Tips to get better Instagram photos
Want to know how to step up your Instagram game? Follow these tips!
Lighting
Go outside! Natural lighting is going to give you the best effect on your photos and is also the easiest. Find out the best times of the day you prefer to take photos, you can try nightlife pictures or golden hour photos. With nightlife photos you can use the street lamps to add to the photos and with golden hour you can use more natural lights. You can also play with artificial light, such as LED lights or ring lights to give more variety. If you don’t have anything, you can also try lamps in your house or using a friend’s phone for more light.
Continuous bursts
Use burst mode to get more photos at once, it is also a way to get great candid photos. It also saves you the time of taking tons of individual photos. Sometimes the best photos are the ones we didn’t even plan on taking. You can also get more of a blurred effect on your photos this way and with different lighting techniques it will have even more depth. After you take the photos you can scroll through and find the exact moment you want to post. It is also nice if you don’t have anyone to take your photos.
Change your angles
Do not stick to the same angles! Try getting lower or higher, farther away, or behind different objects to change it up. This will keep your photos from always looking the exact same. Your friends are going to have to put in the extra effort, unless you have a tripod or your own stand. Different angles give different impressions to your photos, the same spot up higher or lower can completely change the story of the photo. Find what angles work the best for you, but also don’t be afraid to go out of your comfort zone.
Spacing
Pay attention to the spacing of your photos, especially if there are multiple subjects in frame. Avoid having objects directly behind you distracting from the main focus of the photo, but at the same time you want some background that is not too simple. You can also try the rule of thirds, which is when you place the subject either the left or right third of the image, and leave the other two thirds open. Spacing in a photo appeals to the eye and will attract more attention to your photos.
Change locations
Do not stick to the same areas you always do, which I feel like a lot of us do including me. Try to discover a new building, park, or even street to take photos at. Keep your eye out for any objects or walls that stand out to you, you can find a photo taking spot almost anywhere if you know how to capture it. Try new cafes, stores, record stores, whatever you can find. Changing locations will cast a wider audience and give variety to your feed.
Play with editing
Download different editing apps, add some cool effects you find or up the saturation. Depending on the tone you are going for, the way you edit it will be different. If you want to add designs such as hearts or wings that is also a fun twist to a regular photo. For moodier nightlife photos you are going to want to use cooler tones while editing compared to a daytime bright photo, which would use more warmer tones. You can also sharpen the photo or add more of a grainy effect.
Try different poses
Change the way you take photos, try sitting, putting your hand through your hair, holding an object, there are so many options. You can also look at places like Pinterest for inspiration. Use your background as a tool in your poses, interact with what is around you. If there is a newspaper, a basketball, coffee, these are all things you can add in your photo. Also celebrity Instagrams are a great place to look, because they usually post regularly with multiple poses.
Play with color
Color is a fun way to add to your photos, you can wear a pop of color or find a bright background. It will help your eye focus on whatever the object is, you can also play around with makeup if you want to add some more flare to it. Find a field of flowers, a bright building, a cool pair of sunglasses. There are so many different ways to do this.
Tell a story
What do you want your photo to say about you, about life? Having some sort of idea of the message you want to give can help you create better photos. If you want to express your love of nature and the outdoors, you can pose on a hike. If you want to show your appreciation of family, you can take a photo the next time you go out together. This creates a greater connection with your followers and a way to find more people who share your same interests.
Have cohesion
If you are someone who regularly posts on Instagram, you want some sort of cohesion. If you post one darker cooler tone photo then follow it up with a bright warm photo, it will not attract as many followers. I would choose something easier to keep up with, but if you are ambitious you can follow a specific aesthetic such as a more girly type of photos or more grungy. Influencers do this often, which is why you can try recreated or getting inspiration from their Instagram photos. Having colors that go together is a way to do this, if you take a lot of photos outside in the grass your feed is going to be more focused on green colors rather than if you take a lot in the city it will likely be more reddish brown based.
What is your favorite photo taking tip? Comment down below!
