagram influencer. The reason his/her audience continues to follow this influencer (nowadays) is because they can rely on his/her ability to have more than just an aesthetic, but a personality that is consistant through every one of their posts. Nowadays, followers enjoy being able to recognize who posted a photo, even if that person isn’t physically featured in the photo, based soley on their photographic and editing style.

Aside from this, being an Instagram influencer is becoming much more of a job than just a hobby or a side hustle. Influencers are taking it more seriously when a brand pays them to promote a product or service, which means they’re much more likely to take a photo with a nice, professional camera.

Developing a style and staying with it helps create a brand for yourself on this platform. The tips mentioned in this article help take your account and turn it into something influential and engaging.

I think businesses can take a lot away from this article. Instagram is no longer a social media platform where people take a quick picture of their outfit of the day in a mirror or a quick snap of their salads. Instagram has become a place where people take their ability to show off who they are very seriously. If they want to adapt to this culture they need to understand that everything they post needs to be intentional as well as professional.

Read the mentioned article below:

https://mashable.com/article/common-instagram-photo-mistakes/#S2kGWCFqePq3

Camila Carrillo

Written by

A senior journalism student at the University of Florida trying to do big things.