A WOMEN’S Institute group recently had an insightful talk about how to use Instagram.

The Somborne Sisterhood welcomed Sam Boot who spoke about how to post on the social media platform, stories and reels.

Committee member Rebecca Rickard said: “Sam told us about her background to this through magazine work to her current life of being a textile artist and quilter. She explained that when we post we should think about why we are posting, what and who for and, importantly, think about whether you are public or private. This is to prevent you from sharing those pics of you and your family on the beach with the world!

“We looked at the quality of images, using portrait mode and the rule of thirds: this places the subject in the left or right third of an image. She also explained the importance of lighting and shadows. Sam encouraged us to look at shots taken by others, of topics we are interested in.

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“Hashtags (#) are key to attracting followers or people who are interested in what you post. You can do this by adding # and then writing a word linked to your subject. Words and suggestions will come up, or you can create your own. You don’t need a stock to repeat; you can add or remove each time.

“Stories only last 24 hours, so timing may be important to certain countries, reel’ made of videos stay as do posts.

“Overall, a fascinating evening which will ensure we think much more before putting our photos out there, knowing Sam will see them! We will also better appreciate the efforts she puts in, not just to produce her amazing thread work, but also her posts.”

The group's next meeting will be on Friday, November 3 with Jonathan Rickard talking about how to reduce our carbon footprint.

For more information on the Somborne Sisterhood, follow them on Instagram or e-mail on sombornesisterhood@gmail.com.