3 SURPRISING REASONS YOUR INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT IS NOT GROWING
3 SURPRISING REASONS YOUR INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT IS NOT GROWING

It was in July, 2017 that I posted part 1 of THE INSTAGRAM SERIES - content all about helping YOU manage your way around instagram - and I can honestly say, I NEVER expected to get the incredible response I did (FYI this is my best performing blog post EVER!) OR that a year on I'd still be adding parts to the never ending saga, sorry I mean series, that is Instagram. 

Seeing that I'm posting part 20 (!) of THE INSTAGRAM SERIES today, I'm celebrating by giving away 3 copies of my instagram eguide, 3 Lightroom preset mini bundles and a mini ebook outlining my editing process! To find out how to win in this WORLDWIDE GIVEAWAY, please scroll down to the end of this blog post. But first, let's delve into today's instagram topic, shall we?  

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instagram tricks, Creative business, creativity, food blogging, food photography, food styling, goal settingK J Espinel
CAN YOU BEAT THE INSTAGRAM ALGORITHM WITH COMMENT PODS?
CAN YOU BEAT THE INSTAGRAM ALGORITHM WITH COMMENT PODS?

NOTE: This blog post is part 19 of my INSTAGRAM SERIES - content all about helping YOU manage your way around instagram. In the INSTAGRAM SERIES I've touched on subjects such as why am I losing followers on instagram , how the instagram algorithms really work and how to get paid influencer work on instagram. Just click here to find all the other parts in the series. 

Now that the cat is out of the bag and we finally officially know how the instagram algorithms really work, joining a comment pod to increase our engagment and thereby beat the algorithm seems more important than ever. Or does it? In today's post I'll explore this questions in a bit more detail. 

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instagram tricks, Creative businessK J Espinel
WATERMELON AND BEETROOT SALAD RECIPE + A COOKBOOK GIVEAWAY!
WATERMELON AND BEETROOT SALAD RECIPE + A COOKBOOK GIVEAWAY!

Did you know that The Little Plantation is actually a vegan food photography blog ;p!!! I know, I've been consistently creating content for the blog these past few months BUT blog posts containing vegan recipes have taken a major backseat during the Spring/Summer period with me focusing instead on sharing food photography tips and instagram tips and hosting the Spring instagram food photography challenge. 

The good news: I'm FINALLY breaking the vegan recipes ''dry spell'' today with this FANTASTIC simple and easy summer watermelon and candy beetroot salad recipe. I found the recipe in best selling author Nina Olsson's new cookbook Feast of Veg, and instantly knew I needed to make it for the blog! Better still, you can WIN a copy of it this week! Want to find out more and discover what the book is like? Cool, then please read on....

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K J Espinel
4 ESSENTIAL FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY LIGHTROOM PRESETS
4 ESSENTIAL FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY LIGHTROOM PRESETS

After weeks of teasing you on instagram, my essential food photography preset bundle for Lightroom is FINALLY here! I know it's been a LONGGGG time coming, but I feel it's been worth the wait and I hope the presets will allow you to create the food photography 'look' you love. If you know me, you're probably aware that I like to go over and beyond for my audience and hence the bundle includes a few little extras! Want to find out more? Cool, then you've come to the right place.

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Lightroom presets, branding, creativity, food photography, food bloggingK J Espinel
IS ORGANIC GROWTH ON INSTAGRAM STILL POSSIBLE IN 2018?
IS ORGANIC GROWTH ON INSTAGRAM STILL POSSIBLE IN 2018?

NOTE: This blog post is part 18 of my INSTAGRAM SERIES - content all about helping YOU manage your way around instagram. In the INSTAGRAM SERIES I've touched on subjects such as why am I losing followers on instagram , how the instagram algorithms really work and how to get paid influencer work on instagram. Just click here to find all the other parts in the series. 

