Whether or not they have a website or a printed portfolio, a photographer’s social media feed is typically the first place potential clients, collectors and others discover their work. Many photographers are doing more than posting single images. Using the tools available on various platforms, they are curating and sharing sequences of images and video clips, and demonstrating their ability to tell a story and engage viewers.

“I absolutely think an ability to sequence images into a narrative or a thought-provoking gallery is useful,” says Caroline Smith, visuals editor at Topic. “It exhibits a photographer’s ability to think further than the single frame, to see images as a collection creating a narrative for the viewer.” Creative director Nick Lipton of Graduate Hotels says when he’s evaluating the work photographers share on social media, he wants to see that they have gotten more than some lucky shots, and “know how to move from image to image to build a story and create visual depth to a mood, feeling, tone.”

Here, four photographers explain how they use social media platforms for their visual storytelling. Their approaches are as different as their work.

Social Media Strategy: Cole Barash on Sequencing Personal and Assignment Work

Social Media Strategy: Music Photographer Angela Owens on Building Image Albums that Build Audience

Social Media Strategy: Cristina Mittermeir on SeaLegacy’s Ocean Conservation Efforts

Social Media Strategy: Juila Chesky On Producing Real-Time Content for Brands