Five Free IG captions

Free Instagram Captions for Photographers // Five Freebies to Get You Started

When Social Media is Painful

You know it’s time to get another Instagram post up — and you’ve got more than enough beautiful photos to share. But writing captions? That’s where allllll of the good intentions fall apart! 

If you had to add up the hours wasted each month trying to put together social media content, it would be painful. And despite your best efforts, you aren’t sure that the content you manage to post is even serving your business anyway!

Friend, I get it. Honestly, I’d opt out of social media if it weren’t for my business, and I have plenty to say about its negative mental and social impacts. At the same time, we need to grow our businesses somehow, and a social media account is free — unlike paying for ads!

In the end, Instagram is a tool that I both use and recommend for photographers — with clear purpose and lots of boundaries. Over the course of my many years on IG, I’ve learned to use it in a way that is mentally healthy for me and effective for my business.

Today, I want to take a little work off your plate and help you use this season wisely, so I’m sharing five free IG captions you can copy, tweak, and post fast. Save yourself some time, put an end to the overthinking, and just get some of your beautiful photos out there so you can keep connecting with families who want your services!

Free Instagram Captions for Photographers // Five Freebies to Get You Started

Five Captions Just for You!

These captions have either been shared on my feed or are planned for future posts, and you are welcome to take them and make them your own!

Note: while you’re encouraged to steal these ideas, I can’t express strongly enough how important it is to genuinely be yourself in your captions. You’ll build a great client base when you’re connecting with people authentically, and allowing them to see a piece of who you really are. Never feel pressure to share content that doesn’t feel quite right to you, and make sure you really make each caption your own.

1. Why you started your business

💡 Prompt: Share where you were before, what drew you in, and what keeps you going.

📝 Example: “I started this business for the flexibility — I was about to have my second baby, and couldn’t imagine going back to my job in software, spending my days at a desk and away from my kids.

I wasn’t thinking a decade down the road or looking for a new career, but 10.5 years later, here we are. The journey has been richer than I could have imagined: being invited in to my clients’ best moments and deepest griefs, stewarding memories, celebrating legacies, and empowering other photographers to do the same.

I’m not sure where the next decade will take me, but I can tell you this: each one of you has made this work more wonderful than I could have ever hoped for. Thank you endlessly for your trust in me!”

2. The most surprising part of this job

💡 Prompt: What caught you off guard about being a photographer?

📝 Example: “When I became a photographer, I expected to have to learn everything I could about shooting and editing. 

What I didn’t expect?

That I’d also become a weather forecaster. SEO expert. Local city guide. Style consultant. Communications & marketing director. Baby whisperer. Therapist (but really, I’ve heard this one on many occasions!). And so much more!

The roles required to keep a seemingly simple business going are diverse and often challenging for one human to keep up with. But if I know anything about myself, I know this: I thrive on variety. Whatever comes my way, I’m so thankful for a job that never stops pushing me to learn and grow!”

3. A client testimonial

💡 Prompt: Share where you were before, what drew you in, and what keeps you going.

📝 Example: Use your clients’ words here — you don’t have to write any of it yourself! Personally, I like to add a brief comment expressing how much the kind words mean to me, but that’s quick and easy to do. I also like to add a slide at the end of my photo carousel that has the review text, and then I can share it to my stories and save it in a highlight!

4. What it’s like to work with you

💡 Prompt: Share about your process — any part of it! This can be integrated easily and naturally on a regular basis, and it doesn’t have to result in a long, overly detailed post.

📝 Example: “This darling newborn session took place in one of my two studio options. I LOVE being able to offer client wardrobe and two unique spaces all in the same location, because it truly makes for the most stress-free experience possible. Having babies is hard enough, and newborn photos should never add to your workload when you need to be recovering and resting and bonding with your baby.

If you’re an expecting mother who loves the idea of beautiful photos with genuinely zero stress, I’d love to work with you!”

5. What you’ve been learning lately

💡 Prompt: This could be photography-related, business-related, or just life-related. Learning out loud builds trust and connection.

📝 Example: “The longer I’m in this job, the less I care about doing the same thing over and over for the sake of consistency – and the more I care about having fun. Truly, what’s the point of art if we can’t all enjoy it?

Try new things, friends. Branch out. Edit differently just because it feels right for a particular session. Head somewhere new. Set up a shoot for yourself. Don’t stop loving the work of creating. ✨”

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These prompts are just the beginning. If you’re ready to make social media clearer, more effective, and way less overwhelming, check out Connect & Convert — my guide to sustainable, strategic, and healthy social media for photographers. It includes a 12 week repeatable content plan, detailed caption prompts, and a sustainable, mentally healthy approach to social media. No salesy, spammy, annoying posts — just real connection building and authentic content.

Free Instagram Captions for Photographers // Five Freebies to Get You Started