Instagram - Hashtags Why And How To Use Them

We have all heard about using hashtags on your Instagram images, but why do I need to do them and how will having hashtags help your Instagram post and profile.

Why Use Hashtags - Hashtags are a great way of getting your content discovered, your image will become searchable to other Instagram users so it's important you choose relevant hashtag suitable to your niche and image. You can use up to 30 hashtags per post, but it's important to mix up your hashtags and keep them varied so they are not too spammy. Using hashtags will increase the views your image and profile get, it can also help build your followers. 

How to find relevant hashtags on Instagram - Head over to the discovery page on your Instagram in the search bar type in your relevant keywords, select the tags tab and click into the hashtag you would like to use, here you will find relevant hashtags related to that keyword.

 

Using hashtags will help will get your image found by others Instagrammers in the same niche or using the same keywords. Spend time searching not only the most popular hashtags but lesser-known hashtags that still relate to your images/niche.

Use A Hashtag Generator - There are many hashtags generators both online and in your phone app store, many like you to pay a monthly subscription, but if you look around you can get some free ones even if it is for a limited time (just save those hashtags in your notes for next time).

Happy Hashtagging 

Women Supporting Women Challenge

You may have seen on Instagram the photo-sharing challenge "Women Supporting Women Challenge", but what exactly is this and what does it mean.

Women Supporting Women Challenge originated in Turkey. Turkey has one of the highest countries in the world regarding femicides, we may never know the exact number of murders each year, but from what I have read there are many, there have been several deaths this year alone.

The challenge is a lot more than a collection of black and white pretty selfies, the challenge was started by @zeycan_rochelle to bring to light to the injustices women in Turkey face. It's called Femicide where in turkey women are accustomed to seeing black and white photos of other women murdered by men.

The Women Supporting Women Challenge is a way for women around the world to stand in solidarity with the women we have lost and those that continue to suffer violence. Let us all stand together and empower each other.

For more information check out @beelzeboobz.

London Galleries Are Re-Opening

We have all been missing London’s amazing museums and galleries This week, three galleries are ready to welcome back its visitors with new exhibits and updated health and safety measures in place. 

The Barbican Centre Art Gallery and Conservatory reopening

The Barbican will reopen its Art Gallery and Conservatory on Monday 13 July. The Art Gallery will welcome visitors back with Masculinities: Liberation through Photography, a photography and film exhibit that explores how masculinity is experienced, performed, coded and socially constructed. In line with government guidelines, new safety measures will be in place and tickets will need to be booked online.

Somerset House reopening

Somerset House will be re-opening part of the site to visitors on Thursday 16 July. This will include the critically acclaimed free exhibition Mushrooms: The Art, Design and Future of Fungi extended through the summer, the magnificent courtyard, and the on-site café Hej (takeaway only). Re-opening plans meet all current government guidelines, which will be reviewed and updated regularly.

Whitechapel Gallery reopening

Whitechapel Gallery will be reopening to the public on Tuesday 14 July with new health and safety measure in place. The spring exhibition programme, including Radical Figures: Painting in the New Millennium, Carlos Bunga’s monumental environment and Spain’s most important collection of contemporary art from the “la Caixa” Foundation will be extended through the summer.

How To Make Instagram Highlight Covers

I love Instagram highlights as they allow you to save your Instagram Stories (which vanish after 24 hours) into your Highlights which will then live permanently on your profile. Instagram Highlights are great for adding collections of your favourite images in one places all of which your followers old and new can check out. They also create a really good first impression of your profile.

How To Create an Instagram Highlight and Edit Highlight Image:

• Go to your profile and tap Story Highlights below your username and bio.
• Tap + and select the story or stories you want to add to highlights, then tap Next.
• Tap Edit Cover > Choose a cover photo > Tap Done.
• Enter a story name for your highlight, then tap Add (iPhone) or Done (Android). 
• You can add more photos or videos to your highlight at any time by tapping and holding on the highlight and then tapping Edit Highlight.
• Select “Edit cover”
• Press on the “image” icon at the beginning of the list. If you have a lot of photos and in a Highlight, you might have to scroll to the left. ...
• Choose a cover from your camera roll.

