The four colours that will get your travel photos the most Instagram likes
Over 100 million photos are uploaded to Instagram every day. Beaches, sunsets, hot dog legs, selfies, all vying for Likes. However, according to new research there is a formula to taking the perfect shot.
It’s all in the colour scheme.
A study carried out by the Pantone Color Institute, marketing platform Fohr and Visit Carlsbad has identified the four colours that draw the most engagement from Instagram users. To come to this conclusion they analysed the best-performing posts from 75 different influencers with a following of 50,000 or greater.
The most popular colours are Rose Dawn (a dusty pink), Ethereal Blue (similar to the shade seen in open skies), Ocean Depths (a teal shade resembling the sea) and Harvest Gold (hinting of autumn shades, sandy beaches and sunsets).
“Colour has always been a part of why we travel; the desire to ‘see’ a new place is rooted in a mental image we’ve already conjured.” said Grace Murray, Vice President at Fohr. “We are drawn to land and cityscapes that look drastically different to our own.”
“Instagram’s influence over people’s travel decisions is incredibly dominant,” she added. “Using a quantitative analysis approach, we discovered that the current trending, appealing, and engaging hues in inspiration travel photos are much more grounded, calming and muted compared to the vibrant hues from a similar study last year.”
The research tallies with the findings that visual analytics and marketing platform Curalate came to in their own study last year. After analyzing 8 million Instagram photos they found that mostly blue images receive 24 per cent more likes than ones that were prominently red.
Colour psychology is still in its relative infancy. In Color and Psychological Functioning, researchers Andrew Elliot and Markus Maier said: “Given the prevalence of color, one would expect color psychology to be a well-developed area.
“Surprisingly, little theoretical or empirical work has been conducted to date on colour's influence on psychological functioning, and the work that has been done has been driven mostly by practical concerns, not scientific rigor.”
The study of colour psychology may be a work in progress, however many ancient cultures including the Chinese and Egyptians practised ‘chromotherapy’: using colours for healing purposes. For example, red would be used to stimulate the mind and body, yellow would stimulate the nerves and purify the body, and blue was used to cure illnesses and help ease pain.
Whatever the reason, there’s something in Rose Dawn, Ethereal Blue, Ocean Depths and Harvest Gold that clearly compels Instagram users to double tap. So where in the world can you snap these shades?
Ethereal Blue
Chefchaouen, Morocco
In some respects Chefchaouen is your typical Moroccan hillside town, with its winding alleyways laced with the aroma of cumin and mint tea. However, there's one thing that makes the town stand out: it is painted in a thousand shades of blue.
In an article for Telegraph Travel, Tara Stevens described it thus: “A delightful little hill town that has long been a must-do on the backpacker’s circuit thanks to the easy availability of kif – the light and fuzzy marijuana that grows abundantly in surrounding hills, and which might account for its chilled-out nature. Of late, however, a rather more sophisticated traveller has started to show up, curious about this mythic tangle of blue-washed streets that tumble between the two horned peaks giving the town its name.
“Today you’ll find civic pride bursting from every hairpin bend, where the teals, blues and turquoises contrast with vines and creepers shading the lanes, and life ambles by at donkey pace. It’s a brilliant base for hiking in the Talassemtane National Park, but its real charm lies in the very lack of things to do.”
Golden Dawn
New England, USA
Come autumn, New England is a riot of red, orange and yellow hues as the abundance of trees across these East Coast states change colours and their leaves blanket the ground. Naturally, this makes for a wonderful time to explore the great outdoors here, and so popular is this annual pilgrimage to see the autumn foliage, that it has it's very own verb – to leaf peep.
The Cog Railway (pictured) is as good a place as any to target, says Anthony Lambert. “The world's first tourist rack railways clambers up the 6,288ft peak of Mount Washington in the Appalachian Mountains of New Hampshire. It opened to the summit in 1869 and is operated from late April to the end of October by six steam locomotives built between 1874 and 1972, and four new biodiesels.
“As you ascend, the views broaden over surrounding peaks and into the near 2,000ft ravine of Great Gulf. By the summit, four states, Quebec and the Atlantic Ocean can be seen on a clear day.”
Check out the best hotels to see autumn in New England.
Rose Dawn
Jaipur, India
There’s certainly good reason to visit the so-called Pink City, says Telegraph Travel’s John O’Ceallaigh.
“An hour’s flight from Delhi, a link in the well-trodden Golden Triangle tourist route that also incorporates Agra’s Taj Mahal, and the capital of Rajasthan, Jaipur makes an obvious addition to any inaugural India itinerary and can be relied upon to reveal new treasures to repeat visitors - its lures are legion.
“Embedded with and surrounded by palaces and forts, its star attractions are colossal and magnificent; its vast assembly of bazaars, local craftsmen, artisans and (legitimate) jewellers make it one of India’s most popular shopping destinations; a credible selection of characterful luxury hotels provide welcome respite from the ceaselessly busy (and in summer infernally hot) city centre.”
Ocean Depths
Ölüdeniz, Turkey
Given that it has adorned Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism promotional posters and the covers of legions of guidebooks for at least three decades, no one could argue that the beautiful, pine-fringed and mountain-backed lagoon of Ölüdeniz (Dead Sea) is an unspoilt paradise. Yet despite the rampant development, the lagoon and its environs are still spectacular. There’s plenty to do, too, apart from swim in the azure waters of the lagoon or off the more prosaic adjacent beach, or take a boat to the pretty beach at Butterfly Valley.
Check out our round-up of the best beaches in Turkey for 2019.
