They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, I don’t know how accurate that statement really is, but I love looking at pictures vs. reading text.
When I decided to really get in and revamp my placeholder website, I instantly Googled my options for adding my Instagram account and photos. I thought it would be a cool way to personalize my site and keep it updated pretty frequently. I came across this plugin called Instagram Feed by Smash Balloon. I installed it, tweaked some things in the plugin settings, and added it to a home page widget area.
Initially, I thought I’d have to do some sort of CSS customizations to get my Instagram shots looking great on all screen sizes.I was so happy to discover that the plugin does all this dirty work for you – it has a responsive setting that keeps your photos looking nice and neat depending on the screen size.
I chose a simple 3 by 2 layout that shows the 6 most recent photos that I’ve posted. You can easily change this number in the settings, too. This can come in handy depending on where you want to stick this feed.
If you choose to add this feed to the sidebar, keep it small – I’d recommend 3 or less photos so that your pages don’t require too much scrolling.
Another cool thing about this plugin is that is has a shortcode.
This makes it easy to enter:
to any page, post or widget area and have your recent Instagram shots shining bright.
I’ve had this plugin installed and running on my site while I’ve played with different Genesis themes and adding customizations along the way. So far, so good! I haven’t had to alter any of the plugin settings to make it look a better on smaller screens.
I love seeing the new photos I’ve posted on Instagram right there on my website without having to do any manual updating. If you’re looking for an Instagram plugin that shows your pics in their full glory, I’d definitely recommend the Instagram Feed plugin!
That sounds great, Frank.
Does this plugin allow you to only display photos by a hashtag?
Thanks, Bridget! Actually, it does…BUT not on the free version. You need to upgrade to pro to sort by hashtags/