When a photographer post to social media, all to often they post overly posed images, fake smiles “for the camera”, and the best of the beauty shots. Not to say those shots aren’t beautiful, but maybe just not very effective.

A recent study from Fractl marketing found that showing photos that awaken emotions in the viewer, seemed to get the most likes and shares. The top emotions, listed below, show what people are interested in and what they are interested in enough to share.

Amusement

Surprise

True Joy

Pleasure

Hope

Affection

Fractl also found that contrasting emotions within an image, is the most effective way to get people to share your content. If you are looking for viral success, show an image that mixes negative and positive emotions, plus the element of surprise. These posts get the best response.

So as a wedding photographer, how can you do that?

Simple. Take the happiest day of a persons life, mix it with the sadness felt from the parents giving away their precious girl, maybe a short line of copy, a quote from the parents, and post the image. Then watch your numbers soar. (That’s in the insights panel by the way).

Also, take a peek at which of your past posts did the best. Which ones had the most views or the most interactions? This will help you to see how the world is responding to your photos and ultimately make you a better marketer!