Wednesday, March 25, 2015

The Ten Most Instagrammed Images (And Their Hashtags)

Instagram is probably my favorite social media channel: that perfect square (or occasional rectangle, if I want to keep things in their original landscape format!) conveniently edits out everything you don't want others to see and captures just what you want to focus on. Deceptive? Maybe. Anti-social? Often. Narcissistic? Yes.

But it's fun.

In my defense, I'm a really "visual" person, so I love finding inspiration on Instagram - even more so than Pinterest. I typically use Pinterest for ideas, but for every day imagery, I'm constantly on Instagram. I love to see what other bloggers have been up to and I follow a lot of American fashion bloggers (SongofStyle, WeWoreWhat, HelloFashionBlog, KendieEveryday being a few of my favorites!) - plus, there's just some beautiful photography out there.

But after Instagramming for a couple of years,it seems like the same (or similar) images keep popping up in my feed. Below are the most popular shots (and their accompanying hashtags) ... and the ones that I'm guilty of overdoing.

All. The. Time.

1. The Latte/Flat White Shot #foamart #coffee #latteart #flatwhite


 
You know the drill: you've met your #BFF for brunch (have you noticed? It's always brunch in Instagram-land, never breakfast - no matter how early it is. If it's really breakfast, then you'd better have granola, yogurt, fresh blueberries, and chia seeds on standby) and when your flat white arrives, you can't resist snapping a quick photo with your phone.  Even better: when the table's been "styled" with fresh flowers. Eye roll (yes, I'm rolling my eyes at myself - that's the point of this post).

2. The Eggs Benedict/Royale/Florentine Shot #eggs #eggsbenedict #eggsroyale #eggsflorentine #brunch #food #foodie #instafood


Continuing on the brunch theme, I'll sit back on Saturday mornings and wait for images of runny, orange egg-yolk to saturate my Instagram feed. WHY DOES EVERYONE ORDER THE SAME DAMN THING? IN DIFFERENT PLACES? BUT AT THE SAME TIME? INCLUDING ME???  Btw, that eggs royale pictured above was seriously overpriced. My wallet hurt more than those eggs that were being sliced into.

(Sidenote: I can just about bring myself to use the #foodie hashtag in some of my posts, though I do gag a little when I do it, but I can't do #foodporn or #foodgasm. Gross. My fingers refuse to tap out the words.) 

3. The Macaron Shot #macarons #dessert #sweets


Doesn't matter if there's one (or a thousand, as it seemed like when I stumbled upon this stand in Borough Market); if they're behind glass or on a plate; if they're being sold in England or America or France, macarons are the most Instagrammable dessert to grace social media. I don't know what it is about these meringue-based almond flour confections, but they're everywhere. Oh wait, yes, I do - they're pretty (and delicious). They're also expensive (let's be honest here), so they're seen as a luxury and a treat.

4. The Ramen Shot #ramen #food #foodie #instafood #instagood 


Funny story: I had a spontaneous ramen date with a friend of mine on Monday, and I Instagrammed my bowl of tonkotsu ramen while I was there. By the time I'd gotten home, two more people in my feed had Instagrammed their bowls of ramen at the same restaurant - taken at different times. Funny or crazy? What's Instagram's (my) obsession with ramen? Oh yes, it's "trendy" and nice to look at. Well, I'm waiting for congee to make a comeback. Oh, but wait - it never will, because it's just ... white. With unidentifiable ingredients floating in it (but so delicious).

5. The Oh-Look-It's-Just-Me-Holding-A-Product-In-My-Hand Shot #icecream #saltedcaramel #food #foodie


This is perfect for, when - excited by a new discovery (as I was when I discovered this £6 tub of Jude's Salted Caramel ice cream, which was worth every pence) - you want to share it with EVERYONE, but just want a photo against a flat, white background. I see a lot of beauty bloggers do this, which is effective, since all the focus is on the product and nothing else.

6.  The Outfit-From-Above Shot #fwis #ootd #widn #fbloggers


It's tricky to try and pretend that taking a photo like this isn't narcissistic, when it totally is (guilty!). But sometimes (and believe me, it's rare), I'm like, "Hey! I like what I'm wearing today. What the heck - I'm going to share." And then this happens.

7. The Watch/Bracelet Shot #armcandy #wristcandy #accessories #fbloggers 


Actually, I took this photo for a serious post that I wrote, but I see drool-worthy images of bloggers' stacks of bracelets and watches nearly every day and then it's like someone pressed a button in my head that goes, "MUST. GO. TO. TOPSHOP. NOW." Bad, right?

8. The Landscape Shot #spring #bluesky #country


You know this one. Where the famous "rule of thirds" is invoked and you see a whole lot of sky and it's outrageously blue and the grass is outrageously green because the person behind the shot (in this case, me) has clearly played with the saturation and the brightness and the contrast? That one. Everything looks so peachy keen and dandy in this shot, doesn't it? Until you realize that the person taking the photo (me, again) has stepped in a cow pie and tripped over a turnstile because she's wearing borrowed Hunter boots that are two sizes too big for her. #reallife

9. The Flower Shot #flowers #floral #spring  


Flowers. Of any kind (BUT MOSTLY TULIPS). At any stage (BUT MOSTLY TULIPS IN FULL BLOOM). Taken from above. Or the side. Or the front. Or the back (do flowers have "backs"?). Mostly at Liberty.

