Personal Project // Frames by Em
Developing a creative craft through photography.
Frames by Em is a personal project started April 2025 to dive into my love of film photography. An exploration of creating, I wanted an avenue to motivate me to think outside the box.
What better way than creating a community for myself of like-minded film enthusiasts?
the goal
Build an intimate following (2-5k) of film enthusiasts and photographers through image-first strategy.
Use social media as a method to stay up to date on trends, film techniques, news, and creating a system of content generation that work with the algorithm while also providing a space for creativity & showcasing photography.
the strategy
Focus on organic traffic and daily engagement through Instagram’s algorithm.
Research hashtags of top performing accounts in film photography industry and utilize in the description of posts.
Focus on using 1-2 new hashtags each week, while engaging with similar accounts and larger accounts within my niche. Be sure to tag film products & brands as well as feature accounts to increase potential of post share-ability.
the takeaways (so far)
Slow and steady progress building follower count from zero to over 500 in less than 6 weeks. Daily engagement with the app fosters interaction and keeps an account active.
Tagging brands is highly effective — by tagging a film brand on a photo I took, my account was shared directly to their grid, reaching an audience of 28k+ viewers.
Prioritize engagement over grid aesthetic for account growth.Medium-length captions with emojis are successful, noting the camera I used, film stock, location, and other audience-specific details.
Scroll for a sneak peek of my camera roll
