While Instagram is definitely a visual platform and photos are best, you can still manage a successful Instagram strategy without photography.
Just take a look at the ACLU’s feed and stories. Most of the work they do is legal in nature, so it’s not like they have tons of great photography options.
Instead, much of what they do on Instagram is actually content repurposing from Twitter. Sometimes they just repost the tweet, and sometimes they add a little something extra in Instagram.
They also do factoid text posts like this . . .
Many of the photographs they do post are brand swag like t-shirts and buttons:
So don’t use “we have nothing to photograph” as an excuse to ignore Instagram. Follow the ACLU and other organizations like it, and you’ll see lots of ways to successfully engage supporters on Instagram even without beautiful photos.