How to... Stand out from the crowd

Shoot familiar subjects in fresh ways to beat the social media influencers, with the help of travel photographer Dave Williams

- Dave Williams

I've been active as a professional photographer for some time, specializing in travel and the cold, but I've been a 'camera owner' since the age of 14. Now, these camera owners are providing dedicated photographers like us with some competition in the modern arena, thanks to the affordability of really great gear and the accessibility of some seriously photogenic locations. Combined with the rise of social media influencer, we often find ourselves struggling to stand out from the crowd.

Instagram is one of the most common platforms for sharing photos, but the way its algorithm works makes it more and more difficult to keep up and generate engagement. Instagram, owned by Meta, generates revenue by showing ads. Our posts serve only one purpose to Meta - to keep people using the platform so they can be exposed to more ads.

For this reason, the algorithm quickly identifies the posts that people are engaging with or spending more time looking at. If our posts generate more engagement, we grow. It satisfies us that people 'like' our work, but it also gives us an opportunity to convert the likes into revenue through new clients; and it satisfies Meta because we're helping it to keep people on the platform.

The influencers on Instagram and other platforms who show destinations are having such a profound effect on tourism that people are flocking to the places they show so they can see it for themselves - and so that they can post their own photo of that place.

It's something I've dubbed 'the Eiffel Tower Effect'. The Eiffel Tower is arguably the most photographed monument on the planet, and that means it's becoming more difficult to take a unique photo of it. To accomplish the task of creating a photo that stands out, we need to think differently and consider the photographic techniques we use.

SUBJECT VS FEATURE