On Instagram, you can’t get anywhere without using hashtags to grease the wheels of your popularity. But with millions of photos already there, how do you ensure that you garner your share of likes on Instagram?
In the crowded space of Instagram, it is the quirky photos that draw the eye. The ten hashtags (what is a hashtag?) below shine through the filters because they manage to appeal to quirky Instagrammers and their quirkier creativity. They're a great way to discover some out of the ordinary Instagram content, and may inspire you to create some yourself. Follow them if you like your photos to be a little bit off the beaten track.
#fromwhereIstand
Photos: 699,011
No, this hashtag doesn't celebrate footwear fashion trends, though it easily can. This is one of Instagram’s more popular yet unusual hashtags, sending you to photograph what you're seeing right now from where you're standing. Its popularity is in some ways due to its simplicity. But in no way does it diminish the high number of unusual photos the hashtag manages to accumulate from across the world.
#puddlegram
Photos: 30,332
As kids we hopped over them, or in them. As adults, we can whip out our smartphones and snap them. Puddles are everywhere, and reflections on water can make for some truly creative photography.
#wickedflip
Photos: 4960
Turn your world upside down and take in a different perspective. Then go through the collection of Instagram photos this hashtag manages to conjure up. Join in by taking anything and flip it over on its head for some interesting angles. It's an interesting follow, especially if you you're into mind riddles. Try figuring our what you're really seeing!
#leafpeeping
Photos: 4254
This hashtag is built around foliage and nature. There are bigger collections than this, but this hashtag still seems to be unsullied by random unrelated photo shares. Let’s hope it manages builds up a nice following because it soothes the senses.
#jumpstagram
Photos: 43,013
You need to take a friend along to capture your own “jumpstagram” shots. You can, of course, try it out with a camera app that has a timer. If you don’t have a tripod, stabilize your device with something else. Then it’s just a matter of getting the jump right and capturing the right kind of mid-air pose.
#emptychairsproject
Photos: 16,970
This hashtag, like many others, grew from a personal project. Raphaël Liais (@raphaelliais) noticed empty chairs in Casablanca, Morocco and uploaded their photos on Instagram with the tag. Since then, this hashtag has built up some steam and is now going strong. Some of the photos here really spark your imagination to snap a chair (or chairs) and put it to use for something other than plonking down on it.
#chasingfog
Photos: 23,692
This is one of my favorite Instagram hashtags of all times. Perhaps, it is because enveloping fog gives everything a ghostly and unworldly quality. If you're ever out chasing fogs (or in a place where you could be), don't forget to capture it.
#iseefaces
Photos: 211,618
Look around, are you seeing faces everywhere? Your own share could be staring back at you where you least expect it. Headlights seem to be common, as are food shots. They are everywhere, if we just care to pay attention. Alternatively, you could move things around and create your own "face" shot.
#soloparking
Photos: 46,209
In how many different ways can you Instagram cars? Solo parking gives you yet another one. This started as a weekend hashtag project on Instagram and has stuck around. Instagrammers were asked to find any vehicle parked by itself and photograph it. Nothing much to it really, but it is an unusual hashtag you might want to keep in mind if you want to popularize your car photos.
#16x9fordays
Photos: 115,628
This hashtag breaks you free from Instagram’s 1:1 standard crop, because some photos deserve a bit more room. More specifically, many photos lose their aesthetics when the rule of thirds gets violated with cropping. There are varied approaches you can use to work around the cropping of your photos before you upload it on Instagram. All of them are based around apps (e.g. InstaSize) that help you customize your photo.
Know Any More?
The above list is not a top ten list – it would be impossible to construct one given the depths of Instagram. The unusual hashtags I chose here are easy to contribute to with your own creative takes.
Still wondering what some of the more popular Instagram hashtags mean? Be sure to check out our guide to cryptic Instagram hashtags.
Which are some memorable Instagram hashtags that make you do a double take? Tell us below.