FILTER PHOTO REALISM #ENGAGE Simplify your social media presentati<strong>on</strong> LET’S IMAGINE for a minute that the <strong>on</strong>line audience you present your photos to, and aim to impress, would actually spend time with your pictures—lingering over them, taking in their story and yours— before pushing the Like butt<strong>on</strong> or commenting. Sounds like a dream, right? Unfortunately, most of the time, it’s a complete fantasy that your viewers will do anything like that. Typically they spend a few sec<strong>on</strong>ds (if you’re lucky) <strong>on</strong> your individual photographs, including recent Facebook and Instagram posts, as well as the fr<strong>on</strong>t page of your website or Tumblr. (See the February issue for specific tips about those.) And if people have to read an explanati<strong>on</strong> of your images, bey<strong>on</strong>d a title, capti<strong>on</strong>, or hashtag…well, they just w<strong>on</strong>’t. But, there are two things you can do to increase engagement with your social networks that will help grab the attenti<strong>on</strong> of your audience, and even keep their eyes <strong>on</strong> your work l<strong>on</strong>g enough to “invest” by commenting <strong>on</strong> and even sharing your images. First, c<strong>on</strong>sider the words you use. Most of the photographers I know and follow, both emergent and established, are often uncomfortable writing about themselves and their photos. I’ve met with many of you at portfolio reviews and school events, and I see a lot of struggling with an “elevator pitch” or artist’s statement that sums up the entirety of your work. (That goes for current projects and individual images, too.) So how about we lose the copy? It’s better to choose an image that has intrinsic visual power that needs no explanati<strong>on</strong> or c<strong>on</strong>text. One that is just awesome. Especially <strong>on</strong> your Facebook posts: Include <strong>on</strong>ly a quick capti<strong>on</strong> or title, a link to your site, or nothing at all. Let your audience get curious and ask questi<strong>on</strong>s, then you can resp<strong>on</strong>d to them in the comments. The comments secti<strong>on</strong> is a better place <strong>on</strong> Facebook to add info, links, and descripti<strong>on</strong> than at the top of the post. L<strong>on</strong>g explanati<strong>on</strong>s are a waste of time, will probably go unread, and will visually step <strong>on</strong> the image that accompanies them. I’ve seen overly wordy artist’s statements <strong>on</strong> Instagram, too. This time they’re in the comments secti<strong>on</strong>, but the same advice applies. A simple hashtag or capti<strong>on</strong> and a link to see more work suffices and will help your audience engage without feeling the pressure to read—and not see—your story. My sec<strong>on</strong>d tip: Mind the grid. In most social sites, it is possible to see a mosaic of all of your recent photos in <strong>on</strong>e place. This is by default <strong>on</strong> your Instagram profile, and it happens when you click through to photos <strong>on</strong> Facebook. It is important to be c<strong>on</strong>scious of the order and design of the way your images appear in those grids. They are an immediate representati<strong>on</strong> of you as a photographer. The pictures d<strong>on</strong>’t need to be uniformly thematic or narrowly focused <strong>on</strong> a particular subject or series. But you want the viewer’s eye to travel over the grid and absorb an overall tightness of your aesthetic, color, and compositi<strong>on</strong>. If you arrange and upload your photos with some forethought to the sequence within that grid, it will, in additi<strong>on</strong>, give any slideshow view some muchneeded rhythm. This may mean not putting photos that are too similar next to each other, and alternating your color scheme and compositi<strong>on</strong>. Or, you can get more specific with your grid— perhaps by always using the same frame/ border, color palette, or compositi<strong>on</strong>al rules. The point is to make the first quick read of your profile page very, very succinct. It may not be obvious, but paying attenti<strong>on</strong> to this overview, as well as to what you write about each photo, helps your audience perceive you as a serious photographer and aids in your ability to stand out. If you can stand out, it’s the first step in engaging with your viewers and instilling in them an interest in spreading your message. —Allegra Wilde PLAN THE GRID Your Instagram feed is a miniature introducti<strong>on</strong> to your work, so curate it as such. MEET THE AUTHOR The cofounder and chief operati<strong>on</strong>s officer of Eyeist, the <strong>on</strong>line portfolio review service, Allegra Wilde is a visual strategist, creative director, and c<strong>on</strong>sultant to artists, photographers, and artbased businesses. She has served as an MFA mentor at the School of Visual Arts and as a visiting instructor at Art Center College of Design, FIT, and many other university photography programs. CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION facebook.com/ PopPhotoRealism twitter.com/ PopPhotoRealism ALLEGRA WILDE (2) 12 POPULAR PHOTOGRAPHY ON CAMPUS APRIL <strong>2016</strong>
CALLING ALL STUDENT PHOTOGRAPHERS <str<strong>on</strong>g>Popular</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>Photography</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>on</strong> <strong>Campus</strong> is giving student photographers the opportunity to win prizes and have their work recognized in the fall issue of PPOC or <strong>on</strong> PopPhoto.com/campus DEADLINE AUGUST 31, <strong>2016</strong> FREE TO ENTER: For the c<strong>on</strong>test rules and prizes, please visit PopPhoto.com/campus-c<strong>on</strong>test
Change language