Should Photographers Still Care About Instagram?

Alright. Here we go. Welcome back to Between the Frames, the podcast where I ramble about photography, creativity, and whatever else is on my mind. I'm Josh, and today we're going to talk about something I know a lot of photographers have a love hate relationship with, Instagram. Oh, the dreaded Instagram.

Oh, scary. Now before you roll your eyes and assume this is just going to be me complaining about the platform, stick with me. I actually wanna take a different approach today or at least try to. Yes, Instagram has changed. Yes, it's harder to get engagement.

And yes, if you're not making reels, your reach feels like it's going to suck or be in the gutter. I know, because trust me, I really, really suck at making reels. But I also think that if you shift your mindset a little, you can still make Instagram work for you without completely selling your soul to an algorithm that we have no idea really what it wants. So today, I wanna talk about what's changed and why I still think that Instagram can be a useful platform for photographers and other creatives. Let's start with a little nostalgia.

Because I think part of the frustration with Instagram comes from remembering how damn good it used to be for photographers. If you were around back in, let's say, 02/2014 to maybe 02/2018, Instagram was prime for photography. You could post a photo and people would actually see it. You didn't have to play games with hashtags. Who knows if those even work anymore?

You didn't have to worry about posting at exactly the right time or jumping through hoops for an algorithm that no one has any idea what it wants. You just post a good photo or even an okay photo, and if people liked it, it seemed like it would actually gain a little bit of attraction. Now it feels like only a handful of people will even see your work. I think when Instagram looked at what TikTok was doing with video, they started panicking and, well, here we are. So what's actually changed?

Why does Instagram feel so damn frustrating now? Well, for one, Instagram doesn't want to be a photo sharing app anymore. At least it doesn't feel like it. They won't outright say that, but their actions make it pretty damn clear. The big shift happened when they introduced reels, as we know, and don't get me wrong, I get why they did it.

TikTok exploded. Video content keeps people on the app longer, and Instagram wanted a piece of that. It's business. But in doing so, they kind of pushed photographers to the side. Be honest with me.

How often are you sharing photography to other people's DMs compared to reels or memes? I'm guilty of this. Also, don't get me wrong. I do it quite often. Mostly football or soccer memes, but the sad truth is how to gain traction now from what the CEO said a few months ago, Instagram values shares.

Now more than anything, not likes or saves, but sharing things to other people's DMs. So that's why meme pages and people that focus on reels seem to have the most traction with the highest followers and the most engagement is because, like the CEO said, they really value shares. Static photos just don't get the same reach anymore. If you're not posting memes or reels, it's like Instagram barely acknowledges that you even exist unless you actually maybe had a large following before all of the changes. I'll be honest with you.

Like I said before, I really suck at making reels. I have no idea what I'm doing. I don't wanna lip sync to trending audio. I don't wanna make behind the scenes videos of me editing photos. Even though I have tried, I've played that game, it didn't go, meh, it didn't go horribly, but it just wasn't for me.

But unfortunately, that's what Instagram wants now. They want reels. They want shares. They want video content. I think some photographers make great reels, and hopefully I can figure it out in the future, but for now, it's not a path I'm willing to travel.

So, yeah. It's frustrating. Growth is slower. Engagement is lower. And if you're only posting still photos, you might feel like you're yelling into the void.

But despite all of that, I still do think that Instagram has value for photographers. You just have to approach it a little bit differently. Alright. So if Instagram isn't what it used to be, how do we actually make it work for us in 2025? I'm by no means an expert, but here's what I've been trying and what I've learned.

Post consistently, but don't stress out about it. The algorithm does reward consistency, so they say, but that doesn't mean you have to post every day like some crazy person. Not saying you're crazy if you post every day, but it seems like you're reaching, kinda seems like you're reaching. For me, I aim to post once or twice a week. That's enough to stay active in people's feeds, but without burning out.

I think stories are a great way to stay active in in your community that you've created of followers if you don't have the kind of content to post, you know, once or twice a week. Another thing you can try is use carousels instead of single images. Carousels seem to perform way better than single image posts. And if you have multiple shots from a trip or a shoot or a photo walk or whatever the case may be, put them in a carousel instead of posting them one by one. It keeps people swiping, which means they're engaging longer, and Instagram seems to love that.

It's, it's a business, like I said, after all. Another thing you might try is you could even try adding text over the images to make almost a short story, that people have to swipe and read. This is something I want to try, but have no evidence it works. So it's just a thought. It could be a creative way to create carousels to keep people more engaged, and possibly even up, how many times they will share that post with other people.

If you do feel like you have to post reels, try to keep it simple. If you're not somebody that is good at making reels, like I said, I suck at them. But, I have been trying to figure out a way to make them work without completely changing my style. So far, no luck. But I have plans for the future, and it does involve this podcast and like you've seen in other people's podcasts, maybe creating shorts that way or reels, whatever you wanna call it, including this podcast.

Other things you could try with reels are maybe just a simple slideshow of images. Kinda like a carousel with music, but instead, you post it as a reel, or maybe a reel with some behind the scenes clips of you on a photo walk to give your followers a better understanding of how you shoot and maybe what you look for. Basically, if you need or want to play the game, figure out a way to make reels work for you. It's the sad truth that Instagram wants video content, but unfortunately, it is what it is. Another tip is to try to engage with other photographers.

I used to just post my work and leave the app, but I've realized that Instagram actually works better when you interact with people. Surprise, surprise. Social media. Reply to comments or comment on other photographers posts and send them DMs if you really, really enjoy their work. It actually seems to make a difference, and it feels a little more like the old Instagram when you try to build connections with people.

I personally find that DMs are a great way to connect. I've had good success with building building relationships that way in the community. So slide into some DMs, but don't be a creep about it for the love of God, please. My last tip would be to post for yourself and stop worrying about the algorithm. Honestly, at the end of the day, you have to ask yourself, why are you even using Instagram?

If it's stressing you out, maybe step back and post what you want, not what the algorithm seems to want. For a long time, I used Instagram basically like a photo book of my life. I would always say to others and myself that when I'm old and have dementia, can't remember shit, I would look at my feed and see what I've done in my life, see where I've been. I still do this from time to time. Looking back is something I think is very important for growth, and Instagram is kind of a neatly packaged platform to do just that.

So, again, I've started approaching Instagram with this mindset. I post what I like, and if it does well, great. If not, whatever. It's made the platform a lot more enjoyable for me. So after all this, is Instagram still worth it?

I think, yes, if you change your mindset. I know that there's been a lot of negativity out there recently about the platform, but if you change your mindset, I think it is still worth it. If you expect it to be like the old days, unfortunately, you're going to be frustrated. Meta has moved on from from that. But if you adapt, experiment, and stop obsessing over the numbers or how the new grid layout looks, I'm not a fan, but I've moved past that feeling.

It can still be a great way to share your work and connect with others, I think. My advice, make Instagram work for you, not the other way around. Post what you love, engage with photographers you actually care about, and don't let the algorithm define how you feel about photography. That's gonna be it for today's episode. Kind of a short and sweet topic.

I'd love to hear your thoughts. Are you still using Instagram, or have you moved on to other platforms like, the photo app? Have you just completely deleted all social media? I find that that's been a trending thing at the beginning of 2025, but if you wanna keep this conversation going, hit me up on Substack or Instagram, and if you enjoyed this episode, consider subscribing. Thanks for hanging out, and I'll see you next time on Between the Frames.