Here's an easy way to create more engaging Instagram posts

In all my years of practicing photography, I can't recall of a single time when I took a photo that I was genuinely excited about and said, "Yeah, I'm not going to share that with anyone." In fact, I firmly believe that sharing a photo is the final step in its lifecycle, as I describe in my book, The Visual Palette. That's the beauty of photography and of art in general. You are the creator and you get to share your creation with the world.

When it comes to sharing photography, it's hard not to acknowledge the 800 lb. gorilla with Instagram. Whether you love it or hate it, Instagram still is the most popular platform for photographers to share their work. Thankfully, Instagram has made some smart moves that de-emphasize "vanity" metrics, such as the Like count, so that creators and viewers can spend more time enjoying the photo for its actual merit and not for the number of likes it has garnered.

It is also no surprise that millions of photos are shared on Instagram at a staggering rate. We're taking more photos than ever and the desire to share them has not waned. So, in an environment where Instagram users are flooded with an endless stream of photos, videos, and stories all vying for your attention, what can you do to increase your chance of getting someone to notice your photo?

It's pretty straightforward: you need to immerse and engage them and one of my favorite ways to do that is by leveraging the carousel, where you share multiple photos in single post, to create an interactive panorama. By letting your viewers swipe (or click) across your photo, you allow them to become more immersed and engaged. And, it's just a generally cool way to present your photos. Here's an example of a swiping pano post that I shared on my Instagram feed:

In this video, I will walk you through my process of creating these swiping pano photos for Instagram using an app called SCRL on my iPhone. While I wish the developers also built an Android equivalent, this is iOS-only. However, I'd be shocked if there wasn't an Android app that can do the same thing. You can also use Adobe Photoshop to create these swiping pano photos, but I find it a lot easier and quicker to use this app.

And so I hope this post and video inspire you to rethink your approach to how you share photos on Instagram. Remember: the goal is to immerse and engage... and have fun! Enjoy!