Instagram is an online photography platform, which not only allows us to browse and admire photographs by both amateur and professional photographers but also gives us the opportunity to showcase our work in photography competitions, gaining recognition for it, awareness from a new audience and growing our online fan base, which could lead to more paid work. Many photo enthusiasts are already on Instagram but are missing out on opportunities to promote themselves and their work. Contests can help you do just that, whether you win them or simply participate.

What makes a winning photo? When it comes to winners of photography competitions, professional or amateur, it’s never certain who will make it and who won’t. Certain photographs look like they’re perfectly styled, as if they jumped out of a magazine, and yet it’s almost as if they have no ‘’soul’’ or, as the French call it, ‘’je ne sais quoi.’’ Certain others look like they were the work of an amateur rather than a pro – the lighting isn’t quite right, the exposure could have been less, or they don’t follow the famous rule of thirds. Yet, they manage to grab audiences around the world with the mood, feelings or story they capture and they speak to us more than the most perfect of photographs.

When it comes to nature photography, it can seem like everyone is a pro. Just point the camera at a beautiful landscape and voilá, right? Not quite the case, as will vouch most experienced photographers. There are specifics to this type of photography that budding outdoorsmen with cameras are better off heeding; let’s look at some of the critical ones.