Why is it that your photos don’t look as crisp or interesting as the photos of your favorite Instagram influencers?
While you won’t be able to compete with professional photographers and social media gurus, that doesn’t mean that you have to continue struggling with grainy and poorly-posed pictures on your Instagram grid. You can learn how to take good Instagram pictures even as an amateur.
We’re here to offer a few suggestions for how to take good pictures for Instagram (and edit them). Read on to learn more.
Posing and Lighting
The structure and composition of your photo will depend on the subject of your photo, but there are a few basic things that you can keep in mind while you’re composing.
First, if you want a visually interesting photo, keep the rule of thirds in mind. This is a good rule of thumb for most photos that aren’t close-up portraits. Instead of placing the subject front and center, offset it.
Make sure that you keep the entire frame in mind. You can edit it later, but if you look at everything carefully before you snap the photo, you’ll have more control over the result.
What’s going on in the background? What colors are working together? Is there anything that you don’t want in the photo?
Aim for good lighting conditions. For portraits, you want to take pictures in the coveted golden hour right before sunset or in clear and bright conditions. Avoid backlit subjects unless you’re going for a silhouette look.
Most modern phones have high-enough photo quality for clear Instagram photos, but if you’re trying to turn Instagram into your career, consider getting a DSLR or mirrorless camera.
Basic Editing
You don’t have to be a photo editing master to edit for Instagram. When you edit Instagram pictures, remember that you’re thinking about the entire grid rather than just a single picture.
If you’re going to use a filter or color edits, do so outside of the Instagram app. There are a few good editing features on Instagram itself, but there are plenty of free editing apps that do a better job and will give you more unique results.
If you want a cohesive grid, use the same pre-set filters for all of your photos.
When it comes to portraits, it’s tempting to overdo it on editing. Resist the urge to blur your pores and change your proportions with editing apps. Keep it simple.
Uploading Your Photo
Did you know that Instagram can kill your photo quality if you’re not careful?
When you upload to Instagram, try a few different file types and always take advantage of the max resolution (1080×1350 px).
Instagram defaults to jpeg photos, so if you upload another file type, your photo will lose quality. There are plenty of apps that you can use to convert jpg to png and vice-versa.
That’s How to Take Good Instagram Pictures (for Beginners)
Sure, your photos won’t be professional-quality, but learning how to take good Instagram pictures is a process. For the average Instagram user, these tips will be more than enough to get you started.
Get out there and start snapping some photos!
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