Instagram Hashtags For Photographers

What are the best hashtags to use as a photographer and how can you grow your page engagement today?

April 27, 2020

When it comes to photography, one of the best social media platforms that appreciate this art form is Instagram. Because Instagram is a completely visual platform, it is one of the best ways to showcase your talent and reel in more audience. But, with the growing popularity of this platform and the tendency of regurgitation taking a backseat, photographers need to come up with more creative ways to make their content rank.

One of the easiest yet trickiest ways is to use hashtags. It doesn’t necessarily matter what form of photography you are into, you will likely come across something that suits your picture. But, choosing the correct Instagram hashtags for photographers can be a tough nut to crack. If you think that adding hashtags like “like for like” and “follow for follow” is going to help, well, it won’t.

Thus, we have curated a list of the top photography types and the kind of Instagram hashtags that can be used for them to garner better visibility on the platform. Read below to learn abotu the best Instagram hashtags for photographers.

How to choose the correct hashtag?

Before we talk about the actual hashtags that will drive more traction to your IG profile, we must break down the process of choosing the correct hashtags. To be honest, people tend to have misconceptions about the same.

When selecting a hashtag, much like keywords for SEO, you want to pick ones that have low competition but high search volume. What we mean to say is, it is always advisable to pick the hashtags that have around 100k posts. If you pick the generic keywords like “photography”, it is likely going to have millions of posts, so popping up on people’s feed can be tough.

On the contrary, when you do use the hashtags that have lesser posts under them and are unique, it makes it easier for your posts to get noticed.

So, while selecting a hashtag for your post, you need to ensure that you pick the ones that have lesser posts and are kind of unique.

Best Instagram hashtags for Photographers

Now that we know which kinds of hashtags to pick, it is time we share some of the best ones with you. For your convenience, we have categorised them based off the type of photography.

This will make it easier for you to scroll down and check out the one that you think suits your style the best.

The “Generic” ones

The first and the easiest ones that you need to know of are the generic photography hashtags. Remember that these are not suited for a specific category of photography, so you can use it randomly. The only catch here is to use them sparsely in your post.

If you are wondering why, it is because of their high competition rate.

Since they are so generic, likely, majority of the people who have no idea about proper Instagram marketing are using it. Ranking on these hashtags can be very tough. So, using these hashtags can help enhance your outreach and visibility but ensure to not just rely on them.

Use these sparingly all over the post and add more of the relevant hashtags along with it.

Some of the hashtags include:

#InstaGood
#JustGoShoot
#PhotoOfTheDay
#PhotoGram
#Photoshop
#InstaPhoto
#PicOfTheDay
#Capture
#PhotographyDaily
#PhotographyIsLife

via Instagram

The “Black and White” Ones

If you have been into the photography world, you likely know the value of a good Black and White picture. It is a quintessential add to every photographer’s portfolio. And, if you have a picture that you are proud of and you want it to reach more people, using correct hashtags is key.

Black and white pictures remind you of the simpler times in life. These monochrome pictures are something that people, still to this day, love and cherish. While some photographers base their entire portfolio in black and white, some like the kind of contrast these images bring. Regardless, some specific hashtags can come in handy for you.

Some of the hashtags include:

#Insta_BW
#bnw_captures
#Noir
#MonoArt
#bnw_universe
#bwstylesgf
#IGblacknwhite
#NoirStreetLife
#InstaBlackAndWhite
#Monochrome

The “Technical Photography” Ones

Technical photography posts are more for educating the newbie photographers who are just starting with professional equipments. With the number of angles and tools that photography packs in, it is quite common for people to be confused. Under the technical posts, you will most find people talking about their gadgets, the camera angle, the shutter speeds and all that good stuff.

This is one of the reasons why choosing the correct hashtags for technical photography is one of the hardest. There is nothing standard about it. You either have to rely on your skills that you have used in the pictures or select from some of the common hashtags that suit these kinds of pictures.

Some of the best hashtags include:

#Aperature
#LongExposure
#ManualFocus
#Macro
#RuleOfThirds
#Vignette
#50mm
#LightPhotography
#VSCO
#VSCOcam
#Snapseed
#Panorama
#DepthOfField
#GoldenRatio
#Bokeh

The “Nature and landscape” Ones

If there is a surplus in the field of photography, it is likely with the nature and landscape photographs. You will find an abundance of those on Instagram. This means that the competition in these kinds of hashtags is more. For this, you need to ensure that you use the hashtags strategically. These kinds of pictures capture the rare essence of a natural setting that will make people want to travel.

One of the reasons why nature and landscape shots do well on Instagram is because of once the user peruses them, they can’t seem to stop. People tend to continually scroll down for more which means that the chances of your picture getting noticed are quite high.

Some of the best hashtags include:

#NatureLover
#IGNatureCapture
#NaturePhotography
#NatureDaily
#NatureOfOurWorld
#IG_DivineShots
#earth_shotz
#Nature_Seekers
#NaturePic
#Visual_Heaven
#LandscapePhoto
#Dream_Spots
#NatGeoHub
#NatureIsArt

via Instagram

The “Portrait” Ones

As aesthetically pleasing portrait shots are, getting them noticed by the users can be a struggle. One of the most common mistakes that new photographers do is misuse the hashtags when it comes to portrait. Much like your niche specific nature and food photographs, even portraits have their own set of hashtags that you can use.

If you are inserting other irrelevant hashtags in them, it is likely not going to work. If your photo doesn’t reach to the target audience, it is not going to bring in any outreach. There are a select hashtags that work amazingly for portrait shots that you can try out.

