Instagram is perhaps the most important online platform for upcoming artists to get their work noticed, and to begin building a name for themselves. The hashtag can be an invaluable tool in helping along this process, as through the use of catered hashtags an artist can reach a wider audience than relying upon the Instagram algorithm alone, with specific Instagram pages using hashtags to allow artists to submit their own work to the page to be featured, which offers them a greater exposure.
An example of a feature page is @Filmclubeurope, which is a collective page featuring work of photographers all over Europe. Being featured on a page like this is a great way to expose your work to likeminded people as this account is tailored to a specific type of work:
• made by film photographers
• made within Europe
Generally those who would follow this page would be interested in work being made by their peers who would be based in a similar area to them, and who are interested in the same area of photographic practice as them.
I have personally had my photographic work on this page twice, within their stories, where they have shared my post, and tagged my username. For this feature I used their hashtag '#filmclubeurope' under my post.
Being featured on this account allowed my posts to gain twice the interaction that I receive on my regular posts, showing that exposure through accounts such as this can be a valuable tool for upcoming photographers and artists.
The account also reposts images that are submitted as well as the shoutouts on their stories to form a permanent portfolio of work from photographers all over Europe, allowing for a longer term exposure as opposed to the 24 hour temporary format of the Instagram story.
