Please enter your email and website or LinkedIn to receive more information about our free and paid accounts.
Please enter your email address below and we’ll send you instructions on how to change your password.
It is clear to many that the photography industry is in a state of flux. Technological developments, evolving consumer demands, and social media trends have all impacted the changes we are currently seeing. Here at Wonderful Machine, we have been paying particular attention to APhotoEditor’s Instagram feed. The account’s owner, Rob Haggart, has compiled several posts that look into the state of our industry in 2024. The insights he has gathered indicate that rising operational expenses, inflation, and changing client demands and industry norms are all contributing factors to photographers’ growing financial difficulties. Also, the posts look into how photographers are staying competitive. Many photographers are adjusting by utilizing cutting-edge technologies like AI-powered editing tools and drone photography. The consensus in the community is that the best ways to manage the financial strains that many photographers face this year are to diversify your sources of income and optimize your business strategies.
However, we also need to keep in mind that social media is still a valuable portfolio platform and business tool. The best platform for photographers to share their work and interact with clients and colleagues is Instagram. Instagram has become a vital tool for many photographers in terms of visibility, client interactions, and even pricing transparency. While many of us have been feeling the pinch in our pockets this year, it is always useful to look ahead and focus on how we can better our future. We will continue to keep a close eye on and report on market trends as well as how we can use social media to benefit our businesses.
On Instagram in August, we reached 15,668 accounts. We also recorded 48,178 impressions and gained 73 new followers.
Our best-performing post of the month featured Buenos Aires, Argentina-based Nico Kliczkowski’s work for the launch of McDonald’s Argentina’s Cheddar McMelt. The post reached 2,322 accounts.
The best-performing reel in August featured San Francisco, California-based Angela DeCenzo’s BTS reel of a wholesome 2-day shoot for Just Date. It garnered 4,133 views.
Pinterest is a visual discovery platform where users can collect ideas on various trending topics. We use it as a virtual mood board where we organize our members’ photos by specialty, and also collect examples of all the main types of marketing materials photographers use to promote themselves (including logos, bios, email promotions, print promotions, and PDF portfolios).
Periodically, we select new content from our photographers’ websites (and also consider the work they send directly to us) to keep the platform fresh for our audience.
We reached 91.8k accounts (down 3.6%) and registered 166.7k impressions (a 1.4% decrease). While these numbers took a slight dip this month, they are still tracking a general upward trend over the last 3 months.
In August the top pin featured Los Angeles-based Steven Simko’s portrait of Lin-Manuel Miranda and Andrew Garfield which received 105 impressions.
The Pinterest board with the most visibility was Photographer Specialties, with 34.31k impressions and 733 engagements.
LinkedIn is the only major social media platform dedicated specifically to professional networking. This makes it a good place to share the stories of our photographers and their creative problem-solving skills. We post once or twice a week, sharing our Photographer Spotlight articles and photos from our Creative in Place email campaigns — where we pick a very specific creative brief and show clients how our extensive network of photographers can deliver on that particular theme.
We had 3.5k post impressions in August. Our top post highlighted a spotlight article from our blog which featured Kensington, Maryland-based Lifestyle photographer Edgar Artiga’s campaign for CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield. It received 1,008 impressions and 181 clicks.
Though Facebook is mostly used to connect users with their friends and family (and their algorithm favors that content), we’ve found that it’s also effective at connecting photographers with clients. Our Facebook account mirrors our Instagram feed.
We reached 5.2k accounts in August — an 8.7% increase from last month.
The post with the most attention featured Miami, Florida-based Melody Timothee’s BTS images for ESPN+’s new original series, “In The Arena: Serena Williams.” It garnered 257 impressions.
X (formerly known as Twitter) is a microblogging platform that enables users to post short posts. It is commonly used for sharing information, expressing opinions, and staying updated on current events.
Since the beginning of 2024, we have featured our daily website homepage photo on X.
August’s posts brought in 2.8k impressions and the top post featured Omaha, Nebraska-based Food photographer Maria Julie Borer’s (M. Julie Photo) delectable homepage photo. It had 257 impressions.
These picture-perfect desserts have us craving something sweet!
.
📸 Maria Julie Borer (M. Julie Photo)
📌 Omaha, Nebraska
.#FoodieBeauty #FoodLover pic.twitter.com/WNlZ9kjcvi— Wonderful Machine (@wonderflmachine) August 3, 2024
We use our YouTube channel to host a wide range of content. This includes behind-the-scenes, photography compilations, motion reels, print portfolios, Member Open House presentations, and much more. Users can subscribe to our channels, comment on videos, and share with others.
We post once or twice per week and use two types of formats — vertical shorts and horizontal motion reels.
In August, we had 425 views and 5.2 hours of watch time.
Stay tuned for more content on our Social Media platforms. Keep tagging us, and of course, let us know if you have any tips and ideas for us!
Have questions about how we promote our photographers? Check out our Membership page. Want to know how you can get the most out of your Wonderful Machine membership? Check out our Jumpstart page or just reach out!