#PortraitPerfection
#Portrait_Society
#IGPortrait
#Portraiture
#PortraitOfTheDay
#WithHumans
#SelfPortrait
#PortraitPhotography
#Portrait_Mood
#InstaPortrait
#PostMorePortraits
#Portrait_Shots
#PursuitOfPortrait
#PortraitPage

The “Food” Ones

If there is one photography category on Instagram that has peaked its saturation, it is likely the food photography one. Every other person is doing it, which is why; getting noticed by the target audience is going to be pretty hard.

But, you need to know for a fact that the booming popularity of food photography has been around since a few years. So, if you are trying to trend the perfect shot of the molten choco lava cake that you took, you need to be strategic with your hashtags. Remember that the generic hashtags like #foodporm and #foodgasm will not be that fruitful.

Some of the best hashtags include:

#FoodPornShare
#Foodography
#FoodPhotographyProps
#FoodPhotography101
#FoodPhotographyMagazine
#FoodPhotographypropsed
#FoodPhotographyMe
#FoodFoodFood
#FoodOfInstagram
#FoodPhotographer
#FoodVSCO
#FoodPhotographyForBusiness
#FoodPhotographyAndStyling
#FoodStyling

The “Travel” ones

After food, the next most saturated photography category that has been saturated is Travel. Irrespective of people being professional photographers or not, people are travelling. And, people are using travel related hashtags. So, getting your professionally clicked travel photograph can be tough if you don’t insert the right hashtags.

If you want to avoid the generic hashtags of #wanderlust, you must whip out the big guns. There are a few hashtags that are underrated in this category but do bring in a lot of traction for your pictures.

Some of the best hashtags include:

#AroundTheWorld
#TravelAddicts
#GetLost
#TravelScenes
#InstaPassport
#PostcardsFromTheWorld
#TravelTheWorld
#ShareTravelPics
#WorldExplorer
#TravelBug
#PostcardPlaces
#LiveIntrepid

via Instagram

The “Abstract” Ones

Abstract photography is gaining popularity gradually and if you are into that, now is the best time to make the most out of it. This is more of a freedom kind of niche that lets you play around with different themes and styles that you otherwise wouldn’t use. For the most part, if you want your pictures to get noticed under this category, you need to add a few big and common photography hashtags too.

This is a necessity because the outreach with just the abstract photography hashtags will not take you a far way. The leeway that you get with this category is also amazing. It can include random pictures under nature or even food, so you can use those hashtags as well.

Some of the best hashtags include:

#artsy
#abstracters_anonymous
#envywear
#abstract
#abstract_buff
#Instagood
#InstaAbstract
#abstraction
#StayAbstract

The “Wildlife” Ones

If you are a wildlife photographer, it is likely you know how tough it is to get each shot. The last thing you want is to muddle all your hard work by adding some irrelevant hashtags that people don’t care about.

Since wildlife photography is a booming trend, there are quite a few hashtags that you can use. But, make sure not to overuse them which is often a very common mistake that most of the photographers do.

#Wildlife_Perfection
#Wildlife_Shots
#WildGeography
#WildlifeOnEarth
#WildPlanet
#IG_Discover_Wildlife
#WildlifeShots
#WildlifeSeekers
#WildlifeIG

The “Aerial and Drone” ones

One of the most popular categories of photography that you are likely going to come across is the aerial and drone shots. Those amazing panoramic views and the beautiful shots make people want to scroll down for more. This means that if you use the hashtags the right way, it is likely that you can gain a lot of outreach.

The most common hashtag of #dronephotography is something you need to avoid. But there are a few that you most definitely can’t go wrong with.

Some of the best hashtags include:

#DroneFly
#Phantom4
#Phantom3
#Phantom2
#AerialPhotography
#DronoePhotography
#aerialist
#AerialView
#AerialPhoto
#AerialShot
#AerialNation
#AerialSilks

The “Street Photography” Ones

Another underrated category of photography that you will likely come across on Instagram is the Street photography. The competition in this is low if you talk about specificity. This is that one type of photography and brings out the realness of people and can even feature some rare subject matter that you otherwise wouldn’t see.

If you haven’t gotten your hands on street photography, there is no better time than now. The basic hashtag of #StreetPhotography has over 60 million posts, so don’t rely on just that. There are a few additional hashtags that can change the game for you.

Some of the best hashtags include:

#IG_Street
#StreetGrammer
#StreetShooter
#StreetShot
#Street_Photo_Club
#ASPFeatures
#LensOnStreets
#FromStreetsWithLove
#StreetMobs
#Street_Photography
#Gramslayers

Things you should avoid doing using Instagram hashtags

When you are a photographer trying to gain visibility for your pictures on Instagram, it goes without saying that hashtags play a crucial role in this. In such cases, there are some important things that you need to avoid doing.

Some of them include:

Avoid using irrelevant hashtags as they don’t bring in recurring audience
Avoid using bigger hashtags which are very common as they have a lot of common posts and makes it harder for your picture to rank
Avoid stuffing tons of hashtags in all post instead of focusing on a good captain
Avoid putting the hashtag in the comments because that reduces the chances of visibility

Before you go

Instagram runs on hashtags. You must use relevant hashtags for your pictures because that is what brings the right audience to your page. It is easy for you to reach several people but if you don’t use it the right way, it is likely going to be in vain. You might gain 100 likes the first time but those are not your recurring audience. To grow on Instagram, you want people to follow you and become recurring audiences. That is what makes all the difference. And, the only way to make that happen is by using the correct hashtags. Remember to stay up to date and continue to run your own research to see what are the most beneficial hashtags for photographers in your industry.

Any hashtags you think we may have missed? Or do you have a certain niche you would like some hashtag ideas on?

Let us know!