Tiktok is bringing about a new era for photography - photographers are now using this young platform to showcase their creativity in completely unprecedented ways.
The most successful viral content related to photography on Tiktok are usually behind the scenes with a photography ‘hack’ or ‘trick’, essentially unconventional ways of shooting mind-blowing images.
To start creating content that goes viral on Tiktok as a photographer, here is a formula that I use to create videos that get thousands of views consistently - here’s to my profile on Tiktok.
In general, viral photography hack Tiktoks contain these parts: Showcase of final product with simple description, behind the scenes at the actual shoot, and editing process with concise narration. It is common to show the end product once more. The use of popular soundtracks is highly effective, and transitions are appropriately used.
Content on Tiktok seems radically different from what photographers are used to - photos are no longer enough (nor important) for going viral; what really matters is to create captivating short clips derived from the photo shooting process.
I stressed out about moving on to Tiktok from platforms like Instagram, because I had been a freelance photographer all my career but never really a videographer.
Fear not, therefore. If I could get a hang of the key to creating viral content on Tiktok, so can you!
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Here are few of my recent Tiktok photo hacks for your reference.
For a visual guide on how the steps to creating a viral Tiktok Hack, here is a video from my Youtube Channel.
Essence of Tiktok Success
Before we dive into the details of the recipe for viral photography hack videos on Tiktok, I want you to note one thing about the platform.
Tiktok is about trends. As their #hashtag projects suggests, Tiktok encourages the creation of mini-trends, and promotes content that rides on these trends.
Once you see the essence of Tiktok, you know that to create videos that go viral, you need to find out what is the current trend.
This is why a formula works. I know it works because I have seen it work on other people. So my content will gain Tiktok’s favour if I contribute towards the further proliferation of this photography hack trend.
This is a very important point to note because the Tiktok algorithm is still at its early stages and still is not very good at differentiating quality content from bad ones.
Therefore, the best bet you can have is to create content within the framework of what is proven to work.
Basic Checklist
Here is a generic list of things that you will have to sort out to execute a shooting session for Tiktok video creation.
Your specific case might warrant variations to be made. But this list should be applicable for most photographers doing most types of hacks.
Two People/ Tripods (at least)
Based on my observation of photography hack clips that went viral, most of them involve two or more people.
Again, Tiktok doesn’t want you to make photos. It wants you to make videos of you making photos.
Unless you are a seasoned, experienced videographer who has the necessary tools like gimbals, cranes, it can be a challenge to film engaging videos of yourself while you had to focus on taking the shot itself.
Therefore, as weird as it might feel, bring along another person who could help you out.
For the simple hacks that you can manage alone, this person doesn’t even need to know photography that well. They just need to be sensible enough to take your instructions.
If this is really a struggle for you, an alternative would be to set your phone on a tripod.
Though the downside of this option is that you will only get stationary shots; you can’t get pans and zooms etc.
For more complex hacks that require two people to perform, you will need another person/ tripod to shoot the behind the scenes for you.
Gear (Photo Hack Setup + Camera + Phone)
This is essentially what goes into your shot. You can come up with sophisticated hacks like many successful Tiktok creators do.
But especially if you are just starting and have yet to figure out your workflow for Tiktok content creation, start with simple hacks that don’t require exotic locations and a whole lot of materials.
Based on my personal experience, the key lies in not how fancy that trick is, but how engaging the video is.
So it makes more sense to focus on the production rather than the setup itself.
For photographers, I would recommend photographing the hack using your camera and filming the behind the scenes with your phone.
Having tried out a few different combinations (eg. both photographing and filming with cameras, both photographing and filming with phones etc), this setup outlined above causes the least alterations in my pre-existing workflow.
Video Editing Software (Phone + Tiktok)
Just stick to the basics.
Professional videographers have no issues in relation to software because they are already subscribed to paying softwares.
But this may not be the case for most photographers, and therefore it warrants a section.
For photographers, unless you are already considering into venturing into videography in the near future, I wouldn’t recommend purchasing premium software just for the sake of creating Tiktok photo hacks.
Your job as a content creator is to give people what they want on Tiktok, and that doesn’t always mean high quality 4k videos.
As of now, Tiktok users generally are looking for entertainment content and so things like screen effects, transitions, colour grading etc are not so relevant here.
