{"id":6737,"date":"2020-01-07T11:04:54","date_gmt":"2020-01-07T16:04:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/?p=6737"},"modified":"2021-04-21T10:40:28","modified_gmt":"2021-04-21T14:40:28","slug":"how-best-art-directors-use-instagram","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/originals\/how-best-art-directors-use-instagram\/","title":{"rendered":"How the Best Art Directors Use Instagram"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> 5<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>\n

Back when magazines were a driving force of commerce and creativity, the day after an issue was shipped off to the printer was unlike the rest. While editors would head off to long, boozy lunches, photo directors would call-in portfolios to review. Dozens of oversized black carrying cases would pile up on light tables, waiting to be opened, studied, and evaluated. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That pretty much never happens anymore. With smaller staffs and tighter deadlines, time-strapped art directors turn to Instagram to hunt for new talent. Yes, they may well visit a photographer\u2019s site, but often only after<\/em> an initial Instagram scan. So what do top photo directors look for when they look at an IG feed? What gives them confidence? What gives them pause? How do they read between the frames to decide if a photographer\u2019s got what it takes?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is how the best art directors use Instagram to evaluate photographers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take Advantage of the Bio<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of the reasons the best art directors rely on Instagram, of course, is that it allows them to see lots of pictures. That said, the first thing they often look at is not the photographer\u2019s images, but their bio. And what they\u2019re looking for\u2014where a photographer lives, shoots, and travels to\u2014frequently isn\u2019t there. For a director on deadline who needs a photographer in a certain city the next morning, this is immensely frustrating. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Directors are also looking for the home-court advantage: \u201cIf a photographer lives in a particular place or travels there regularly, there\u2019s less of a learning curve,\u201d says David Hammer, associate art director at Formative, a marketing agency that works with clients like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Microsoft. \u201cThey\u2019re able to hit the ground running, and they\u2019re more likely to succeed.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But if a director doesn\u2019t know you regularly travel to Peru, you don\u2019t get credit for having that insider knowledge. Finally, you don\u2019t get many words for your bio so use them wisely. Two phrases that photo directors gloss over? \u201cAward-winning photographer\u201d and \u201cvisual storyteller.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A post shared by Ed Kashi (@edkashi)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>