This article is a follow up article to the one written a couple of weeks ago found here.

Here are four more things I have learned from starting up a brand new Instagram account.

5. Using the right hashtags makes a difference.

Yes. I have googled what hashtags I should be using under my pictures. I want to use hashtags that other people are using for their photography too. I have even taken the time to analyze which hashtags are being used more than others. I prefer to use the hashtags that are being used by 1 to 4 million people, rather than using the ones that are being used by 10 million. The less people that are using the hashtag, the more the photo will be seen and liked, but it can't be too small of a number either. I do not use hashtags that are being used by under 1 million people. I know this is obsessive, but this is what I enjoy doing.

6. Instagram patience is a different kind of patience.

Look. I'm not going to lie. A huge portion of the reason why I started my photography Instagram account was to make connections with other photographers, but also to get a lot of likes and followers. Success in the social media world is truly based on numbers, and that is why people pay for followers. A company could be successful, but if they have under 100 followers on Instagram, then it is easy to start having doubts about them. So starting this new account has taught me to just upload pictures, use my hashtags, and just wait. I would say that social media popularity doesn't come over night... but let's be real, it does.

7. Food, Dogs, and Sunsets.

Yeah, think of the most basic things that people take pictures of, and that's what does well on Instagram. Whenever I post pictures with people in it, they tend to do poorly compared to when I post a picture of a sunset. That's just how Instagram works, and for right now, I'll stick to what is successful, and do less of the other stuff.

8. I have a new approach to taking photos.

The photos I put on this account are ones that I am extremely proud of. But now I am thinking a little differently when I am taking my photos. I now prefer vertical photos, so that it takes up a large space on people's Instagram feeds. I also am experimenting more, and trying to take photos with a smaller f-stop, because I notice that those photos also do better than others. I think this account has been a good thing for me as a photographer, and so far I have learned a lot from it (in all aspects).

Again, I ask that you follow my photography account, and thank you for following this 2-part article series.