As we will see in a moment, you just need something that could do basic trimming, transitions, adding text and background music.
Your phone app should be able to take care of the trimming. And the Tiktok app is perfect to deal with the rest of the steps.
Video Structure (~15s)
Now that you gathered the equipment and resources you need for a photo hack concept, let’s move on to study the structure most commonly adopted by viral Tiktoks.
The optimal video length, balancing both the quality of content, audience retention and my workflow, I have come to the conclusion that anything between 10-15 seconds will be fine.
Show End Product (~3s)
Now that Tiktok allows you to put both photos and videos, you can directly insert the edited shots into the Tiktok editor.
Usually I include three different shots generated from the same concept, so that people have a better idea of the full potential of the hack I am about to unravel.
Remember to crop your images using the 9:16 dimension in portrait orientation. Actually, it is best to keep this in mind right at the very beginning when you are shooting the photo.
Visuals that fills up the entire screen in the correct orientation are more likely to generate interest.
Another reason why you should consider including a few more shots is because you probably have more than one line to describe this hack as an introduction.
If you could change the photo while changing your text, this generates a more pleasing visual effect.
Personally, I put a simple summary of the hack in the first shot, describe the time or place in the second, and include an action cue (eg. ‘Let’s Do It!’, or ‘Here We Go!’) on the last.
3 seconds is a good length roughly. Anything longer than that will have difficulty holding people’s attention.
Behind the scenes (~6s)
The only goal here is to let the viewer understand what you are doing.
You can do a lot of advanced shots to demonstrate how your hack is executed. But for beginners, creating something easy to follow is key.
Since everything is so fast-paced on Tiktok, waste no time creating complex transitions and visual effects that distract the viewer.
You only have a few seconds anyway, so in this case simplicity can do you a great service.
My go-to way of filming my behind-the-scenes is just to get a pan shot of my camera and what’s in front of my camera.
Depending on the hack, I might include a few pans with a slight variation in the hack.
Put 2-3 concise phrases instructing the viewer what to do with the setup or your camera.
Editing (~3s)
Another part that people are always interested in is the editing.
Previously, I tried doing a 1 minute long Tiktok about how I edit my portraits for clients in depth. And that video’s watch time suffered tragically.
I worked out that people don’t really want to know all the details. They just want a brief idea of what kind of adjustments you made.
They don’t want to know the explanations as to why you do something and why to such extent. They just want simple, punch lines.
Speed up your editing shots by 2-3 times, and highlight a few main changes using the text function.
For example, I would type phrases like ‘boost highlights’, ‘increase saturation’, or ‘crop out xxx’ etc.
End Screen (~3s)
Because the video is so fast-paced, I suspect that people would have forgotten what they saw at the beginning of the video at this point.
The final shots at the end act as a mini-recap of what this video is about.
Another perk specific to photographers is that we have pretty photos. Tiktok users like to see pretty things, be it photos, people, landscapes etc.
This can also hold up your watch time for longer, a factor believed to determine if Tiktok promotes your video.
Transitions
As I mentioned above, because you only have very limited time to cover your photo hack idea, the footages themselves should already be very packed.
Transitions will take up time. Thus, the more transitions you add, the less the actual time you are showing your concept.
I also suspect that people swipe away if the transitions are distracting.
I only put very basic transitions between 1) the photo showcase and behind the scenes; 2) behind the scenes and editing; and 3) editing and photo showcase at the end.
There is just so much you can fit into 15 seconds.
Sound
You have the option to keep the sound in the original as some Tiktokers do - they narrate what’s going on in the video.
But in the case of photographers, the behind the scenes seldom contain valuable audio and most often has nothing but background noise.
I prefer muting the original film and adding sound in Tiktok, and there are two ways.
You could either do a voice over, or simply add music.
I suspect that people actually like the video more if they hear a soundtrack that they a familiar with or like. So I use popular soundtracks to my advantage.
Also, there is also a chance that people sees your video from searching the song.
Though we do not know for sure how Tiktok’s algorithm works, we can do everything to maximise the chance of the video being picked up and shown to more people.
Summary
In this article, we talked about how to make photo hack Tiktoks that go viral, and specific points about the workflow in creating content as such.
Essence of Tiktok
Basic Gear and Setup
Content Structure
More sharing coming soon!
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