Highlight Covers:

You can get highlight covers free from various apps and online or why not make your own using PicMonkey or Canva. 

• The free version I like to use is Highlight Cover and Maker which is available to download via mobile app - they have quite options for the free version, I find this app simple and quick to use, they do have other icons and backgrounds you can use, but you will need to purchase them at £6.99, but if you want to use them for commercial use you will have to pay more.
• Story Highlight Cover is another mobile app - they also have a small selection of free highlights you can use and lots of lovely background colours you can choose from.

How To Make an Instagram Highlight Cover in PicMonkey:

• Start with a blank canvas that’s set to Instagram Stories dimensions (1080 x 1920 pixels)
• Choose a background colour 
• Head to Graphics and choose an icon from the collection 
• Customize your graphic (I changed mine to black see above image)
• Click download to computer to get your design out of PicMonkey and into Instagram

How To Make your own Canva Highlight Cover:

• Download the Canva app
• Open Canva app and select “Instagram story”
• Choose the blank template and select your background colour
• Add text or an icon +
• Design change colour of the icons if you wish
• Save the images on your phone
• Design more covers and create your highlights

Check out www.canva.com and www.picmonkey.com to create your design. Create a polished look for your Instagram page in a few simple steps and give it a professional feel.

Instagram Photo Captions

Instagram Photo captions are defiantly the in thing right now and are even trending in Google, quick catchy words to accompany that image. 

So you have the perfect picture now all you need is the perfect caption to tell your story and very often we don't have the right word or the time to come up with something significant and relevant, that's where an Instagram caption comes into play, a simple caption can capsulate that image, those few words can say what you think and how you are feeling. 

There are so many captions out there, just Google Instagram caption and you will get a whole ton of them at your fingertips, from nature to love, you name it, it's out there. I like to save a few of my favourite ones on my mobile phone notes so whenever I need them, I can just copy and paste, over time you can adjust the captions and add to them and even mix them up, over time you will build your own mini collection.

Here are just a few of my personal favourite:

Random Captions for those Random Pictures:

• Life is better when you’re laughing
• Stress less and enjoy the best
• Get out there and live a little
• I’m not gonna sugarcoat the truth, I’m not Willy Wonka
• Life is better when you’re laughing
• Look for the magic in every moment
• I’m not high maintenance, you’re just low effort
• Get out there and live a little
• Spread love as thick as you would a Nutella
• Whatever is good for your soul, do that

All About Me:

• Selfie Sunday
• Be you do you for youI was born to shine
• Just me
• What do you think of this look
• You can regret a lot of things but you’ll never regret being kind
• But first, let me take a selfie
• Typical me
• Do whatever makes you happy
• Me doing me
• Do whatever makes you happiest
• I don’t always take a selfie, but when I do…
• I woke up like this
• When I started counting my blessings, I realized I have everything I could ever need

Love:

• My one and only
• My world, my heart, my everything
• Bae
• Love is a song that never ends
• I love him a latte.
• It’s amazing how one day someone walks into your life and you can’t remember how you ever lived without them.
• Spending time with you always becomes my favourite day
• You are my happy place
• My love
• Loving you is easy
• Two heads one heart
• Home is wherever we are together

Family:

• Me and mine
• Love your family! Because in the end, that’s all that really matters
• Family is forever 
• Family is not an important thing. It’s everything
• The best thing to hold onto in life is each other
• Kind people are my kinda people
• You call it chaos. We call it family.
• Happiness is homemade
• We may not have it all together, but together we have it all
• Family gives you the roots to stand tall and strong
• Cherish every memory, love every moment

Nature:

• Every sunset brings the promise of a new dawn
• Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better
• Sunshine is the best medicine
• Capture every moment in. the sun
• Peace is seeing the sunrise or a sunset
• Beautiful things don't ask for attention
• The world is ours to explore
• Wherever you go, leave a trail
• By getting lost in nature, you get closer to finding yourself
• The Earth laughs in flowers
• When you love nature you will see its beauty everywhere
• Wander often – Wonder always
• Take time to smell the roses

Copy Paste & Enjoy 

World Chocolate Day - Chocolate Orange Millionaire Shortbread

So today is World Chocolate Day nom nom, as if I need any excuse to eat chocolate. so I searched through the blog archives to find a tasty chocolate treat for you all and here it is Millionaires Shortbread, sweet and tasty and of course chocolaty but with an orange twist. This Terry’s Chocolate Orange Millionaires Shortbread is an irresistible twist on the traditional recipe the crumbling shortbread base and indulgent caramel perfectly combine with the signature chocolate orange flavour for its top layer decorated with the iconic orange segments, perfect 

 

Prep time 45 minutes

Cook time 50 minutes

Makes 25 squares

Ingredients:

Shortbread:

135g Butter

175g Plain Flour

55g Sugar

1 Orange, zested 

 

Topping:

379g can Condensed Milk

75ml Golden Syrup 

150g Butter

100g Sugar

3 Terry’s Chocolate Oranges

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 180c and line a 20x20 brownie tin. In the bowl of a food processor, add the butter and plain flour. Blitz until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs and then add the sugar and orange zest and blitz again to combine. Take the mixture out and work with your hands to form a ball of dough. Push the dough into the base of the lined tin until it is flat and even and bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
• Meanwhile, prepare the caramel. In a large non-stick frying pan, heat the condensed milk, golden syrup, butter and sugar until the butter has melted and the mixture begins to boil. Stir constantly to keep it from burning. Turn the mixture down to a simmer and cook for 5-10 minutes or until the colour starts to become golden brown. Remove from the heat and transfer to a heatproof bowl to cool and thicken slightly.
• Once the shortbread is cooked, allow to cool for 10 minutes and then pour the cooled caramel over the top. Allow to cool and then chill for 10 minutes while you melt the chocolate. Bring a small pan of water to the boil and place a heatproof bowl over the top making sure that the water does not touch the bowl directly. 
• Break up the chocolate oranges into segments, reserving half of one for decoration and tip the rest into the bowl. Turn the heat down immediately to a gentle simmer and allow the chocolate to gradually melt, stirring occasionally. Once the chocolate has melted, remove the shortbread from the fridge and pour over the chocolate, making sure to spread it into the corners. Use the remaining chocolate segments to decorate the top and then chill until firm. Once the chocolate is set and you are ready to serve, slice into 25 squares.

Support your local London area by taking part in a photo competition

Visit London have teamed up the Museum of London, to offer Londoners a chance to showcase the best of their local area and the people and places of London, as restrictions begin to ease and the capital emerges from lockdown. Entrants do not need to be professional photographers to join the contest, just have a phone or camera at the ready. 

Entries need to be CURRENT. Please ensure you state where in London the photograph is taken head on over to Share your pictures and upload your entry.

The competition is part of the #BecauseImALondoner campaign, which encourages participants to share what they love about London as they see it now. Launching in-line with the opening of many things that Londoners have been patiently waiting to see and do, it aims to encourage residents to safely support and explore their own areas. It offers the capital’s city dwellers a chance to highlight people enjoying nearby businesses and venues; from markets, independent shops and hairdressers, to museums, restaurants and everything in between.

The competition runs from Monday 6 July 2020 – Friday 21 August 2020.

So why not join in you could win a Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ70 digital camera, the two runners up in the expert-judged category will both receive either a copy of London Nights or People of London. All winners will be showcased on the Museum of London website. Get snapping.

As an avid iPhone photographer and because I'm a Londoner I just had to enter so why not check out My Entry here.