'What if organic growth on instagram is no longer possible? What if I post my most amazing images on instagram, use the best hashtags, leave thoughtful comments but still don't gain new instagram followers?' It's a question one of my creative community members asked a few weeks ago and one that somehow lingered in my mind. Like her, many of the talented and committed creatives I speak to daily are struggling to gain real traction on instagram or worse, losing followers week after week, month after month.  

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Creative business, creativity, food blogging, food photography, instagram tricksK J Espinel
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE NEW INSTAGRAM ALGORITHM
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE NEW INSTAGRAM ALGORITHM

NOTE: This blog post is part 17 of my INSTAGRAM SERIES - content all about helping YOU manage your way around instagram. In the INSTAGRAM SERIES I've touched on subjects such as why am I losing followers on instagram , how instagram is trying to get rid of (food) bloggers and how to get paid influencer work on instagram. Just click here to find all the other parts in the series. Now on with today's post!

DISCLAIMER: One of my lovely creative community members, Roberta alerted me to the article I will be referencing through this blog post. Thank you Roberta. So grateful.

It has been a while and a half since I've penned a piece for the instagram series; that's because it's been all kinds of busy behind the scenes at The Little Plantation HQ. But with instagram's unprecedented move to speak openly about how their algorithms really work and whether the shadow ban is or isn't a thing, I HAD to create another part in my popular blog series. So according to this article here's what they said in a nutshell and - more importantly - here's what it means for you as a (food) blogger, instagrammer and influencer. 

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mastermind, instagram tricks, Creative business, food photographyK J Espinel
VEGAN PROTEIN LENTIL SALAD + A COOKBOOK GIVEAWAY!
VEGAN PROTEIN LENTIL SALAD + A COOKBOOK GIVEAWAY!

Hi everyone! Thank you for your patience during my Easter break, I really appreciate it. So much so that I've got some pretty cool stuff lined up for you this week. To say thank you for being the best tribe ever I've got an AMAZING vegan cookbook giveaway happening, a delicious protein rich vegan salad recipe to share with you AND a LIVE food blogger masterclass to tell you about too.

To say I'm excited is a total understatement and hence I'd love to kick off all the goodness by telling you a little bit more about the vegan cookbook - POWER PLATES - by 3-time cookbook author and vegan food blogger Gena Hamshaw which you can win this week. You ready? 

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K J Espinel
THE BEST FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY PROPS FOR FOOD BLOGGERS
THE BEST FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY PROPS FOR FOOD BLOGGERS

When I post a food photo on instagram I often get asked where I get my food photography props from. And seeing that this post all about sourcing food photography props for every budget is two years old now (!), I felt it was time to provide you with an update. 

Before I delve into today's blog post all about the best food photography props for food bloggers a few things for transparency - today's blog post is NOT for those just getting started and eager to buy cheap and cheerful food photography props and ceramics (for that please head here). There is nothing wrong with keeping a close eye on your budget when you're thinking about making the move into food blogging and in fact I highly recommend you budget carefully at the start of your food blogging journey because it's very easy for things to get out of hand ;). 

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food photography, creativity, food styling, Creative business, food bloggingK J Espinel
FOOD STYLING AND FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY COURSE MARCH 2018
FOOD STYLING AND FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY COURSE MARCH 2018

After lots of planning, anticipation, excitement and heaps more vegan cooking the London food styling and food photography course Silvia and I hosted this March has come and gone. As you all know from this blog post teaching is what fills my heart more than anything in the world. So just imagine what I was like before and during the workshop (HINT: a child in a sweet shop). 

Silvia and I thought you'd like to see what a food photography and food styling workshop with us looks like which is why we are both sharing impressions of the two and a half day workshop with you today. Just click here if you'd like to see Silvia's take on the workshop, or read on if you want to re-live the workshop through my eyes and see some images from behind the scenes :).  

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food photography, creativity, food photography workshop, food styling, Creative business, food bloggingK J Espinel