10. The Cloud Shot #clouds #sky #cloudp*rn

 
Just clouds. In the sky. Doing their thing. Yet, attractively so.

Are you on Instagram? Are you guilty of any of the above offences? I'm at @angloyankophile, if you'd like to see!
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35 comments

  1. I managed to get the ice cream, outfit and watch into one post - no shame! :-)

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  2. I try not to post food pics too often on Instagram but I admit I may be guilty of some of these ;-) Also, now I really want some macarons!

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    1. I think a lot of people are, Stacey! I could definitely have some macarons right now ... only 12, but I'm hungry already!

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  3. Pretty pictures though :) Started following you!

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  4. Fairly sure I'm #guilty of all of the above!

    Lauren xx
    The Lifestyle Diaries

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  5. Pahahaha! I've done all of these at some point in time...I'm even guilty of the odd #foodporn every now and again. #sorrynotsorry

    Polly xx

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    1. BAHAHAHA! I think I've said that to everyone's responses so far. Love your Instagram feed! xo

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    2. Why thaaaank you lady! I'm trying to be a little artier like you (and mainly failing miserably). Luckily the Doha sunshine makes pictures look better ALWAYS.

      Polly xx

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  6. I love this so much, you had me snorting into my tea I'm definitely guilty of 'shoes from above' and #plantpowered (although Instagram won't met me post anything with captions at the moment, so maybe it's sending me a message...) #mute

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    1. I'm glad you saw the humor in it, Laura - I was a little worried that people would take it too seriously, at first! I have never seen a shoes from above post from you (more please, and of the sparkly variety too!). #plantpowered is an amazing hashtag. You should definitely keep using it. Hope you are feeling a tiny bit better today! xx

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    2. Ha ha! I think you're dazzled by what my shoes have been standing on - I know your love for a good floor ;) I am feeling a *teeny* bit better today, thank you, although not exactly wonderful. Your post cheered me up, and I certainly detected more than a little British wry humour creeping in there, hurrah!

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    3. I DO love good floors!

      I've always been a little sarcastic, but I'm afraid to let it out too much on here lest I get accused of being a Debbie Downer. Oops, there's the American in me creeping back in! ;)

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  7. Here's the thing ... I love the idea of Instagram (and Pinterest), but it's just something else that will suck me in and cause me to lose two hours of my day in a flash. That said, however, I do take photos of food and coffee cups and flowers and skies. Hell, I even photographed the ladies' loo at Le Gavroche. I use my dSLR camera (which I carry everywhere) and then either post them on my blog or scrapbook them or both. I used to post them on my Facebook feed, but as that's another time waster, so not so much this year. Oh, and I think the photos in this post are fabulous, staged or otherwise.

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    1. I totally know what you mean, Ruth. And I'm a sucker for beautiful bathrooms in restaurants (Nopi in Soho is my favorite, but I didn't take my camera with me!)! It's great that you carry your camera everywhere. If John's Canon DSLR wasn't so huge and unwieldy, I'd be tempted to too!

      And thanks so much for the lovely compliment :)

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    2. I should have added that I have never knowingly typed a hashtag ... And my camera is a Nikon D60, so fairly big. I now only buy a new handbag if my camera will fit easily into it!

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    3. Well done, Ruth! I can't imagine carrying my camera to and from work on most days and worrying about it ... so good on you for always having yours with you. I'd love to get a smaller camera that I could fit into my handbag easily.

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  8. I love Instagram but I feel like I forget to take pics more often than I remember to. I don't know why I have such a mind-block on it!

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    1. Because you have a life and your nose isn't always buried in your phone?? ;-) I love your images on your blog though, and would love to see more of them on Instagram!

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  9. Hahaha, guilty as charged with a massive overdose on landscapes... but its just so much fun!! (PS - that salted caramel ice cream is life-changing... I love the tiny tiny cups you can get of it.)

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    1. Bahahhaa ... but your photos are EXQUISITE. I know, that ice cream is my downfall.

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  10. Guilty as charged your honour. I also seem to come across the bicycle shot quite a bit and whitewashed photos of Parisian buildings

    Suze | LuxuryColumnist

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    1. Still laughing over the "whitewashed photos of Parisian buildings" comment, Suze ... too funny.

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  11. Hahaha, there I was thinking "Oh, I'm sure I've not done one or two of these..."

    And what do you know, guilty on ten counts. Haha!

    Honey // The Girl Next Shore

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  12. I have an instagram account, but I don't use it much. I am guilty of some of these though for blogging purposes. I lurrrrve the Saturation function. It saves drab photos like nothing else. Also... ramen will always be "in" for me (those yolkssss) and therefore, I will always always always photograph my bowl of gloriousness when it's put in front of me (mostly so I can remember that it actually existed, b/c please believe that shiz will be gone with the quickness. Like a daydream...).

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    1. Saturation and brighten FTW!! Haha ... love those runny egg yolks in ramen.

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  13. Sounds silly, but I actually wish I was guilty of more as I think these look lovely and artistic. I've definitely taken a fair few macaron pictures in my time!
    Lots of love,
    Angie

    SilverSpoon London

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    1. You're the sweetest, Angie. I love following you on Instagram! Macarons are irresistible!

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  14. As a recent total groupie to Instagram (I was living in Blackberry world too long) it has all my favourite things - photos of all the above things. I'm also huge into decor shots. Obsessed.

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    1. Me too! Love seeing interiors on Instagram ... fashion is my weakness, though.

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